Angband Linux

[Mikko Lehtinen]

I don't see much benefit for developers, either. But as a player, I would really like a live-cd full of variants. My build success rate for *bands on Linux is about 30%...

Even if .debs and .rpms were available for big distributions, there would be an use for the live-cd. I would first test variants on live-cd before deciding whether to install them on hard disk. I'm kinda nervous about installing and removing tons of games and their dependencies on my work laptop.

[Nick]

OK, interest!

Thanks for all your comments, keep it coming. I'll respond in more detail this evening (currently 7am here).

[d_m]

I love this idea, although I can't necessarily explain why.

[Nick]

All right, response.

You could use IceWM + IceWM's own panel + either PCManFM or Thunar for file manager. That's not LXDE but it's functionally very close. (Lxde = Openbox + Lxde panel + PCManFM.)

PCManFM is probably better default file manager for this project because it provides desktop icons. Thunar does not.

(EDITED. I didn't remember at first that PCManFM could do desktop icons, and suggested ROX-Filer.)

In fact, I've found a nice LXDE appliance here - so I may just mimic that.

I love how we both have so much more ambition than we have time.

Right. Love.

lol I worked on SUSE studio

Cool! Any tips?

As an outsider, I'm afraid I don't really see the point. Could someone please explain it to me? What would this Angband-centric Linux distro accomplish that no other one could?

That's a really good question, and I don't have a very good answer; I think I just felt, like d_m, that it was an intrinsically good idea...

Weak answers include:

• Lots of variants preinstalled
• All dev tools preinstalled (not everyone has a Mac)
• Tux/Geeko/MrAtt branding!
• Put it on a USB stick, and any computer boots to your Angband machine
• It makes me make a bunch of variant packages, which are independently useful
• It looks like fun

Hey! Angband Linux was my idea first!

No really. A few months ago I was considering using SUSE Studio to build a custom spin for Angband development. But
a) SUSE splits packages, which is quite annoying.
b) Live CD creation was very slow, and the resulting CDs were somewhat quirky.
b) When I thought about it, I couldn't really find any pressing reason to stick with the project. Any (non-toy) Linux can be used for Angband development quite easily, after all.

My apologies for copying, then

a) Splits packages?
b) Quirky in what way?
b) Nor can I, really - so I may get part way through and give up too.

One other reason I do have for trying this is that I use OpenSUSE on my development (virtual) machine, and so it seems like a good idea to set such a thing up for my own use. Mind you, one for my own use would use KDE, so I can see a proliferation of these things ensuing. Or nothing.

Thanks everyone for your feedback.

[Mikko Lehtinen]

It makes me make a bunch of variant packages, which are independently useful

IMO this is the more important (for the community, maybe not for Nick) and time consuming part of the project!

Once the packages are built, you could probably create an Angband live-cd in less than a day if you wanted to. (By remastering a Knoppix cd, for example.)

[Nick]

I have done an experimental rpm for FAangband - could someone with an appropriate (64-bit) Linux distro have a go at installing it and see what happens? Appropriate distros include Fedora, OpenSUSE, CentOS and Mandriva (as well as a bunch of less common ones).

[Nick]

I have done an experimental rpm for FAangband - could someone with an appropriate (64-bit) Linux distro have a go at installing it and see what happens? Appropriate distros include Fedora, OpenSUSE, CentOS and Mandriva (as well as a bunch of less common ones).

Belay that. I've discovered/realised that

1. I can test this myself and
2. I've done the dependencies wrong.

I'll report back when I've got it right.

[Nick]

I now have proof of concept, although sanity-checking would be appreciated. This page has links to packages for the distros listed previously (and not Ubuntu or Debian, despite the links), with the following interesting quirks:

• CentOS and Fedora are gcu port only, and no sound
• Mandriva is sdl or x11 port, and with sound
• OpenSUSE is gcu, sdl or x11 port, but no sound

I need to get better at finding dependencies, and/or do a conversion of the sound handling to open source (instead of mp3 as at present). The sound issues are chiefly because of my insistence on using Dubtrain's (huge) sound pack in FA, so will be less of a problem in other variants; the dependency thing still needs solving, though.

[Nick]

Proof of concept - contains Angband and FAangband

If anyone actually tries this out in any way, please let me know what you think. Be brutal.

Future plans include more variants (duh) and a lightweight version.