The build root is coming along, and the AltimatOS Installer is also seeing much needed love. On other fronts, we finally have our registered PEN from the IANA to allow us to create the necessary schema for LDAP in AltimatOS.
Outside AltimatOS, I've been working a lot lately, which has slowed some things up, but never fear, I will get a release out eventually. :D
September 24, 2008
August 28, 2008
Back in the saddle....
It's been a while since I've blogged... Since then, I've gotten a new job and started working on doing updates to the various packages in AltimatOS. Sadly, this means that I need to build a new build root since updating to glibc 2.8 almost killed my install. Let the builds begin!
July 22, 2008
Testing. 1, 2, 3....
I've finally gotten the last of the package conflicts that APT can detect fixed. Tomorrow will be an installation test into a directory to see if AltimatOS' packages can actually be installed from scratch.
July 9, 2008
Linux programmer for hire...
This is one of the few times I'll post a personal message up here...
As of 11:30AM PDT, I was let go at Google. This means I'm an unemployed Linux coder/systems administrator. If anyone knows of decent employment in the SF bay area, please let me know ASAP.
As of 11:30AM PDT, I was let go at Google. This means I'm an unemployed Linux coder/systems administrator. If anyone knows of decent employment in the SF bay area, please let me know ASAP.
May 24, 2008
First post while booted into AltimatOS....
PAAAAAIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!
There be bugs a-plenty. We really need bugzilla up like NOW.
There be bugs a-plenty. We really need bugzilla up like NOW.
May 11, 2008
I can haz workz GCC...
For the last week, I have been fighting against the GNU Compiler Collection and MJPEG Tools. Seems that there are two major bugs in GCC 4.1.2 20070110, both related to C++ code.
One is a visibility support bug, where the compiler will erroneously mark visible symbols hidden, and the other is a templating bug where redefinitions will cause an Internal Compiler Error. While the first bug would likely have caused my KDE builds to be broken, the second was blocking building kipi-plugins, since mjpegtools is a dependancy on it and does some strange redefinitions to work around a bug in the GNU Debugger.
Happily, after updating GCC to the 20070305 revision (which techinically updated us to the unofficial 4.1.3 release of GCC) mjpegtools and others seem to build as they should.
One is a visibility support bug, where the compiler will erroneously mark visible symbols hidden, and the other is a templating bug where redefinitions will cause an Internal Compiler Error. While the first bug would likely have caused my KDE builds to be broken, the second was blocking building kipi-plugins, since mjpegtools is a dependancy on it and does some strange redefinitions to work around a bug in the GNU Debugger.
Happily, after updating GCC to the 20070305 revision (which techinically updated us to the unofficial 4.1.3 release of GCC) mjpegtools and others seem to build as they should.
April 16, 2008
Adventures in Packaging....
RPM hasn't changed much externally to the user since 1996 when it was first released. Nor has it changed much for people wanting to package up software with it. Internally however, it has changed a great deal, especially with how it discovers dependencies.
As time has gone on, RPM has become more and more aggressive in discovering what dependencies a package has, including it's calls to GNU only features in the C library. This wouldn't be a problem if your C library was from before 2.5 if you had packages that had been build by both RPM 4.4.6 and 4.4.8, however this is not the case on AltimatOS; we use glibc 2.5.
Because of this, I get to wait on glibc to build again. This does not make me a happy panda....
As time has gone on, RPM has become more and more aggressive in discovering what dependencies a package has, including it's calls to GNU only features in the C library. This wouldn't be a problem if your C library was from before 2.5 if you had packages that had been build by both RPM 4.4.6 and 4.4.8, however this is not the case on AltimatOS; we use glibc 2.5.
Because of this, I get to wait on glibc to build again. This does not make me a happy panda....
April 9, 2008
Same old task...
For a few months I've ignored the state of our packages for AltimatOS. Well, today that changes. We're not far from a public beta and we've yet to get KDE built, let alone fixing any broken dependencies in the repository, which would make it near impossible to release, let alone install.
As I'm currently the only person on the project, I've turned my attention from the installer to work on our packages. So, at this moment, I'm building KDE 3.5.9 with a wealth of patches to make the experience a little better for our users.
This will take a while to sort out the last of the packages before I can get back to working on AI unfortunately. Due to the state of the repository and AI, etc. I now implore the free software community: if you want to help; have ever wanted to work on a Linux distribution, please get in touch with me at greeneg aT altimatos DoT com to volunteer.
As I'm currently the only person on the project, I've turned my attention from the installer to work on our packages. So, at this moment, I'm building KDE 3.5.9 with a wealth of patches to make the experience a little better for our users.
