DSL v3.1 RC4

Forum: Release Candidates
Topic: DSL v3.1 RC4
started by: roberts

Posted by roberts on Nov. 21 2006,04:10

DSL v3.1 RC4 is now ready for testing. Cumulative Change Log:

* Improved mount tool for "after boot" pendrive support.
* Fixed reported issues with mount tool - sort order & missing devices
* Fixed incomplete Lua conversion of dslMirrorSel.lua
* Fixed incomplete Lua conversion of icontool.lua
* Updated .jwmrc for recent menu changes
* Updated hard drive install for consistent fstab
* Updated hard drive install - lilo to partition instead of MBR
* Updated frugal lilo - dropped hda requirement & lilo to partition.
* New theme - envane
* Improved frugal_grub.sh to support Poormans via Bootfloppy installs.
* Improved frugal_lilo.sh to support Poormans via Bootfloppy installs.
* Improved dsl-hdinstall & dsl-installboot to support Poormans via Bootfloppy installs
* Updated mkdosswapfile to support Poormans via Bootfloppy
* New boot option 'dosswapfile' to autoscan or specify dosswapfile
* dpkg-restore made consistent with other extensions to use /opt/.mydsl_dir.
* gnu-utils-restore made consistent to use /opt/.mydsl_dir.
* Changed mydslPanel to use /opt/.mydsl_dir
* Fixed bug in mydslInfo to parse for new UNC area of repository
* Fixed bug in DSLpanel for Xvesa
* Fixed typo bug in icontool.lua
* Dropped pts from mount.lua
* Changed mkmydsl script -boot-load-size 4 for beter hardware compatibility.
* Improved root's PATH, changes .fluxbox/menu .xtdesktop/Aterm.lnk, and /root/.bashrc
* New boot option 'fuse' to load upon boot the fuse system.
* Converted 54 Lua and Lua/Fltk programs to Lua 5.1.1 Fltk 1.1 via MurgaLua interface
* Added right-click to MyDSL Icon for easy UCItool access
* Improved Antiword fonts
* Changed color escape codes to echo commands
* Added TMPDIR environment variable
* Dropped Original Lua/Fltk - flua
* Edited .fluxbox menu. Configuration s/b Fluxbox Configuration
* Added License section to "Getting Started" document
* Cleanup code regarding DESKTOP & ICONS
* Update stats.lua to read version from text file.
* Added firefox adjustments for unionfs
* Made unionfs the default boot. Use "legacy" option to skip.
* Cleanup more /var/tmp to /tmp
* Updated sqlite to 3.3.6
* Made mydsl boot option consistent with restore boot option.
* Enhanced exitcheck to warn if no backup device when requested to save special settings.
* Added murgaLua Lua/Fltk development toolkit
* Enhanced .torsmorc for ACPI battery indicator

Download < here. >

Posted by John on Nov. 21 2006,08:38

Also thanks to Marek Fetlinski and Erik Fredricks for providing the foundation for the new theme. The new theme is a slightly tweaked copy of Marek Fetlinski's Envane, which is based on Erik Fredricks' original Window Maker theme.

Check out < lonelymachines.org > for some very nice themes.

Posted by roberts on Nov. 21 2006,14:21

Just to share my thoughts on whats really new in RC4:

After watching the board and seeing many posts on the difficulty of setting up a system with multiple OS over multiple hard drives, having to edit grub menu or lilo configurations, I set out to find something easier. This lead me to the gag boot loader. It is simple to configure and use. I reworked the lilo options on the DSL installation programs with the target of being able to use gag. With this release candidate we gain the use of gag. You don't need to use gag. You may still choose to the very flexible grub. And with lilo just mark your partition as active (boot) to operate as before.

The second area I worked on was mount tool. This was also forum driven. After seeing several posts on sort order, missing or incorrect devices on the list. Also, I had wanted to add the connection to hotplug so that a pendrive inserted after boot would show up in the mount tool. Actually I was planning the hotplug for v3.2 but since I was in the code, I decided to add it in this RC.

And finally I cleaned up two Lua programs that I had incomplete code conversion. Hopefully these 50 some Lua programs are now complete.

I really appreciate those who help test and those who share their experiences in the forums. It is many times the forum posts that help guide in making DSL continue to improve.

Robert

Posted by bokaroseani on Nov. 21 2006,18:59

Improved mount tool for "after boot" pendrive support. Thats very helpful to me. Thank you.

Am yet to play with this RC but it looks promising.

Posted by roberts on Nov. 21 2006,19:02

In order to have all the changes take affect be sure have uptodate files.

Cumulative list of items that been updated during dsl 3.1RC series, which may be overridden by your backup:

1. .fluxbox/menu
2. .xtdesktop/Aterm.lnk
3. .xtdesktop/Cpanel.lnk
4. .xtdesktop/MyDSLgui.lnk
5. .jwmrc

Posted by dtf on Nov. 21 2006,21:20

A couple of items:

1) Trying to set passwd as superuser for the very first time running from liveCD gives me a segmentation violation. After that it seems to work fine.

2) The Test button of the MyDSL tool does not give me a menu. All other buttons do.

Sorry if these issues are already known.

Posted by roberts on Nov. 22 2006,06:17

Thanks dtf, I have found and fixed both items.

Posted by Unknown User on Nov. 22 2006,13:49

Is it possible to update from version 3.1 RC3 to 3.1 RC4? Apt-get dist-upgrade?

