Arch Linux Automatic Installer

solarwind · 2008-11-01 18:06:07

Haha, you gotta love punBB. Fastest forum software I've ever seen. I'll post an update soon.

ryclegman · 2008-11-03 01:44:36

hey solarwind... can you sign up on our forums? http://bbs.borderless-linux.org/

solarwind · 2008-11-03 01:45:57

ryclegman wrote:

hey solarwind... can you sign up on our forums? http://bbs.borderless-linux.org/

I will, once I get around to make a post with my blueprints.

ryclegman · 2008-11-03 01:55:22

ok cool thanks

solarwind · 2008-11-03 02:53:57

Ok, here's a preliminary outline for the installer.

http://www.blog.solarwind.metafy.org/20 … tions-v10/

This will change drastically over time. Please post what you think about it and revise it.

Last edited by solarwind (2008-11-03 02:55:52)

u_no_hu · 2008-11-03 08:56:44

@solarwind
A suggestion.. wont it be better to create a few metapackage like gnome-destop-basic , gnome-full, kde-lite etc with all the configuration changes needed in the .install files and giving the uses the option to select what ever he wants and then install them.

And a configuration file with all those metapackages can be saved so that next time you can do a quick install by passing that file to the installer...

solarwind · 2008-11-03 13:11:28

u_no_hu wrote:

@solarwind
A suggestion.. wont it be better to create a few metapackage like gnome-destop-basic , gnome-full, kde-lite etc with all the configuration changes needed in the .install files and giving the uses the option to select what ever he wants and then install them.
And a configuration file with all those metapackages can be saved so that next time you can do a quick install by passing that file to the installer...

That's a great idea. Two problms:

1. I don't know how to make proper packages.
2. I want this script to be as simple and low-maintenance as possible. I'll just add somewhere in the script to edit configuration files so gnome is configured properly.

Mr Green · 2008-11-03 14:16:54

Archie had a system simillar to this a package list was read then an iso [live version!] was created from it

Think you are looking at a base system + X atm?

ryclegman · 2008-11-03 18:49:59

solar wind... First question, would you like to help with Borderless? Second... if so will you mod your installer to install Borderless Linux onto a users HD?

Last edited by ryclegman (2008-11-03 18:52:10)

u_no_hu · 2008-11-04 06:16:11

@Ryclegman..
Ive got plenty of free time nowadays(read jobless ;-) ) so i would like to try out and help with Borderless...
Ive been to the website and read a few threads on the ubuntu forum...but still cant get a clear idea on what you are trying to accomplish.

From the website

Borderless is aimed, to be almost unbreakable, from the users perspective. With Borderless most of the important settings are safe guarded and controlled by system. You do still have access to the essential administrative tasks such as adding a printer, creating a new user, or adding or removing daemons in the rc.conf file.

How is this different from existing linux systems????

With file security activated, you will should never lose your documents, music or settings, due to system failure again. (If your HD dies, you will lose your files, unless its backed up else ware.)

Something like Mac Time machine?

And last the most basic question..what is the target audience? and what speciality will differenciate Borderless from other distros?

Last edited by u_no_hu (2008-11-04 06:16:58)

u_no_hu · 2008-11-04 08:49:34

@solarwind
Have a look at this
http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=427434

ryclegman · 2008-11-04 21:01:04

@u_no_hu
we could use your help :].... If you take a look at our newly updated website you will see our target audience, and what its all about. Our about page, which has all the your questions is being updated as we speak. It will clear any confusion up that is larking around. If you could join our IRC chat we will answer any other questions you have..

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
@solar wind... First question, would you like to help with Borderless? Second... if so will you mod your installer to install Borderless Linux onto a users HD?

solarwind · 2008-11-04 21:04:01

ryclegman wrote:

@u_no_hu
we could use your help :].... If you take a look at our newly updated website you will see our target audience, and what its all about. Our about page, which has all the your questions is being updated as we speak. It will clear any confusion up that is larking around. If you could join our IRC chat we will answer any other questions you have..

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
@solar wind... First question, would you like to help with Borderless? Second... if so will you mod your installer to install Borderless Linux onto a users HD?