This will take a while to sort out the last of the packages before I can get back to working on AI unfortunately. Due to the state of the repository and AI, etc. I now implore the free software community: if you want to help; have ever wanted to work on a Linux distribution, please get in touch with me at greeneg aT altimatos DoT com to volunteer.
April 2, 2008
Looking good....
I've almost all of the code done for the user interface of AI, and at this point can focus on one of the more important features for release of the installer: kickstart mode.
The back end of the installer is intended to write the kickstart file as it goes so we can just read in the actions requested and act on them in the later portions of the installer. This also allows users to clone systems easily and effectively by installing once on a canary and then copying the kickstart file to a pen drive and running the installer on the new box with the pen drive attached.
Stay tuned for updates on this, since this shouldn't take too long to add in. ;)
The back end of the installer is intended to write the kickstart file as it goes so we can just read in the actions requested and act on them in the later portions of the installer. This also allows users to clone systems easily and effectively by installing once on a canary and then copying the kickstart file to a pen drive and running the installer on the new box with the pen drive attached.
Stay tuned for updates on this, since this shouldn't take too long to add in. ;)
March 30, 2008
The AltimatOS Logo Contest
OK, as people probably have noted from the logo in the upper corner of AI, the temp logo I threw together in 20 minutes is nothing more than Konqueror's Crystal Icon with AltimatOS in ElsiaInline, Thin font. This has been fine for a preliminary placeholder logo, but as I am getting closer to completing AI's user interface and finishing the packaging needed to get AltimatOS ready for it's preliminary beta, I feel it's not enough.
Because of this, I'm pleased to announce the AltimatOS Logo Contest! We're looking for a logo that emphasis the beauty and extensibility that makes up our OS. While some would throw Tux in there, please don't. We are not designing another Linux, but a coherent operating system; one designed for the average user, not the tech.
So you may ask, what's in it for me as the artist?
Well, the grand prize winner will walk away with both an ASUS Eee PC and every release of AltimatOS' planned commercial releases for free. This means that we'll send you one of the first discs mastered of the final releases at each release, without charge for shipping. The second and third place submissions will be given the first release edition of AltimatOS Desktop Edition on DVD for free.
And now for the rules:
1. All artwork submissions must be original artwork, without exception.
2. We require all submissions to be in digital formats (SVG, PNG, etc.)
3. Vector images are preferred.
4. If your work has been selected as the winner, it becomes the exclusive property of YggdrasilSoft, LLC. At that time, we require that all original sources for the artwork be sent to us and copyright and trademark rights be transferred to us. This also means that you may not in anyway keep copies of the artwork without prior consent of YggdrasilSoft, LLC.
5. If your artwork is not selected as the winning piece, we will destroy our copy to ensure that we do not violate your rights to the artwork.
6. During the contest you will grant us the right to place your artwork on display on our website(s) for open commentary.
7. The artwork should match the style of the Crystal Icon Set as designed by Everaldo for the KDE project.
8. This contest will run until July 4th, 2008. At the end of the contest, the core team for AltimatOS will judge the artwork based on the effectiveness of branding and beauty to select the new logo for our operating system.
There, done with the stuffy part! Happy vectoring! :D
Because of this, I'm pleased to announce the AltimatOS Logo Contest! We're looking for a logo that emphasis the beauty and extensibility that makes up our OS. While some would throw Tux in there, please don't. We are not designing another Linux, but a coherent operating system; one designed for the average user, not the tech.
So you may ask, what's in it for me as the artist?
Well, the grand prize winner will walk away with both an ASUS Eee PC and every release of AltimatOS' planned commercial releases for free. This means that we'll send you one of the first discs mastered of the final releases at each release, without charge for shipping. The second and third place submissions will be given the first release edition of AltimatOS Desktop Edition on DVD for free.
And now for the rules:
1. All artwork submissions must be original artwork, without exception.
2. We require all submissions to be in digital formats (SVG, PNG, etc.)
3. Vector images are preferred.
4. If your work has been selected as the winner, it becomes the exclusive property of YggdrasilSoft, LLC. At that time, we require that all original sources for the artwork be sent to us and copyright and trademark rights be transferred to us. This also means that you may not in anyway keep copies of the artwork without prior consent of YggdrasilSoft, LLC.
5. If your artwork is not selected as the winning piece, we will destroy our copy to ensure that we do not violate your rights to the artwork.
6. During the contest you will grant us the right to place your artwork on display on our website(s) for open commentary.
7. The artwork should match the style of the Crystal Icon Set as designed by Everaldo for the KDE project.
8. This contest will run until July 4th, 2008. At the end of the contest, the core team for AltimatOS will judge the artwork based on the effectiveness of branding and beauty to select the new logo for our operating system.
