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On Sun, 1 Feb 2009, Neil Williams wrote: > On Sun, 1 Feb 2009 22:34:54 +0000 (GMT) > Gordon Henderson <gordon+dcglug@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > >> I've just installed Debian Lenny on wifeys AAO... > > I've just been testing the installation of Emdebian Grip 1.0 (based on > Debian 5.0 "Lenny") onto my Acer Aspire1. 600Mb with iceweasel, XFCE, > sylpheed, drivel, grisbi and other bits. > > http://www.emdebian.org/grip/index.html > http://www.emdebian.org/grip/index.html#preseeding > http://lists.debian.org/debian-embedded/2009/02/msg00007.html > >> I have to say, it wasn't the easiest thing in the world to do - certianly >> *not* something I'd ever expect her to be able to do in a million years - >> even though she has installed XP on a box in the past... > > Why? Do you mean the bits in the wiki about all the enhancements and > wireless config etc.? > > The Emdebian test install gets from boot to working XFCE GUI in a > single, smooth, process without fuss. So does Lenny. I've even done the auto-login thing for her. > Yes, the wireless is a problem > but it's non-free so what can you expect? Wicd is free, as is the kernel driver in 2.6.28. > Xorg can do with a tweak to > stop the default fonts shouting at the user all the time but it doesn't > need any appreciable work to install Lenny on an Acer Aspire1. But it needs tweaks. Tweaks that I've not expect my non-geeky wife to understand. >> I actually suspect part of what made it harder for me was never having >> used a "modern" window manager. (I use fvwm - been using it for the past >> 16 years) Working out how to lock applications to the task bar (wossat >> then?) was tricky > > Why? What do you mean by 'task bar' anyway? I've never used one on > GNU/Linux. Neither have I, but my wife has for the past 10 years under various flavours of Windows, so giving her something familiar works in her favour to help her traisition to Linux. This is somehing people need to know and realise if they're trying to push Linux desktop into places which already have Win. I call it the Principle of Least Surprise. > If you want icons in the panel for easy access, use > metacity. I've never heard of it - and that's half the battle. No-one can expect everyone to know everything - in this case, the task bar (or whatever xfce calls it) in there and part on the install - I didn't need to go looking for anything else, I just needed to work out how to tweak it. > XFCE keeps that kind of thing quite clean and uncluttered, > compared to metacity/GNOME where anyone can fill the entire panel with > icons. (I've had to clean out my own more than once on my other > systems.) > >> - initially, and installing the right wi-fi stuff. I >> ended up compiling a custom kernel for it too > > Why? Even Emdebian uses a stock Debian kernel on the Acer Aspire1. The > wifi stuff doesn't need kernel changes, just building a module from > source due to non-free problems. There is some talk of a genuine free > module in the .28 kernel or possibly later. The free modules is in there and works a treat, as does wicd FWIW. $ lsmod Module Size Used by ath5k 98944 0 snd_hda_intel 402832 5 >> and removing 100's of >> packages that really aren't needed > > Come on, be specific. Why should I go into the boring details? I just made this post to give a bit of information to everyone about my experiences. If anyone else wants to remove packages then that's up to them. > Which packages, what is the final size of your > installation? However.. things like portmap, exim and all the gnome packages that were installed as standard. But since you're obsesed with size, I've just ssh'd into it (she's luckilly still in-bed, caching up in the warmth there ;-) Filesystem Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on /dev/sda1 6.5G 2.6G 3.6G 42% / Mines bigger than yours!!! However that has all the C compilers, etc. and copies of the Linux source, etc. I couldn't be bothered cross compiling the kernel on my workstation so just did it on the AAO. I installed iceweasel, icedeove and OO was already installed. That's basically what she'll use it for - as well as games. Anyone know what the version of bubbles that came with the Acer is called? (I did take an image of the 8Gb drive before I reflashed it though, so I guess I might be able to extract the executable if I try...) >> , and while it boots in under a minute, >> it's way longer than the original 15 seconds that Linpus Lite booted in.. > > Umm, Linpus Lite never did boot that fast, it just pretended it booted > that fast because of that dumb single-user interface. Well, I had a version of xfce running on it before I put Debian on it, however it's user expectation we're deling with here. Before, she'd push the power button and 15 seconds later it looked ready, even it it wasn't. Now it takes about 30 seconds. Principle of Least Surprise and all that. Gordon -- The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG http://mailman.dclug.org.uk/listinfo/list FAQ: http://www.dcglug.org.uk/linux_adm/list-faq.html