If a choice is possible in the wizard, which desktop environment(s) the Pyra OS should ship ?

[Linux-SWAT]

I guess that the rootfs won't have all the DE, so in case the first boot wizard allows to choose from the ones shipped, which ones should they be ?

 

[edgex004]

I wouldn't mind an option to use OpenBox or i3wm without a DE.

 

[Linux-SWAT]

I wouldn't mind an option to use OpenBox or i3wm without a DE.

I'm sorry, I can't add more voting choices :/ .
Ppl seems to have to make a comment...

 

[Silent-Hunter]

XFCE, MATE, and MiniMenu, I would suggest.

 

[Caine]

Xfce, MiniMenu, Awesome WM and standalone XBMC.

 

[benoitb]

Voted Xfce, but if there was an "I don't care" option, I would have chosen it.

 

[ghostpatch]

+1 for OpenBox with a nice theme

 

[eric]

I voted but my own preference would be ratpoison as WM with a DE. That's what I use on my Pandora and it maximises screen space use!

 

[sulu]

"None" would be great. Quite frankly, I'd even consider the presence of a wizard to be bloat.

I usually set my x86 systems up by doing a minimal installation with the installer, disabling recommended and suggested packages and then installing everything I want on that very lean system. I 'd like to have a similar option with the Pyra. Basically all I want from the pre-installed Debian system is a kernel, a working network connection and apt.
I'd even consider installing the system (not just flashing a system image) from scratch to be an option, if the process is well documented.

btw:
Are there any plans on mainlining the Pyra-specific changes to the kernel?

 

[Klumpen]

Looking at the results I can get behind XFCE and MATE, but why MiniMenu?

 

[TrashyMG]

I'd even consider the presence of a wizard to be bloat.

I 'd like to have a similar option with the Pyra. Basically all I want from the pre-installed Debian system is a kernel, a working network connection and apt.

Well I think most wouldn't want a minimal setup, so how I see it a wizard would be needed to determine a level of installation they would like. And how bare do you want to get? Without some of the Pyra specific things you won't get a working keyboard, nubs, rotated properly screen and what not.

 

[Silent-Hunter]

Can the wizard be removed afterwards through the package manager?

 

[rygD]

As expected, Xfce is probably the best default, and those of us that want something else can handle it ourselves.

 

[Linux-SWAT]

Can the wizard be removed afterwards through the package manager?

It's a script, so it basically takes no space.

 

[TrashyMG]

Can the wizard be removed afterwards through the package manager?

yeah most likely, I'm sure many will be relieved that the few kilobyte script that is burning a hole in the 32GB of space can be removed.

 

[Silent-Hunter]

It's a script, so it basically takes no space.

Ah that makes sense.

 

[AnimatedFreak]

While I didn't use it much with the Pandora the MiniMenu should definitively be included. There are probably many buying it just for the homebrew, ports and emulation games and not so much for the pocket computer aspect.

 

[levi]

I voted for minimenu only, because all of the others can be installed using just that, but that's me showing off a little about being an Arch user. XFCE has all the bells and whistles I reasonably want, but it may be worth having something a bit fancier to show off the Pyra's abilities by default, especially given how much ram most units will have.

 

[TrashyMG]

While I didn't use it much with the Pandora the MiniMenu should definitively be included. There are probably many buying it just for the homebrew, ports and emulation games and not so much for the pocket computer aspect.

I voted for minimenu only, because all of the others can be installed using just that, but that's me showing off a little about being an Arch user. XFCE has all the bells and whistles I reasonably want, but it may be worth having something a bit fancier to show off the Pyra's abilities by default, especially given how much ram most units will have.

Minimenu is built around the PND system that is being replaced, I suppose if someone wanted to spend the time to rewrite it for the DBP system. However it may be easier to make something from scratch. Also the Pandora had to mainly deal with most of the applications being in PND form, it's not quite the case on the Pyra with it's large internal storage.

 

[sulu]

Well I think most wouldn't want a minimal setup, so how I see it a wizard would be needed to determine a level of installation they would like.

I totally understand that. And I'm fine with removing a script (that's preferably wrapped in a Debian package).
Still, "None" should be an option for the desktop choice in that wizard.

At one stage of the default image-creation process there will be a point where it's basically running fine but is missing most of the userland. It would be nice to release the image in that state before adding all the bells and whistles that only require you to run some apt commands.
But as I said, a good documentation on how to create your own image from scratch would be nice too. In the company I work in, there's a policy: The documentation of your work should be in a state that if you get run over by a bus, any similarly qualified colleague should be able to take over for you. Now I certainly hope that ED (or anybody else for that matter) doesn't get overrun by a bus, but just in case ...

And how bare do you want to get? Without some of the Pyra specific things you won't get a working keyboard, nubs, rotated properly screen and what not.

That's all a matter of the kernel config, right? (I've never really been into building custom kernels.) So it should all come with the kernel.
If there are any config files needed, I'd expect to find them all in a Debian package or a collection thereof.

I believe the ultimate goal should be, that every single piece of the base system should be manageable by the Debian packaging system. I know that especially in the beginning that won't work for the kernel, but I think even this should be at least a long-term goal, which is why I asked for any mainlining plans.
[doublepost=1473721270,1473721023][/doublepost]

Minimenu is built around the PND system that is being replaced, I suppose if someone wanted to spend the time to rewrite it for the DBP system. However it may be easier to make something from scratch.

I have no Pandora, so I don't know how Minimenu works. But on screenshots it looks a lot like lxlauncher, which is available as a Debian package.