alexmyczko / livecd.gnustep.org

GNUSTEP live CD

http://livecd.gnustep.org

GNUSTEP live CD

The current versions are based on the instructions at https://willhaley.com/blog/custom-debian-live-environment/

gnustep-language/ This should be in SystemPreferences (the languages part)

Debian Menu system (thanks to the freedesktop.org)

• It is incomplete and should be called GNUSTEP
• More about it: https://bugs.debian.org/741573

Configuration

/etc/skel is used for the me user to preconfigure the GNUstep applications, some tools, and Window Maker

Symlinks (thanks to the freedesktop.org)

• /bin/open is removed, see https://bugs.debian.org/732796
• /usr/bin/open a symlink to /usr/bin/gopen (also do that for the manual page)
• /Applications to /usr/lib/GNUstep/Applications/
• /Users to /home/
• /Volumes to /mnt

/etc/init.d/autoexec.bat run via /etc/rc2.d/S02autoexec.bat

# set the background color to a dark blue
echo "\033]P0015284"
# set the gray font color to light blue
echo "\033]P7ffffff"
# set no password for root
sed -i s,^root:.*,root::12522:0:99999:7:::, /etc/shadow
sed -i s,output=/usr/lib/GNUstep/System/Library/Fonts/,output=/etc/skel/GNUstep/Library/Fonts/,g /usr/bin/update-nfonts
# create a user called "me"
useradd me -d /home/me -m -s /bin/zsh
#chsh -s /bin/zsh me
adduser me tty
adduser me audio
chmod 0660 /dev/tty*
update-rc.d -f ssh remove > /dev/null
update-rc.d -f wdm remove > /dev/null
update-rc.d -f cron remove > /dev/null
update-rc.d -f knot remove > /dev/null
update-rc.d -f xrdp remove > /dev/null
update-rc.d -f klogd remove > /dev/null
update-rc.d -f samba remove > /dev/null
update-rc.d -f cupsys remove > /dev/null
update-rc.d -f motion remove > /dev/null
update-rc.d -f apache2 remove > /dev/null
update-rc.d -f hddtemp remove > /dev/null
update-rc.d -f portmap remove > /dev/null
update-rc.d -f sysklogd remove > /dev/null
update-rc.d -f tftpd-hpa remove > /dev/null
update-rc.d -f nfs-common remove > /dev/null
update-rc.d -f dhcp3-server remove > /dev/null
update-rc.d -f smartmontools remove > /dev/null
update-rc.d -f nfs-kernel-server remove > /dev/null
#echo "Please wait while the fonts are prepared..."
#/bin/su -s /bin/zsh -c "/usr/bin/update-nfonts > /dev/null" - me
init-zram-swapping

/etc/skel/.xsession

Set a random background image

• sed -i "s,/usr/share/WindowMaker/Backgrounds/debian.tiff,ls ~/Backgrounds/water* | shuf -n1,g" /home/me/GNUstep/Defaults/WindowMaker

Set a random nickname for the TalkSoup IRC client, if started, autoconnect to irc.gnu.org and autojoin #gnustep

• sed -i "s,Nick = FIXME,Nick = shuf -n1 /home/me/.nicknames,g" /home/me/GNUstep/Library/ApplicationSupport/TalkSoup/ServerList.plist

Set display gamma at least to 1.6 (PC screens are too dark)

• xgamma -gamma 1.6

Run the window manager

• exec wmaker

Debian Packages

Since Debian Stretch (9) does not have the following software, we add them manually:

• chess.app_2.8-1_amd64.deb, see https://bugs.debian.org/861862
• fontmanager.app_0.1-1_amd64.deb
• fonts-blankenburg_0.1-1_all.deb
• fonts-leaguespartan_0.1-1_all.deb
• mrboom_3.3-1_amd64.deb
• protracker_2.3d.r10-1_amd64.deb
• textedit.app_5.0-1_amd64.deb (NOT YET)
• zram-config_0.5_all.deb
• emacs.app (NOT YET), see https://bugs.debian.org/299324

livecd.gnustep.org's Issues

How inittab is handled / Installation advice

Hello,

I'm trying to follow the installation instructions on http://www.aiei.ch/gnustep/install.txt which have a note "sorry these are not updated for 2.5"

That's OK, they are pretty good, but a few things could probably still use updating in them.

So I have lots of questions, some are probably related to this installation document needing updating, but this one has got me stumped as I transition from LiveCD to an installed VM on Sid.

How does your inittab work?

I found autostartx and I put it into my installed GNUSTEP VM with an identical inittab to yours, and it does not seem to hit autostartx. I followed the installation advice to use sid distro, I went ahead and installed sysvinit according to some other instructions for getting sysvinit back in debian sid, and got rid of systemd, so it is really hitting inittab. But I don't know what this kk line means, and I'm almost sure the comment above it has nothing to do with how it works.

I just want to make my installed VM boot straight to a logged-in session exactly how it works in your LiveCD. I thought if I replicated your inittab, I would get most of the way there. Looks like I'm still missing something.

Suggestions? And do you want any help updating the installation document?

I would really like to have at worst a script that I can run, that does all of this configuration on a freshly installed system. Whatever has gone into making the LiveCD "how it is" up to and including putting the orca tiff in the right place. If such a script does exist, please publish it or point me to it!