2023 Wish List

[BarryK]

would it be possible to enhance the rollback feature to allow booting into alternative .session files?

a choice of .sessions working within a single updateable install would be nice. especially if one could have those choices available in the initrd menu at boot time.

Although there is only the one .session folder, snapshots effectively provide multiple "save folders", like in Puppy.

Menu "Shutdown -> Rectify -> Reboot, with rollback" enables rollback to any snapshot.
Rollback can also be done via "Filesystem -> Easy Version Control"

[williwaw]

Easy Version Control" is the way to go for rebooting, as one can easily review any notes made when the snapshot was created.

As for making choices at boot time, could there be , or is there a way to pass the rw-xxxxxx.sfs file name to the kernel line of a boot stanza?

[BarryK]

Something to think about for the future of EasyOS:

"Pondering some fundamentals"
https://bkhome.org/news/202303/ponderin ... ntals.html

[LHESTIA]

Hello Barry,

I think we must keep the possibility of using containers, a bit like the choice of the desktop with icons or without. For my part, I use containers to use applications not present in kirkstone but especially for maximum security. For example, I call fpm2 in container with the terminal (ec-chrot www fpm2) and my passwords are thus not only secured by the software but are completely hidden when I return to the www container. I don't think such a choice, container or no container can be a difficulty for a beginner if the command is simple. And as you say yourself, containers are the originality of easyos like operating under root elsewhere. Thank you for all this work, easy is a great space of freedom for the use of the PC.
Best regards.

[scsijon]

Containers please. I don't know how others work, but since you introduced them i've slowly changed my work methodology and have one specifically for all my "Office Functions", one for my "On-line Functions" one for my "Graphics Functions", one for my "Games" and one for my "Development work" as well as your standard set. I don't think individual application directories would allow me to share information inside these groups while maintaining their independance and security from outside.

[Maybe]

I don't use containers. By itself, Linux is an OS on which viruses do not write in such quantities as for Windows. That in itself protects the user. Just use Linux and you are almost completely safe. In addition, there are built-in mechanisms for protecting passwords and other data in browsers. Not enough? Use addons (add-ons) for browsers (for example, Firefox). Well, if that's not enough then perhaps using a browser in a container is justified. But what about other applications or even individual distributions in a container, why? I do not understand. To understand the practical value of containers, I created a topic: viewtopic.php?t=8245
So far, I do not fully understand the need for using containers in EasyOS. I really like this OS simplicity, elegance of applications, utilities, EasyOS update mechanisms, speed of work! It seems to me that the applications are run as a separate user - this is a sufficient level of security.

In addition, Barry popularizes and simplifies the use of Appimage - applications that work as containers.

From Dmitry (Russia)

[BarryK]

Containers are still there in 5.2, and I reckon they will stay.

Instead, will embark on a strategy to clarify and simplify usage of the three different package managers:

1. PKGget (PPM), the traditonal package manager.
2. SFSget loads SFS files, either as layer in the main filesystem or in a container.
3. AppImage Installer, runs apps as own-user in main filesystem

[don570]

Regarding appimages -

Reading Barry's news blog ---> It's a lot of work maintaining appimages based on version numbers...

So I suggest an icon on the desktop named Appimages.
Clicking it will display a list of recommended Appimages i.e. they have been tested to work.
Put the responsibility on the user to download the appimage to the /appimage folder
Then run /usr/local/appimage/appimage to install properly i.e. set permissions and make Start Menu launch item.
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[hnut]

Hi,

I'm having trouble compiling emacs with native compilation enabled (--with-native-compilation flag). Having tried the Arch, Fedora, and Ubuntu libgccjit(the lib dep for native comp) packages without success, I'd like to ask if somebody has any tips.

Or maybe we could have it included in the devx.sfs file in future releases.
Here are some notes and an example
https://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/jit/inte ... ging-notes
https://github.com/archlinux/svntogit-p ... BUILD#L126

i'll keep trying to compile and create a libgccjit pet package.

thanks in advance, o/

EDIT: errors:
with arch's libgccjit-12.2.1-2-x86_64

Code: Select all

checking for gcc_jit_context_acquire in -lgccjit... no
configure: error: ELisp native compiler was requested, but libgccjit was not found.
Please try installing libgccjit or a similar package

this error is the same as without a libgccjit package, any recommendation for CPPFLAGS or LDFLAGS.

EDIT1: using an EasyOS Dunfell base i compiled and made an sfs file; compiling emacs failed with something about libiberty, if im not mistaken. i'll try with Kirstone5.2 and report back.

[williwaw]

agree with don that the update feature for appimages may be over kill, especially if different appimages fall in and out of favor or maintence.
perhaps an EasyOs forum subsection for comments, recomendations requests etc. concerning all things apps, sfses, appimages.......

does appimages have the potential to replace sfsget and maintence of sfses?

concerning containers:
take the container icons off the desktop but keep the feature available with a "toggle"

Btw, is there a correct or best way to remove unwanted users from /home?

[Berto]

@williwaw, @don570

thanks for your comments. I completely agree with you both. In any other OS you must get along with buggy software too, and the only thing to try is to ask in some forum ... In EasyOS we can rollback if sth isn't working and try sth. else. So no problem if an update of something isn't working.

[bugnaw333]

Could you add a "Screen Mirroring"--PC to TV for your next release of EasyOS?

I could not find any apps support for this on Linux distro or Puppy distro.

[BarryK]

Hi,

I'm having trouble compiling emacs with native compilation enabled (--with-native-compilation flag). Having tried the Arch, Fedora, and Ubuntu libgccjit(the lib dep for native comp) packages without success, I'd like to ask if somebody has any tips.

