DSL Ideas and Suggestions :: Making DSL a little easier
I was seriously looking to bring a Rox like deskop to DSL. But Rox Filer pinboard is not compatible with much of core DSL. Together with all the Rox wrappers and other overhead that it would imply. Still it would be a worthy project, but most difficult to try to merge with all the exising framework that makes up DSL. Nevertheless, I am planning to bring better useability to the next major release of DSL. Stay tuned, I am making progress and am enjoying the new capabilities.
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I was a big fan of Acorn. Risc OS was a brilliant OS.
You would switch it on and in seconds up it popped
The same was true of earlier versions of MacOS, DOS, etc. See the following link about a test of common computing tasks between a brand new dual core box and an old Mac. http://lucky13.blogsavy.com/2007....mputers
If you really like RISCOS, try the rox.dsl extension. Rox is based on RISCOS. I've been setting up my computer to take full advantage of rox -- including moving all my executable (scripts and binaries) into AppDirs -- which has made it very user-friendly (and very modular, too). My blog has several pages with rox tips, and a few more on the way now that I have a little more time.
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Rox Filer pinboard is not compatible with much of core DSL.
I'm curious what's incompatible aside from the version of fluxbox. I'm still moving things around and tweaking. There are a couple things that need a little more finesse. It would be easier to start afresh with things than work backwards -- IOW, start with rox and make things fit with it instead of hunting down things that would need to go in the same appdir. E.G., make an application like siag a dsl/uci so all its files go into one localized and movable appdir. Setting up a wrapper is the easy way around apps like siag now, but it's just not the optimal/rox way.I can only imagine the feedback if I dropped fluxbox.
With a traditional hard drive install, rox.dsl together with orobus window manager makes for a nice base for a Rox desktop pinboard & panel. With a traditional hard drive installation, disk space is usually not an issue. Extensions are not an issue, when then are formally and permanetly installed and therefore do not have to deal with issues that come with the dynamic nature that is DSL's live CD and frugal installations Adding rox wrappers for every application and every extension, not only adds to the size of core and therefore ramdisk usage but makes for much work and changes every specification that is currently DSL.
The fact is I have shared some of my Rox ideas with Lucky13 and he with me. The fact that UCI are trivially mapped into compressed rox binaries which I named CRB type extensions is also a nice lauch point for a Rox like system.
Still, it remains, problematic for me to "move forward" retaining all the DSL apps and Rox together with its unique demands (AppDirs, and wrappers) and remain under 50MB, and support all the extension types.
Some may argue then don't limit yourself to a size barrier.
But to trying to merge means having certain combinations which would produce undersireable results (fluxbox and pinboard)
And for me to introduce yet another complete but separate image (distro) is just too much to undertake as this time.
Believe me, I am not knocking Rox, I truly like the environment. If I were to start with a clean slate and start a new distro without having to support all of the past infrastructure I would do it. I have actually proto-typed just such a live CD system together with a small collection of "crb" extensions.
Nevertheless, I like the challenge of DSL and moving forward .I will once again try to make DSL even more dense and offer similar features while retaining our existing small fluxbox and original apps within 50MB. This together with a new kernel will become DSL 4.0.
It remains my goal to try to maintain the 50MB limit while striving to improve useability of DSL while continuing to support our exisitng user base, their machines, and repository of extensions.I appreciate what you've said Robert. Don't jump on me for saying this everyone as I do understand for DSL to remain light and quick compromises need to be made...but the ttwo things I think would make life a lot easier would be a package management tool ( with graphics like Yast ) and some kind of filing tool ( so icons pop up on the desktop ). I did look at Rox filer last night and it makes viewing documents so much easier. There's a lot to be said for images over text.Next Page...
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