Unfortunately, I don't have the time to help with your Linux distro. I'm still in school (last year of high school). It's a very stressful year, marks need to be as high as possible. But as this project slowly starts to shape up, you can take whatever you want from it and modify it to fit your distro. But unfortunately, I can't help with your distro, sorry.

Mr Green · 2008-11-05 09:17:51

If you email me I will try and offer some help :-)

ryclegman · 2008-11-05 20:45:23

@Mr Green

What is your email..... You can also email me at ryclegman@aim.com, or just get on irc some time!! :]

Galdona · 2008-11-06 02:21:34

This "automated configurator" is an excellent idea. I bought a laptop for the first time recently and I was seriously considering installing Ubuntu because I wanted it to just start working with no fuss. I wanted to get to my real work immediately. However after some reading I still preferred archlinux so I put on my patience hat and installed arch.

I am a tinkerer but nowadays I mostly see my computer as simply a means to an end. People who sympathize with this view (and who also like archlinux over other distros) will appreciate solarwind's efforts.

Galdona · 2008-11-06 02:34:15

I was going to suggest allowing the user to choose whether to encrypt some partitions (which can be useful especially on a laptop, which can be easily stolen) but since it's a post-install "installer" perhaps encryption does not belong in it because it would require formatting the partition to be encrypted.

Anyway I hope more people show interest in this!

csat · 2008-11-06 03:03:35

Good idea. I tried here with my desktop but got some problems with my video card. So I'd like to suggest the inclusion of a choice if nVIDIA or not and, then:

# pacman -S nvidia nvidia-utils

and, then, configure it using

# nvidia-xconfig –add-argb-glx-visuals \
–allow-glx-with-composite –composite \
–no-logo –nvagp=1 –render-accel \
-o /etc/X11/xorg.conf

Mr Green · 2008-11-06 06:17:00

@ryclegman

Will contact you soon :-) thanks

The problem is how far to go, I think set Arch up .... Base system.... Networking [Pacman!] then X

From there user should be able to continue

In the case of Borderless add there Desktop of choice

viperskunk · 2008-11-14 18:28:07

On some forum, i forget which...but you said this project was supposed to be only initially off arch. then you are planning a shift of base to debian. is that right?
Any updates on this project? I mean from beta 2 to beta 3....or release?

Last edited by viperskunk (2008-11-14 18:28:44)

corstar · 2008-11-14 18:42:39

crouse wrote:

the LAST thing I want Arch to be is more like Ubuntu...

Agreed. That's why I've setled on Arch, I enjoy a bit of a challenge now and then.
And actualy "learning" how the system works, Ubuntu is great to start off with, but you become a bit of a script kiddie, imo.

crouse wrote:

I'm not categorically opposed to it, but I think the present installer -- which isn't really so very hard to manage -- is a sort of threshold over which a user has to cross before confidently running Arch.

Thats the best desctription of Arch of seen.

ryclegman · 2008-11-23 02:27:44

Borderless will be based of Arch Linux and will stay that way. Our next release should be some time around thanksgiving!

solarwind · 2008-11-23 03:01:51

ryclegman wrote:

Borderless will be based of Arch Linux and will stay that way. Our next release should be some time around thanksgiving!

That's great to hear! Nice avatar of big daddy by the way! What does it get you by default? A full desktop environment? Laptop support?

Last edited by solarwind (2008-11-23 03:03:23)

ryclegman · 2008-11-23 22:38:38

solarwind wrote:

ryclegman wrote:
Borderless will be based of Arch Linux and will stay that way. Our next release should be some time around thanksgiving!
That's great to hear! Nice avatar of big daddy by the way! What does it get you by default? A full desktop environment? Laptop support?

ha ha thanks.... yes it gets you a full desktop environment... and it does have laptop support as well.

ralvez · 2008-11-24 00:16:38

@solarwind,

I just stumbled upon this thread and after reading a bit and going to your website and reading the code you have there I thought to share a couple of things and code.
I have done so many installations of Arch for family and friends that I have come up with a similar concept as yours to "automate" the installation. I think the idea can be useful for new users as well as "old users" that wish a fast-track installation process.
Now to the code. Here is my script:

#!/bin/bash
# A script to automate installation of programs in a new set up of ArchLinux
# Author: R. Alvez
#
# ======================================================================== #

user=$UID

 if [ $user != 0 ] 
  then
  echo "Sorry. Only the ROOT user can run this program !"
  exit
 else
  echo "###############( Updating Programs )###############"
  echo
  echo "Start: " 
  date
 fi

# Basic programs

function baseprogs(){

echo "==============( Basic Programs )================="
echo

  for PROGRAM in xorg xorg-apps gdm firestarter
  do 
   echo +=========================+
   echo "PROGRAM: $PROGRAM"
   echo +=========================+
   echo
   pacman -Sy --noconfirm $PROGRAM 
   echo -e \\n\\n
  done
}


# Desktop Environments

function E17(){

echo "==============( Desktop Environment : E17 )================="
echo

  for PROGRAM in e17-svn e17-extra-svn gdm
  do 
   echo +=========================+
   echo "PROGRAM: $PROGRAM"
   echo +=========================+
   echo
   pacman -Sy --noconfirm $PROGRAM 
   echo -e \\n\\n
  done
}


function OBox(){

echo "==============( Desktop Environment : Openbox )================="
echo

  for PROGRAM in openbox obconf mmaker openbox-themes gmrun stalonetray
  do 
   echo +=========================+
   echo "PROGRAM: $PROGRAM"
   echo +=========================+
   echo
   pacman -Sy --noconfirm $PROGRAM 
   echo -e \\n\\n
  done
}

function KDE4(){

echo "==============( Desktop Environment : KDE4 )================="
echo

  for PROGRAM in kde
  do 
   echo +=========================+
   echo "PROGRAM: $PROGRAM"
   echo +=========================+
   echo
   pacman -Sy --noconfirm $PROGRAM 
   echo -e \\n\\n
  done
}


function DE(){

# Uncomment the desired function to install a D.E.
OBox
#KDE4
#E17
}


# Productivity tools

function productivity(){

echo "==============( Productivity Tools )================="
echo

  for PROGRAM in htop screen hwd openssh ntp host mc yakuake 
  do 
   echo +=========================+
   echo "PROGRAM: $PROGRAM"
   echo +=========================+
   echo
   pacman -Sy --noconfirm $PROGRAM 
   echo -e \\n\\n
  done
}

# Web Development

function webdev(){

echo "==============( Web Development Programs )================="
echo

for PROGRAM in bluefish cssed kdewebdev gvim eric4 apache mod_python php mysql mysql-python python-ldap mysql-gui-tools pyqt pyqt3 qt qt-doc qt3 qt3-doc
  do 
   echo +=========================+
   echo "PROGRAM: $PROGRAM"
   echo +=========================+
   echo
   pacman -Sy --noconfirm $PROGRAM 
   echo -e \\n\\n
  done
}


# Multimedia

function multimedia(){

echo "==============( Multimedia Programs )================="
echo
  for PROGRAM in xine-lib xine-ui amarok-engine-xine alsa-lib alsa-oss alsa-utils alsaplayer gstreamer0.10-alsa alsa-plugins mplayer mplayer-plugin amarok-base amarok-engine-xine gstreamer0.10
  do 
   echo +=========================+
   echo "PROGRAM: $PROGRAM"
   echo +=========================+
   echo
   pacman -Sy --noconfirm $PROGRAM 
   echo -e \\n\\n
  done
}


# Printer tools

function printertools(){

echo "==============( Printer Tools )================="
echo

  for PROGRAM in cups 
  do 
   echo +=========================+
   echo "PROGRAM: $PROGRAM"
   echo +=========================+
   echo
   pacman -Sy --noconfirm $PROGRAM 
   echo -e \\n\\n
  done
}


# Office productivity programs

function office(){

echo "==============( Office Programs )================="
echo

  for PROGRAM in jre openoffice-base openoffice-spell-en openoffice-es
  do 
   echo +=========================+
   echo "PROGRAM: $PROGRAM"
   echo +=========================+
   echo
   pacman -Sy --noconfirm $PROGRAM 
   echo -e \\n\\n
  done
}


# Tools for running/using CDs and DVDs

function cd_dvd_tools(){

echo "==============( CD-DVD Tools )================="
echo

  for PROGRAM in libdvdcss dvd+rw-tools libdvdread k3b
  do 
   echo +=========================+
   echo "PROGRAM: $PROGRAM"
   echo +=========================+
   echo
   pacman -Sy --noconfirm $PROGRAM 
   echo -e \\n\\n
  done
}

