Customizing an Arch Distro

CaptBill · 2011-09-16 06:07:01

Hi,
Newbie here hoping to build my "ultimate cross-platform development environment" using Lazarus/FreePascal installed to ArchLinux as the main OS. I have been eying Arch for a while and I must say, it seems to fit in well as far as "ultimate" on the OS end. Really like the minimalist approach and will be the ultimate "ideal" base system for what I have in mind, I hope.Very nice.

Lazarus, if you aren't aware, is the worlds very first(of sorts) cross-platform development language. The environment needs to be considered carefully with the demands involved which are rather unique. We can cross compile to almost any language and produce a native executable with Lazarus. So I can write a program in my Linux installation of Lazarus and compile it to MacOs, Windows, Droid, IPhone etc etc. It is really exciting and all except there are some thorny issues that come with the territory.

First off, how do you test/debug when cross compiling? You write code in a "base system" and compile to the target platform. You can run the program sure but you need to run in some type of emulator or another machine to test it. Not good for debugging. What to do? What is the best approach to handle debugging these apps?

I am thinking that virtual machines are the answer and need to design a system to maintain these virtual machines. Each VM/emulator will have not only the OS itself but also a fully configured Lazarus installation. This way the compiling is done from the target, only the 'project files' are opened that were written from ArchLinux base system. Now we can debug as normal from Lazarus installed on the "emulator" machine.

Problem: This means lot's of different emulators need to be created and maintained. Just installing ONE copy of Lazarus took me about a week and a half my first go at it!

Hopeful solution: Hopefully Arch is the right tool to assist in this large task of managing all this by it's scripting and package creation.

First things first though, we really need a good ArchLinux/Lazarus distro happening pronto. Lazarus is a REAL pain to install for some. A VirtualBox ISO with Arch/Lazarus pre-installed would be a serious help.

Any suggestions appreciated.

Cheers

tomk · 2011-09-16 08:25:44

I have no interest myself in Lazarus, but I can offer the following advice.

Start the ball rolling yourself. You say "we really need this" but right now it's just you. If you start working on it, others may join in. You are clearly very unthusiastic about all this, so focus that energy into producing results. People tend to respond a lot better to something that works (or even half-works) as opposed to ideas on a screen.

Arch is often described as a DIY distro, and that approach is highly recommended

Barafu Albino Cheetah · 2011-09-16 12:25:17

Just do it. What kind of help do you need?
VirtualBox machines should be better distributed as ova files, not iso. This way you provide the optimum configuration, asa well as CRC control.
You may configure Arch installation with GPL software and spread it packed. It is perfectly legal.

CaptBill · 2011-09-16 20:53:38

Thanks for the input fellas.

This was intended to be my first "hello there" post. I think I should have went to the "hello there" thread somewhere for this post maybe haha,sorry.

I am also as of yet evaluating my options, haven't even installed Arch yet. I want make sure all my ducks are in a row and have the best strategy early on instead of proceeding too soon. This one deserves a really well thought out approach. It is dual purpose, installation simplification and emulator/debugger environment creation. Nice thing is that these goals, if done well will scratch each others back...hence the extra thought

I like the responses though. Sounds like this is done every day so "well just do it then". Ok cool!

If you could consider the fact that i need to be able to recreate many VM's many times and point me in the right direction.
There will be stock "os images" that need to be "wrapped/merged" with dynamic data that Lazarus will be providing. The aim is a database/scripting interface to manage these many "platform emulators" and directly from Lazarus.

So the real question is a newbie one: where do you concentrate your scripting efforts? With ArchLinux or the VBox? Both? Neither?
(Not asking for you to do it for me just pointers/insight etc)

And hey, come on, you aren’t fooling me.
You know this is frontier territory so deserves some good discussion, come on now. haha

You know you want an object oriented Arch distro with super metatronic powers.

And hey, We just got the idea yesterday, sheesh.

Thanks for any input to the subject.

tomk · 2011-09-16 20:57:15

CaptBill wrote:

You know you want an object oriented Arch distro with super metatronic powers.

Yeah... you got me there. I just want you to do all the work.

CaptBill · 2011-09-16 21:14:12

Got a point you know.

Kinda silly being a Lazarus programmer and asking you a question, since you pointed it out.
Lazarus is capable of building it's own OS around itself like a CNC machine can improve/duplicate itself.

I just don't think that would have been a friendly way to say hello.

Barrucadu · 2011-09-17 01:04:21

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Lazarus just a Delphi IDE? The way you describe it makes it sound far more exciting than it is

Barafu Albino Cheetah · 2011-09-17 06:44:21

Tell us, CaptBill, aren't you confusing your Lazarus with Emacs? There are distros build around Emacs, using it as shell and even process manager, not to mention replacing simple utils.

Awebb · 2011-09-17 09:54:35

Barafu Albino Cheetah wrote:

here are distros build around Emacs, using it as shell and even process manager, not to mention replacing simple utils.

All they lack is a decent text editor.

*SCNR*

Arch Linux

#1 2011-09-16 06:07:01

Customizing an Arch Distro

#2 2011-09-16 08:25:44

Re: Customizing an Arch Distro

#3 2011-09-16 12:25:17

Re: Customizing an Arch Distro

#4 2011-09-16 20:53:38

Re: Customizing an Arch Distro

#5 2011-09-16 20:57:15

Re: Customizing an Arch Distro

#6 2011-09-16 21:14:12

Re: Customizing an Arch Distro

#7 2011-09-17 01:04:21

Re: Customizing an Arch Distro

#8 2011-09-17 06:44:21

Re: Customizing an Arch Distro

#9 2011-09-17 09:54:35

Re: Customizing an Arch Distro

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