There, done with the stuffy part! Happy vectoring! :D
March 29, 2008
Progress
The simplicity of Qt and KDE never ceases to amaze me... With far less lines of code than if I'd been using something like WxWidgets or MSVC, I've a rich interface for an application. See the screenshots:
As can be easily seen, I've a fair amount done, and these aren't even recent screenshots. On the backend, we're likely going to be using INI and YAML for kickstart files. INI for the main portions and YAML for the partitioner though that is still under consideration.
As can be easily seen, I've a fair amount done, and these aren't even recent screenshots. On the backend, we're likely going to be using INI and YAML for kickstart files. INI for the main portions and YAML for the partitioner though that is still under consideration.
March 28, 2008
Syntax bitches!
Ok, I guess I need to read the docs on a class BEFORE just assuming that it'd work the way other Qt/KDE classes work.... Case and point KListViewSearchLineWidget (say that ten times fast, I dare you...)
Unlike most classes in KDE which take the parent as the first entry, it takes the KListView that the search will be tied to. This is, in my opinion, the epitome of inconsistent code design :( After spending two days getting that widget to display and run properly, I finally broke down and read the documentation.
Yeah, yeah... I should have read the fine manual earlier, but I had gotten lulled into a false sense of thinking that "this is KDE code, it'll be logical with how it handles constructing the object and it will be consistent". This learns me one....
Unlike most classes in KDE which take the parent as the first entry, it takes the KListView that the search will be tied to. This is, in my opinion, the epitome of inconsistent code design :( After spending two days getting that widget to display and run properly, I finally broke down and read the documentation.
Yeah, yeah... I should have read the fine manual earlier, but I had gotten lulled into a false sense of thinking that "this is KDE code, it'll be logical with how it handles constructing the object and it will be consistent". This learns me one....
March 13, 2008
Making my projects known
Today I finally updated the www.kde-apps.org entry for Phinos (Phinos Installs the OS), which died a grueling death when I was so rudely shoved out of the PhoeNUX OS project. Now, it is reborn as AI, the AltimatOS Installer.
As before with Phinos, I aim to allow AI to be distro agnostic, with welcomed help from the community. The code is much cleaner now, whereas before it was a wreck being my second major project in PerlQt.
If you are interested in taking a look at the sources (as there hasn't been a finalized release yet) see http://svn.tabris.net/repos/ai/.
As before with Phinos, I aim to allow AI to be distro agnostic, with welcomed help from the community. The code is much cleaner now, whereas before it was a wreck being my second major project in PerlQt.
If you are interested in taking a look at the sources (as there hasn't been a finalized release yet) see http://svn.tabris.net/repos/ai/.
On the act of moving....
Moving from one place to another might seem like such a nice thing to do, however at this point, I'm finding that I'm hating the "doing" aspect of it more and more...
Today I spent the day cleaning the old apartment just so I can get the entire 3500 USD deposit back from them. This is only _one_ of many aspects that I really loath in the process. The packing, unpacking, breaking stuff in the move, eating up my time.....
You'd think that after two cross continental moves, and 12+ moves while at college, I'd be used to it somehow. Guess I'm just getting tired of it.
Today I spent the day cleaning the old apartment just so I can get the entire 3500 USD deposit back from them. This is only _one_ of many aspects that I really loath in the process. The packing, unpacking, breaking stuff in the move, eating up my time.....
You'd think that after two cross continental moves, and 12+ moves while at college, I'd be used to it somehow. Guess I'm just getting tired of it.
March 11, 2008
w00t! Qt::Process FTW!
I've worked on getting the backend to CuteDisk as used by AI, AltimatOS' Installer, to use Qt::Process for grabbing info from the OS for the disks, and Holy Mother of God is it fast! No more UI blocking, no more nashing of teeth trying diligently to get Proc::Simple to behave while interacting with RPM, just the snappy processing of commands :D
As you can clearly see, I'm geeked :)
As you can clearly see, I'm geeked :)
March 10, 2008
Progress
I've been working on AltimatOS' installer and website over the last few evenings and things are shaping up. :)
Since talking to ossi, I've managed to get QProcess to behave with PerlQt reasonably well. This has allowed me to finally setup a fair amount of the CuteDisk backend code, and keep the AI user interface free from blocking.
On the web front, we've actually gotten a decent amount done. This allows me to focus my attention on AI, PHADS, and Foreman Build Daemon so we can get things done for our goal of an early May installable beta of the OS for people to start banging on. See www.altimatos.com for more details.
Since talking to ossi, I've managed to get QProcess to behave with PerlQt reasonably well. This has allowed me to finally setup a fair amount of the CuteDisk backend code, and keep the AI user interface free from blocking.
On the web front, we've actually gotten a decent amount done. This allows me to focus my attention on AI, PHADS, and Foreman Build Daemon so we can get things done for our goal of an early May installable beta of the OS for people to start banging on. See www.altimatos.com for more details.
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