Posted by ^thehatsrule^ on Nov. 22 2006,14:37

apt-get as you should know isn't supported ;p

If you are running a frugal, usually replacing the KNOPPIX image and then checking your backup.tar.gz for any conflicts (see the 5th post by roberts of this thread)

Posted by hs7sv on Nov. 22 2006,15:29

I'm not sure anybody tested ACPI battery indicator? It does not work on my laptop.

Posted by roberts on Nov. 22 2006,18:14

Torsmo v0.17 as used in DSL only allows battery directory names of the form BAT0, BAT1,...

I find most ACPI use BAT1 whereas APM uses BAT0

I suspect that yours is MBAT or some such.
It has been suggested that a upgrade to torsmo v0.18 may help.
That is on the TODO list.

Posted by roberts on Nov. 22 2006,18:47

Quote (dtf @ Nov. 21 2006,13:20)

I have posted new images of RC4 with these items corrected.

Posted by dtf on Nov. 23 2006,05:05

roberts, hs7sv - I have a latitude c610 running 3.01 DSL without unionfs. On this laptop the battery indicator correctly show the battery information when running on it. However, running the liveCD 3.1RC4 the battery indicator reads AC when running on the battery. In both 3.01 non-unc and 3.1RC4 unc downloading wmacpi correctly show battery information.

Posted by hs7sv on Nov. 23 2006,06:58

roberts - You are correct. My batteries are CMB1 and CMB2. They may work in torsmo v0.18

dtf - Thanks

Posted by kerry on Nov. 23 2006,23:48

Anyone try the desktop icontool?
Mine wouldn't make icons, i had to create the .lnk file with beaver.

Can someone else check?

Posted by roberts on Nov. 24 2006,02:30

Thanks Kerry. Found it and fixed it. I will be posting a new image RSN

As soon as a valid bug is found, I want to squash it and update the images.

Posted by kerry on Nov. 24 2006,03:00

Cool, i thought it was just me and to much turkey. I also noticed i don't get that unionfs problem with this version. I like the new look, Does it come in blue? Just joking.

Happy thanksgiving Robert!

Posted by roberts on Nov. 24 2006,03:19

Kerry,

Quote

I also noticed i don't get that unionfs problem with this version

That is fantastic news for me!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted by kerry on Nov. 24 2006,04:33

Oh robert, i have a question. I changed all my partions to JFS some time ago, it's what i use now. When i tried to mount it, it said it wasn't supported in the kernel.

Does that mean if i apt-get jfsutils it still won't work?

I didn't get a chance to test it myself, the family is waiting to IM with my sister. Thanks.

Edit: Never mind i tried it it didn't work.

Posted by ^thehatsrule^ on Nov. 24 2006,06:13

Nope, I think currently, DSL has..
rw: ext2 fat vfat ext3-as-ext2
ro: ntfs

no idea on apt-get.

Posted by quackking on Nov. 26 2006,23:07

Hi, total newbie here. I downloaded DSL 3.1-RC4 from the link provided on distrowatch.org, burned it to a CD successfully, booted from the CD (the box has Ubuntu Edgy installed on the SATA drive but it booted fine from the DSL CD)

I then immediately tried to burn a bootable pendrive image using

(right click on desktop)
apps
tools
(selected USB-HDD, which is a named option in my m/b BIOS)

Answered all questions, installed successfully (I think) to sda.

Went to mount tool, mounted sda1, noticed all sorts of new stuff with right now's date and time, so it looked like the install worked.

Except -

When I rebooted, nothing happened. That is, although the pendrive is read-write, with all this good stuff on it under both DSL (booting from CD) and Edgy, the system won't detect it or boot off of it.

I then tried to boot from a diifferent computer (which has Mandriva 2007 installed.) Same results. The pen drive can not be seen as part of the boot cycle, but it works fine once Linux (from the hard drive) is up.

Both of these computers have AMD CPUs and AMI K7S5A Bios.
These bios chips give you a wide range of USB bootable options, and I selected USB HDD. There is also something on a different BIOS page that refers to USB support for DOS, which I enabled. In fact I enabled everything in sight - no luck.

In both cases I am plugging the pen drive directly into the header on the m/b - right below where the on-board Ethernet port is. No hubs involved.

This is a 1GB pendrive.

What can I do to provide more info so I can get this to work?

TIA.

Posted by kerry on Nov. 27 2006,00:33

When you made your partion, did you make it bootable?

Posted by JohnH on Nov. 27 2006,01:36

Quote (quackking @ Nov. 26 2006,18:07)

.....
(selected USB-HDD, which is a �named option in my m/b BIOS)

....

When I rebooted, nothing happened. That is, although the pendrive is read-write, ....

I had similar troubles and made the system work by choosing Zip-usb boot option in BIOS and the install to pendrive sequence....or was it floppy-usb? There arent many combinations to try.

Posted by quackking on Nov. 27 2006,01:42

Quote (kerry @ Nov. 26 2006,19:33)

When you made your partion, did you make it bootable?

I just selected the apps/tools setup option. I presume that marks the partition bootable, since it creates it. I did not do it myself, though.

Update: I checked this using sfdisk /dev/sda. The only partition on the device is in fact bootable.

Posted by quackking on Nov. 28 2006,23:39

Hi. This board seemed to be offline most of yesterday. Any thoughts on my problem? I mean, is this a DSL issue or is it something to do with my motherboards? Is there any way to tell?

Posted by roberts on Nov. 29 2006,00:01

This is not an RC related issue.
I would suggest to try the Wiki for usb < booting. >
If you have follow-up questions they should be in the usb booting section of the forum.

Posted by roberts on Nov. 29 2006,03:37

DSL v3.1 is now released. See Site News.

Many thanks to all who have help test and report items during this RC cycle.