# Some of my favorite programs

function favorites(){

echo "==============( Favorite Programs )================="
echo

  for PROGRAM in conky kompose xbindkeys pidgin guifications purple-plugin-pack workrave gkrellm gkrellmlaunch gkrellweather tuxcards katapult
  do 
   echo +=========================+
   echo "PROGRAM: $PROGRAM"
   echo +=========================+
   echo
   pacman -Sy --noconfirm $PROGRAM 
   echo -e \\n\\n
  done
}


# Special Drivers

function drivers(){

echo "==============( Program Drivers )================="
echo

  for PROGRAM in linux-uvc-svn xf86-video-intel
  do 
   echo +=========================+
   echo "PROGRAM: $PROGRAM"
   echo +=========================+
   echo
   pacman -Sy --noconfirm $PROGRAM 
   echo -e \\n\\n
  done
}


# MS-True Type fonts

function ttfonts(){

  echo +=========================+
  echo "Program: MS-TT Fonts"
  echo +=========================+
  echo
  pacman -Sy --noconfirm ttf-ms-fonts 
  echo -e \\n\\n
}


baseprogs
productivity
cd_dvd_tools
multimedia
printertools
office
favorites
webdev
drivers
ttfonts
DE

echo "All done!"

Notice that I broke the install into functions that can be called independently, depending on the type of installation, ( say desktop vs. laptop). So if I install a desktop system I may just put KDE but if it is a laptop I would install Openbox as the DE.
I also check for root being the user installing the programs at the beginning so there is no need for sudo (I noticed that this approach was used in the script in your site) which requires that the sudo package be installed already.

I've added the DE function very recently and have not taken any time to do it properly (meaning, the desired DE should be passed as an argument to the function; eg: DE(openbox) ) but you get the idea. What I did take time to do was add all I feel is needed (in terms of packages) to have each DE fully functional from the get go.

I hope some of these ideas may help you in your work. I'll be happy to help if I can.

Regards,

R.

Arch Linux

#76 2008-11-01 18:06:07

Re: Arch Linux Automatic Installer

#77 2008-11-03 01:44:36

Re: Arch Linux Automatic Installer

#78 2008-11-03 01:45:57

Re: Arch Linux Automatic Installer

#79 2008-11-03 01:55:22

Re: Arch Linux Automatic Installer

#80 2008-11-03 02:53:57

Re: Arch Linux Automatic Installer

#81 2008-11-03 08:56:44

Re: Arch Linux Automatic Installer

#82 2008-11-03 13:11:28

Re: Arch Linux Automatic Installer

#83 2008-11-03 14:16:54

Re: Arch Linux Automatic Installer

#84 2008-11-03 18:49:59

Re: Arch Linux Automatic Installer

#85 2008-11-04 06:16:11

Re: Arch Linux Automatic Installer

#86 2008-11-04 08:49:34

Re: Arch Linux Automatic Installer

#87 2008-11-04 21:01:04

Re: Arch Linux Automatic Installer

#88 2008-11-04 21:04:01

Re: Arch Linux Automatic Installer

#89 2008-11-05 09:17:51

Re: Arch Linux Automatic Installer

#90 2008-11-05 20:45:23

Re: Arch Linux Automatic Installer

#91 2008-11-06 02:21:34

Re: Arch Linux Automatic Installer

#92 2008-11-06 02:34:15

Re: Arch Linux Automatic Installer

#93 2008-11-06 03:03:35

Re: Arch Linux Automatic Installer

#94 2008-11-06 06:17:00

Re: Arch Linux Automatic Installer

#95 2008-11-14 18:28:07

Re: Arch Linux Automatic Installer

#96 2008-11-14 18:42:39

Re: Arch Linux Automatic Installer

#97 2008-11-23 02:27:44

Re: Arch Linux Automatic Installer

#98 2008-11-23 03:01:51

Re: Arch Linux Automatic Installer

#99 2008-11-23 22:38:38

Re: Arch Linux Automatic Installer

#100 2008-11-24 00:16:38

Re: Arch Linux Automatic Installer

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