About Ubuntu spins

[melodie]

Hello,

I have had a very good  surprise with the Ubuntu Builder tool for Ubuntu brands, as long as I have used the Ubuntu Mini Remix LTS as a base. I have tried to make a Lubuntu spin and also a Xubuntu spin and for unknown reason this failed just after the first update in the chroot.

However I think this might be the best tool I tried for making a remix of Ubuntu so far, and very easy to use. While reading about the LTS+rolling project, I had this morning a fun idea, linked to the Remix versions : why not create "OBubuntu Pro" and "OBubuntu Family" ? This could be fun, and also useful : one for the people with children, with all sorts of edu games plus all the usual entertainement, and one for the people who don't care about multimedia, sound or tuxtype like programs.

This would also allow having full featured ready to go (and still light) versions, that we could update several times a year in minutes, and still keep them low in size to fit in a CD (hoopefully).

Ubuntu builder:
https://launchpad.net/ubuntu-builder

http://code.google.com/p/ubuntu-builder

and at this page is a full howto providing lots of  screenshots:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5450581/help_1/help.html

Bento could be the code name for the base one, which would be kept low in size with almost no application installed.

What do you think of this idea ?

[djohnston]

I have tried to make a Lubuntu spin and also a Xubuntu spin and for unknown reason this failed just after the first update in the chroot.

I'm not much on Ubuntu, but I'm putting the last touches on Lubuntu/turned RazorQt with the latest (package manager updatable) version of Gambas. Details will be forthcoming. I should have it finished today. I just wanted to say that after trimming the Lubuntu fat from 180MB at idle down to 110MB, I decided to add the zram-config package to help a bit with running daemons. What a disaster. The package installation ran initramfs-update and crashed and burned upstart. The installation would not boot after that. Something weird there.

Anyway, after doing this respin, I'm going to put my energy into Debian live for the next DebWeb update. So, after having gotten a little familiar with Ubuntu, and really not liking upstart, I'd be glad to see what can be done with ubuntu-builder. But, ladies first!! 

Hey, I'm even doing my first custom plymouth theme.

[melodie]

So, after having gotten a little familiar with Ubuntu, and really not liking upstart, I'd be glad to see what can be done with ubuntu-builder. But, ladies first!! 

Hey, I'm even doing my first custom plymouth theme.

Ah!! A plymouth theme! Then you might be able to help me with that in the future?

Ok, about Lubuntu and Xubuntu I suspect they contain some special tweaks which need to be known in order to handle it perfectly. I also suspect one part of the Ubuntu Builder to need the right naming provided... just a new idea that came to me. I am fully involved in that for the time being, I feel an urge, perhaps a bunch of old machines coming around me soon, to provide with an easy/nice/light spin?

If you want to make razorQT on top of some Ubuntu... my bet is that the version I put online under the name RC3 might start to be pretty fit for it.

Just don't change the naming and brand in Ubuntu Builder, and you should have a boot going straight to the desktop. And zram-config works perfect there, in the Live and after install.

While I am here: I had to cheat and add it to rc.local for it to be up and running. I have noticed in Madbox, it is up and running, in the live AND after install : but I have no idea how he did that ! I would be happy to get some help to try to find out how it was done, because it is probably more elegant that the method I have used...

(You will also have a look in /usr/share/initramfs/... some compcache file I don't remember where, and in /etc/initramfs as well, I have used the information from the comments to fix the size and have able to run).

[djohnston]

While I am here: I had to cheat and add it to rc.local for it to be up and running. I have noticed in Madbox, it is up and running, in the live AND after install : but I have no idea how he did that ! I would be happy to get some help to try to find out how it was done, because it is probably more elegant that the method I have used...

Madbox, huh? I had that one installed at one time. Can't remember why I ditched it now. Well, I can always re-install. That will have to be some time later, though.

[konaexpress]

I'm not much on Ubuntu, but I'm putting the last touches on Lubuntu/turned RazorQt with the latest (package manager updatable) version of Gambas. Details will be forthcoming. I should have it finished today. I just wanted to say that after trimming the Lubuntu fat from 180MB at idle down to 110MB, I decided to add the zram-config package to help a bit with running daemons. What a disaster. The package installation ran initramfs-update and crashed and burned upstart. The installation would not boot after that. Something weird there.

Anyway, after doing this respin, I'm going to put my energy into Debian live for the next DebWeb update. So, after having gotten a little familiar with Ubuntu, and really not liking upstart, I'd be glad to see what can be done with ubuntu-builder. But, ladies first!! 

Hey, I'm even doing my first custom plymouth theme.

Wow, just found this thread.

The new GambOS alpha 3 is going to have LXDE and Razor QT as an option. We have GTK and QT lovers and haters. Orca will be a non dev version, a daily use distro but some have asked for a QT daily use version. For now the Qt version is called Skipjack if I decide to do it.