Release Candidates :: DSL v4.0 alpha1



Quote (^thehatsrule^ @ July 17 2007,00:18)
- right-click menu on the dfm desktop for XTerm starts the directory in /ramdisk/home/dsl/.dfmdesk -- not sure if this is the intended behaviour
- the icons look like they are very low in quality (at least, compared to the previous icons used with xtdesk).  Was this done on purpose due to the sheer amount of new icons, or is this a limitation of the implementation of dfm?

The xterm opening is based on where you are. On the desktop it opens in the desktop, as you have noted. Double like the home folder and then right click for xterm and you will have xterm opened there.

If you open the Apps folder and click the Aterm icon, it should behave as before. You should drag your choices of desktop icons from the Apps folder to the desktop.

I placed minimal icons on the desktop and would rather let the use select which applications they want. This is especially true for the drag and drop. If have placed all the traditional icons then you may not want to use beaver as your target drag and drop. I copy vi to the desktop and then drag shell scripts and lua on it to edit. Also, the remark has been made that many do not use many of the icons shown previously on the desktop. So I decided to have minimal default icons rather than possibly have an even more crowded desktop covered with icons.

The introduction of all of these new capabilities, was/is a challenge and of course I had to make decisions on how to keep size down. While at the same time, hearing that some older computers could not even use the existing icons. Therefore, I have chose to use much smaller, in byte count, icons. The remark has also been made that 48x48 icons were too big. I am now using 32x32. Actually I am still open to looking at other/alternative small icons. But size has always been more important to DSL than eye candy.

I have been acused of favoring JWM over fluxbox. Actually I am empathic to the new user of DSL and as such feel they would be more comfortable with JWM. I am using the very latest JWM and since it can share the icons used in DFM, I chose to implement the mini-icons. There is no space wasted by using the icons in JWM. I felt that the advanced user would find it very easy to use the desktop=fluxbox. As well, as the advanced user who doesn't use icons, desktop=fluxbox noicons

Actually, while I have been developing 4.0, I am using SWM as the window manager. This makes me walk the talk in supporting a menu-less document centric computing.
I've only had about an hour with it on the computer behind me.

USE: Live CD
CHEATCODES: lowram
MACHINE: Pentium 200mhz, 64 MB RAM
ENVIRONMENT: sandbox/crash test system

Initial impressions: Booted straight up into JWM with four dfm icons on the left. I haven't messed around with dfm in years and it's not my favorite.

Looked around to see if there were any significant changes in menu structure and there really aren't any -- so anyone who's been using DSL should feel right at home.

Right-click on desktop is dfm menu, not DSL menu. Devices can be mounted/unmounted with right click on desktop now.

The first change I made was to change JWM focus setting from sloppy to click. The second was to set the background to a solid color using the desktop option in the menu rather than wallpaper.lua. I also tried to kill X using the dfm menu but it doesn't work (didn't look to see if that can be edited in the menu). I also hit quit in the dfm menu, then looked to see if there was a menu entry for it and there isn't. I quickly added one (killall dfm && dfm) and it works.

Then I made a couple text files to copy and move around to get a feel for dfm. I really don't think it's as intuitive as other file managers, but it works and it's good to have integration between the desktop and the file manager. I mean the intuitive part with respect to moving versus copying, especially copying from a directory to the desktop. I wish that were more configurable.

ISSUES
I mounted one of the DSL traditional-install partitions I have on the hard drive, tried to mydsl-load a couple extensions I have stored on it. Tried clicking on icon first, using mydsl browser local second, and then command line to see why it wasn't loading. Got read-only errors. Copied aumix.dsl to /tmp, checked permissions, tried again. Same problem. I double-checked and /dev/root and /ramdisk are mounted read-write.

Decided to download aumix.dsl on this computer and copy it to floppy. Tried to mount floppy on DSL 4 and got error "mount: unknown filesystem type 'msdos'" -- floppy was formatted using DSL on another computer so I know it should've worked. Looked at fstab and it's set for auto. I went to another room and successfully mounted the same floppy under DSL 2.1b partition without errors (didn't bother to mydsl-load because I already have aumix on that partition). So the problem isn't the floppy. Anyone else have any issues with FAT floppies?

I have to start getting ready for work, so I'll see if I can sort it out later. Overall, I like the direction this is going. Good job, Robert.
Quote (curaga @ July 17 2007,01:18)
Might I ask what kind of install is hybrid?

I'd also be interested in what is in the kernel besides vanilla sources. Unionfs, cloop, bootsplash, supermount, ntfs-2g, loop-aes, -lck patchset etc?

A hybrid install is frugal plus persistent home and/or persistent opt.

I will be posting the kernel build directory as a tarball so that the advanced community will be able to contribute modules for their specific and unique hardware requirements.

There is so much to do and I am only one person, so in time.
I still have to make the boot floppy and will likely hold off on doing the other DSL images (editions) until the alpha series settles down
Quote

I mounted one of the DSL traditional-install partitions I have on the hard drive, tried to mydsl-load a couple extensions I have stored on it. Tried clicking on icon first, using mydsl browser local second, and then command line to see why it wasn't loading. Got read-only errors. Copied aumix.dsl to /tmp, checked permissions, tried again. Same problem. I double-checked and /dev/root and /ramdisk are mounted read-write.


Possibly because your partiton containing the mydsl/ folder is owned by root?

The new mydsl implementation by way of the mydsl=hdXY boot code will create a mydsl folder on the specified drive/partiton and change it ownership to dsl.staff. The mydsl download directory now points directly to this location and the the link on the desktop also points to it. The .app shortcuts are then temporarily stored there. If you are using an existing mydsl/ folder be sure to change its ownership permission to that of dsl.staff
What about ipw2200 compatibility?
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