fredx181 wrote:
To be honest, I never used WoofCE, so can't compare.
@belham, you know more about WoofCE, is there something to learn from how it's setup, is it user-friendly, probably more advanced, e.g. choices ?
Fred
Hi Fred & all,
I've done so many woof-CE builds that I can't even begin to guess at the number, but that makes so far from an expert with it that it isn't even funny. The real masters with woof-CE are Billtoo and Sailor....wish I could convince them to give your build script a go. Here is what I will say though:
1) Your build script, Fred, and how to set it up, is significantly farther ahead in terms of ease as compared to the woof-CE setup process. I use my wife (since she's willing) to give the woof-CE process a go, and she still can't make it all the way through with any of the generic builds offered---all because she gets stuck on the 8 steps it takes going from "git clone..." to "./builddistro-Z". I always have to step in and guide her despite her trying/attempting reading various threads & the woof-CE git page how to do it. But, Fred, I made her read this first page of this thread, and after once doing it, I walked away, and about 40 mins she called me upstairs beaming away at her newly created DebianDog32. I was quite the proud husband. And she hates computers...and still asks me every now & then why "root" and not as "user", and what's the difference again??.....lololol
2) But, that said, what woof-CE (and Barry's woof process) excels at is once you get those 8 steps down, the 1st four-five steps become easy:
1. git clone puppylinux-woof_CE into an empty EXT4-formatted 8GB or larger partition
2. cd woof-CE on your system to this directory
3. run "./merge2out" there
4. cd ../woof-out* (to get into the specific folder you need for building purposes)
5. run "./0setup" (here's where the general questions begin, like choose your build type (32 or 64 bit), choose which of the branch builds you want to do----for example, like Slacko, Ubuntu (xenial, tahr), etc, a one or two other simple, general things I'm forgetting right now
...but here, in my opinion, is where woof breaks down with steps 6 - 8 in terms of ease of use, and also allowing mods to the build process
6. run "./1download"
7. run "./2createpackages"
8. run "./3builddistro-Z"
Where the problems come in for woof-CE is in 6 - 8 above. You're presented with some questions & popups with choosing kernel, for example, choosing a few basic things that are specific to that build, but there is no real customization (like adding the desktop of your choice, adding a browser, adding an email client, etc). You've got to take what is brought with your choices in ./0setup. You can customize things, but adding pets and/or your own choices to the build, is honestly, way too complex for most people to even attempt this. I only learned through countless trial and error, and even then, I am banging my head against the wall struggling to understand why something did not get set up correctly or woof-process built an ISO without the specific changes I incorporated. Here is where your script, Fred, and this build process, can leapfrog woof-CE (
to be fair, the woof-CE process is handling many different types of builds, so......)
But what can be done with your script arranging for dialog popups asking about browser choice, desktop choice, email client, etc, etc.....heck only our imagination limits us here is something within reach! And it would be easy as clicking the mouse. No constant fiddling and adding stuff to numerous folders and files, like in the woof-CE build process. In woof-CE's current build structure, I just don't see how (user customization) is ever going to happen, or how it would be attempted/set up. They want the build process generic, then you customize afterwards and run constant remasters. With woof-CE, jilst is already overwhelmed in his usually solo efforts at keeping woof-CE building on the rails so we can build from it without getting constant failures and/or problems.
Sum up, my opinion, is since this build script here focuses on one type of build (32-bit), with no real worry of kernel choices (something the woof process gives you numerous choices of), maybe try to focus on where it can excel at what I mentioned above. I know dancytron is worried, possibly rightly, about offering too many options, but honestly this is where this build script could shine, explode, and begin something that is addictive.
It is approaching what the porteus-home-build-page used to be, and that I discussed here in response to mavrothal's posts about what is happening to the puppy-universe:
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=111195
So, with all due respect to dancytron, I say we explode in this direction. My wife already asked me if this "Fred" person is going to let her choose a browser the next time I ask her to try the build script again. That's saying something, as she usually throws the woof-CE hatred-thing look me and asks me to get it off her desktop and out of her pup she sometimes uses (a custom Xenialpup build I did for her). But since she succeeded 1st try making a debdog32, she is kinda intrigued & hooked a bit