Or maybe we could have it included in the devx.sfs file in future releases.
Here are some notes and an example
https://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/jit/inte ... ging-notes
https://github.com/archlinux/svntogit-p ... BUILD#L126

i'll keep trying to compile and create a libgccjit pet package.

thanks in advance, o/

EDIT: errors:
with arch's libgccjit-12.2.1-2-x86_64

Code: Select all

checking for gcc_jit_context_acquire in -lgccjit... no
configure: error: ELisp native compiler was requested, but libgccjit was not found.
Please try installing libgccjit or a similar package

this error is the same as without a libgccjit package, any recommendation for CPPFLAGS or LDFLAGS.

EDIT1: using an EasyOS Dunfell base i compiled and made an sfs file; compiling emacs failed with something about libiberty, if im not mistaken. i'll try with Kirstone5.2 and report back.

I think there is an emacs appimage available. saw it somewhere, haven't tried it.

[hnut]

Hi,

I'm having trouble compiling emacs with native compilation enabled (--with-native-compilation flag). Having tried the Arch, Fedora, and Ubuntu libgccjit(the lib dep for native comp) packages without success, I'd like to ask if somebody has any tips.

...

I think there is an emacs appimage available. saw it somewhere, haven't tried it.

thanks for the reply. got it working under current Kirkstone.

I'll look into the Appimage creating proccess; emacs running as as separate user sounds interesting

[BarryK]

Hi,

I'm having trouble compiling emacs with native compilation enabled (--with-native-compilation flag). Having tried the Arch, Fedora, and Ubuntu libgccjit(the lib dep for native comp) packages without success, I'd like to ask if somebody has any tips.

...

I think there is an emacs appimage available. saw it somewhere, haven't tried it.

thanks for the reply. got it working under current Kirkstone.

I'll look into the Appimage creating proccess; emacs running as as separate user sounds interesting

You might be better off creating an SFS. There is a utility 'dir2sfs' that will create an sfs that will run on the main filesystem as a non-root user, or in a container. There is also 'deb2sfs'.

'dir2sfs' is introduced here:

https://easyos.org/dev/coding-for-easyos.html

[don570]

I tried Kirkstone 5.3.2 and I noticed that boot messages use several colors.
The only color that gave me trouble to read was red. It didn't stand out clearly.
Maybe I have some eyesight problem, but the purple was much easier to read on screen.
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[bugnaw333]

I don't like the red also.

[BarryK]

@don570 @bugnaw333
Was the red OK prior to 5.3.2?

If so, then I know the cause of your problem.

Traditionally, .psf and .psfu console fonts are 256 glyphs, that is, 256 different characters, and 16 colors.
However, for 5.3.2 I am now using a 512 glyph .psfu "zap" font, which only supports 8 colors.

Zap font page:

https://www.zap.org.au/projects/console-fonts-zap/

Quoting:

Traditional VGA-style video hardware uses a single bit to indicate either colour intensity or the presence of a 512-glyph font. Thus, on such VGA consoles, using such an extended font will reduce the number of colours that can be displayed, from 16 down to 8. Using a 256-glyph font will allow the use of all 16 colours. Framebuffer-style consoles do not have this limitation.

I presume that you guys have old BIOS computers, so are hitting this limitation.

The reason for changing to a 512-glyph font is that it has all the unicode characters required for all languages supported by Easy. Previously, had to load different fonts.

So, light-red will now only display as normal red, which it seems is too dark on your monitors.

The only fix I can see will be to change the background from black to something lighter, to give sufficient contrast to the foreground colour. It looks like will be restricted to the first half of this table:

https://dev.to/ifenna__/adding-colors-t ... ripts-48g4

[BarryK]

Having written all of the above, I didn't expect that there would be any old computers that would have the 8-colour limitation.

As the zap page states, a framebuffer console will not have that limitation.

Booting up on my Compaq Presario, do get the full 16 colours, and the red displays bright-red, very clear.

[Berto]

Does anyone know a video player where you can change the playback speed? Theoretically in VLC it's possible, but doesn't work for me.It works one time, then it crashes....

I had to review many hours of CCTV records yesterday, and it really would be a big help if I could playback faster where nth. important happens and very slow when there is sth important.

[BarryK]

Does anyone know a video player where you can change the playback speed? Theoretically in VLC it's possible, but doesn't work for me.It works one time, then it crashes....

I had to review many hours of CCTV records yesterday, and it really would be a big help if I could playback faster where nth. important happens and very slow when there is sth important.

mpv:
https://superuser.com/questions/1657261 ... deo-player

Or, probably one of the video editors would do that.

[p310don]

barryk wrote

Or, probably one of the video editors would do that.

^^this, this is perfect. If I need to scroll through a video, my go to is avidemux video editor. It scrolls flawlessly through video backwards and forwards.

[don570]

MPV allows fast playback speed - useful for podcasts.
Right click on a download

viewtopic.php?p=91829#p91829
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[kris777]

Is it possible to install Conky ... sorry but I can't find it anywhere in EasyOS settings.

[BarryK]

Is it possible to install Conky ... sorry but I can't find it anywhere in EasyOS settings.

The feedback that I have received about Conky is that it is a resource hog.

Easy does not have a Conky package.

[don570]

Instead of Buster,Dunfell or Wheatstone versions of EasyOS
what about a Fatdog64 900 version.

Their libraries seem to have good compatibility to AppImages,
so it would seem a good choice.
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