EasyOS Dunfell-series 4.2 released

[BarryK]

Download from here:

https://distro.ibiblio.org/easyos/amd64 ... /2022/4.2/

Release notes:

https://distro.ibiblio.org/easyos/amd64 ... -notes.htm

When you download the 'easy-4.2-amd64.img', if doing an update of an existing installation, you can open it up and copy out 'vmlinuz', 'initrd' and 'easy.sfs' to /mnt/wkg

The 'initrd' file no longer has the 'BOOT_SPECS' file inside. Now, you have to specify the wkg_uuid (or wkg_dev, or wkg_label) and wkg_dir on the kernel commandline.

Note, if the working-partition is /dev/sda6, for example, and it is an internal drive so that partition name won't changed, then you can put "wkg_dev=sda6" as the kernel commandline parameter.

The Limine bootloader, limine.cfg, in the image-file has an example, though in an internal drive install you would have some other boot manager.

So edit the entry in your boot manager, then reboot and you have updated.

The problem is, opening up the image-file changes its checksum, and that will break the planned future "difference-file" updates. See discussion here:

viewtopic.php?t=6214

In the meantime, before clicking on the image-file to open it, make a backup:

# cp -a -f easy-4.2-amd64.img easy-4.2-amd64.imgPRISTINE
# sync

...that "PRISTINE" file will come in use next time do an update.

Testers welcome!

In particular, there has been one comment that the Limine bootloader might not work on some UEFI PCs.
Write the image-file to a usb-stick and report back whether it boots on different legacy-BIOS and UEFI computers.

So far, I have tested on four legacy-BIOS and three UEFI, all OK.

[BarryK]

OK, have fixed /usr/sbin/mount-img, so will mount partitions in image file without changing the checksum:

viewtopic.php?p=60550#p60550

Next, have to fix easy-update script.

[BarryK]

I have a rather long to-do list. Some of them:

1. Toggle top-level-zram
Easy now works with a zram at top level of the aufs layered filesystem, requiring a "save" icon on the desktop, or save at shutdown. I want a checkbox to toggle the old behaviour, direct writies to the drive.

2. Clean up desktop icons
If you do an update, particularly with recent releases, the desktop icon labels and placement might be a bit messed up.

3. MSCW pops up every bootup
On one of my computers the Multiple Sound Card Wizard runs twice at first bootup, thereafter pops up at every bootup. When configured at first bootup, it should not popup on subsequent bootups.

4. Fundamental changes, so many documentation pages have to be rewritten.

5. Disable screensaver if any app running full-screen.

6. Get back to developing Easy Bookworm

7. Maybe also Easy on rpi4

Tonight, will fix easy-update. Tomorrow, maybe make a start rewriting some doc pages.

[Keef]

Got this to boot from internal drive using grub4dos with:

Code: Select all

title EasyOS 4.2 dunfell
  uuid 2cc6c518-d1b2-4866-90a5-bcb48a11f80d
  kernel /EasyOS-dunfell/vmlinuz wkg_dir=EasyOS-dunfell wkg_uuid=2cc6c518-d1b2-4866-90a5-bcb48a11f80d
  initrd /EasyOS-dunfell/initrd 

[BarryK]

Keef,
Looks good, your example for grub4dos should help others.

Attached are the latest /usr/sbin/mount-img and /usr/local/easy_version/easy-update

The feature of this new 'mount-img' is it doesn't change the file checksum.
So you don't have to bother with making a "PRISTINE" copy.

The main thing to know about updating, is there is no longer a 'BOOT_SPECS' file inside 'initrd'.
Instead, you have to specify wkg_uuid (or wkg_dev or wkg_label) and wkg_dir on the kernel commandline, as Keef has done.

[BarryK]

Don't forget to have a play with FreeOffice. From my limited testing it is pretty good.

It is configured to open and save under /files/FreeOffice

FreeOffice has quite a nice WYSIWYG HTML editor, but does change the HTML code a bit from the original file.
I am wondering if can use it for shellCMS (online blog and web pages generator) and for creating local help files.

[NNI]

The same was happening in my frugal install of 3.4.7.
Fixed after the following edits:

Code: Select all

/usr/sbin/delayedrun    at line 192:
  if [ ! -s /var/local/mscw/selected ];then mscw
  fi

Code: Select all

/usr/sbin/pupautodetect-run     at line 50:
  if [ $? -ne 0 ];then
  ----------------
     #mscw &
     if [ ! -s /var/local/mscw/selected ];then
         mscw &
     fi
  ----------------
  fi

[williwaw]

dd'ed to a sandisk ultra fit USB after creating a new msdos partition table with gparted

MBR boot with Limine works on an older alienware M15.
With a Lenovo T420, legacy and UEFI both work, well I presume they both work, as my choice in BIOS set-up is for "BOTH", with a preference selected to try one or the other first.

No problems with MSCW continuing to pop up.

Without setting up a password, the boot time choices for no-x, rollback or file check were not presented.

An install where a password was set up at first boot gave me the bootime options as detailed in the blog, and a rollback to last "saved" session worked after the snapshot was made.

Fatfingering the password on a subsequent boot caused the boot to fail as shown below, and I was not offered a chance to re-enter the password.

51.jpg (80.9 KiB) Viewed 1684 times

continued below

[Keef]

I spoke too soon. Although everything is working ok, all the files (.session .tempwork releases sfs etc) have been created at the top level, that is not inside the EasyOS-dunfell directory.
Can't find a way round this.

EDIT This was not a fresh install. Previous .session was loaded successfully, but new changes are being saved outside the EasyOS-dunfell directory. If I use the 'Save' icon, .session-transit appears inside this directory.

[williwaw]

I have had a few issues with creating a snapshot since the new save feature was implemented recently. Not broken per se, but a bit complicated in use and some of the existing wording in Easy Version Control will now appear confusing.

When making a snapshot in Easy Version Control, or "saving the current session" as the dialog states, the snapshot does not really save the current session if any configurations have changed or packages added during the current session. It only saves the session as it was booted into. If changes are made during the current session, I have found a reboot is needed to actually complete the save, and the snapshot should be deferred until after a reboot.

[BarryK]

The same was happening in my frugal install of 3.4.7.
Fixed after the following edits:

Code: Select all

/usr/sbin/delayedrun    at line 192:
  if [ ! -s /var/local/mscw/selected ];then mscw
  fi

Code: Select all

/usr/sbin/pupautodetect-run     at line 50:
  if [ $? -ne 0 ];then
  ----------------
     #mscw &
     if [ ! -s /var/local/mscw/selected ];then
         mscw &
     fi
  ----------------
  fi

Thanks for that!

[BarryK]

I have had a few issues with creating a snapshot since the new save feature was implemented recently. Not broken per se, but a bit complicated in use and some of the existing wording in Easy Version Control will now appear confusing.

When making a snapshot in Easy Version Control, or "saving the current session" as the dialog states, the snapshot does not really save the current session if any configurations have changed or packages added during the current session. It only saves the session as it was booted into. If changes are made during the current session, I have found a reboot is needed to actually complete the save, and the snapshot should be deferred until after a reboot.

Yeah, I will have to think about that one.

[BarryK]

Problems are being encountered with Limine. I have raised two issues, #184 and #185 at the Limine site:

https://github.com/limine-bootloader/limine/issues

[BarryK]

I spoke too soon. Although everything is working ok, all the files (.session .tempwork releases sfs etc) have been created at the top level, that is not inside the EasyOS-dunfell directory.
Can't find a way round this.

EDIT This was not a fresh install. Previous .session was loaded successfully, but new changes are being saved outside the EasyOS-dunfell directory. If I use the 'Save' icon, .session-transit appears inside this directory.

Keef,
I don't know why you get saving at the top level.

I did a new frugal install on my semi-retired 10-year-old laptop, which has grub4dos 0.4.4.

One thing to know about that old grub4dos is that it doesn't recognize ext4 with 'encrypt' or '64bit' features enabled.

I created an entry in menu.lst, looks just like the one you created:

Code: Select all

title EasyOS Dunfell 4.2+ (in sda8 folder easyos-dunfell)
  uuid 1320832a-30ec-46ca-952d-9edd3b80b929
  kernel /easyos-dunfell/vmlinuz rw wkg_uuid=1320832a-30ec-46ca-952d-9edd3b80b929 wkg_dir=easyos-dunfell
  initrd /easyos-dunfell/initrd

Saved session at shutdown, tested rebooting a few times, works fine.

[scsijon]

Problems are being encountered with Limine. I have raised two issues, #184 and #185 at the Limine site:

https://github.com/limine-bootloader/limine/issues

And as usual (don't these people ever sleep), already fixed with a comment to update limine version, they are up to 3.8.2.

[Keef]

I spoke too soon. Although everything is working ok, all the files (.session .tempwork releases sfs etc) have been created at the top level, that is not inside the EasyOS-dunfell directory.
Can't find a way round this.

EDIT This was not a fresh install. Previous .session was loaded successfully, but new changes are being saved outside the EasyOS-dunfell directory. If I use the 'Save' icon, .session-transit appears inside this directory.

Keef,
I don't know why you get saving at the top level.

I did a new frugal install on my semi-retired 10-year-old laptop, which has grub4dos 0.4.4.

One thing to know about that old grub4dos is that it doesn't recognize ext4 with 'encrypt' or '64bit' features enabled.

I created an entry in menu.lst, looks just like the one you created:

Code: Select all

title EasyOS Dunfell 4.2+ (in sda8 folder easyos-dunfell)
  uuid 1320832a-30ec-46ca-952d-9edd3b80b929
  kernel /easyos-dunfell/vmlinuz rw wkg_uuid=1320832a-30ec-46ca-952d-9edd3b80b929 wkg_dir=easyos-dunfell
  initrd /easyos-dunfell/initrd

Saved session at shutdown, tested rebooting a few times, works fine.

I moved (and merged) the files from the top level into the EasyOS directory then saved and rebooted. Everything is back to normal now. No idea how this happened, but problem has gone away, and appears to be a one-off.

[BarryK]

Problems are being encountered with Limine. I have raised two issues, #184 and #185 at the Limine site:

https://github.com/limine-bootloader/limine/issues

And as usual (don't these people ever sleep), already fixed with a comment to update limine version, they are up to 3.8.2.

The lead Limine developer is a fantastic guy to deal with. I report a bug and mostly it is fixed the same day. I raised #187 today and that is also fixed.

[TerryH]

I downloaded the 4.2 release and created a new install to USB using EasyDD. The new install boots well and system is functioning well. This is on a fairly new laptop, ASUS Zenbook UM425 with AMD Ryzen 7 5800H with 16 GB RAM.

One issue which had been randomly occurring on prior installs, is has so far not occurred. Intermittently the laptop keyboard didn't work, requiring reboots to get the keyboard working. I have had several boot since I did this install and all have had a working keyboard, so hopefully all is good now.

One issue with EasyOS, is that it is setting the RTC clock 27 hours in advance of the actual local time. This was reported last year but has persisted. This seems an issue when time is set to Local time, rather than UTC. I have time set to sync to the internet on boot. I run hwclock --systohc following boot to correct this issue. e continued

Other than the time issue, all is running very well. Very impressed with the change to the Limine bootloader,seems to be a good change.

Thanks for the continued development of EasyOS.