X-Git-Url: http://pere.pagekite.me/gitweb/homepage.git/blobdiff_plain/59b7dc430a3a50155054a99436d40cd4eefe2011..d61aac2c913058fc7abf05dc15697ad17c4dd333:/blog/index.rss diff --git a/blog/index.rss b/blog/index.rss index 753873684a..97e432e5f1 100644 --- a/blog/index.rss +++ b/blog/index.rss @@ -6,6 +6,72 @@ http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/ + + First prototype ready making hardware easier to use in Debian + http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/First_prototype_ready_making_hardware_easier_to_use_in_Debian.html + http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/First_prototype_ready_making_hardware_easier_to_use_in_Debian.html + Mon, 21 Jan 2013 12:00:00 +0100 + <p>Early this month I set out to try to +<a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Lets_make_hardware_dongles_easier_to_use_in_Debian.html">improve +the Debian support for pluggable hardware devices</a>. Now my +prototype is working, and it is ready for a larger audience. To test +it, fetch the +<a href="http://anonscm.debian.org/viewvc/debian-edu/trunk/src/hw-support-handler/">source +from the Debian Edu subversion repository</a>, build and install the +package. You might have to log out and in again activate the +autostart script.</p> + +<p>The design is simple:</p> + +<ul> + +<li>Add desktop entry in /usr/share/autostart/ causing a program +hw-support-handlerd to start when the user log in.</li> + +<li>This program listen for kernel events about new hardware (directly +from the kernel like udev does), not using HAL dbus events as I +initially did.</li> + +<li>When new hardware is inserted, look up the hardware modalias in +the APT database, a database +<a href="http://anonscm.debian.org/viewvc/debian-edu/trunk/src/hw-support-handler/modaliases?view=markup">available +via HTTP</a> and a database available as part of the package.</li> + +<li>If a package is mapped to the hardware in question, the package +isn't installed yet and this is the first time the hardware was +plugged in, show a desktop notification suggesting to install the +package or packages.</li> + +<li>If the user click on the 'install package now' button, ask +aptdaemon via the PackageKit API to install the requrired package.</li> + +<li>aptdaemon ask for root password or sudo password, and install the +package while showing progress information in a window.</li> + +</ul> + +<p>I still need to come up with a better name for the system. Here +are some screen shots showing the prototype in action. First the +notification, then the password request, and finally the request to +approve all the dependencies. Sorry for the Norwegian Bokmål GUI.</p> + +<p><img src="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/images/2013-01-21-hw-support-1-notification.png"> +<br><img src="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/images/2013-01-21-hw-support-2-password.png"> +<br><img src="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/images/2013-01-21-hw-support-3-dependencies.png"> +<br><img src="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/images/2013-01-21-hw-support-4-installing.png"> +<br><img src="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/images/2013-01-21-hw-support-5-installing-details.png" width="70%"></p> + +<p>The prototype still need to be improved with longer timeouts, but +is already useful. The database of hardware to package mappings also +need more work. It is currently compatible with the Ubuntu way of +storing such information in the package control file, but could be +changed to use other formats instead or in addition to the current +method. I've dropped the use of discover for this mapping, as the +modalias approach is more flexible and easier to use on Linux as long +as the Linux kernel expose its modalias strings directly.</p> + + + Thank you Thinkpad X41, for your long and trustworthy service http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Thank_you_Thinkpad_X41__for_your_long_and_trustworthy_service.html @@ -856,29 +922,5 @@ siste måneden.</p> - - A Christmas present for Skolelinux / Debian Edu - http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/A_Christmas_present_for_Skolelinux___Debian_Edu.html - http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/A_Christmas_present_for_Skolelinux___Debian_Edu.html - Fri, 28 Dec 2012 09:20:00 +0100 - <p>I was happy to discover a few days ago that the -<a href="http://www.skolelinux.org/">Skolelinux / Debian Edu</a> -project also this year received a Christmas present from Another -Agency in Trondheim. NOK 1000,- showed up on our donation account -December 24th. I want to express our thanks for this very welcome -present. As the Debian Edu / Skolelinux project is very short on -funding these days, and thus lack the money to do regular developer -gatherings, this donation was most welcome. One developer gathering -cost around NOK 15&nbsp;000,-, so we need quite a lot more to keep the -development pace we want. Thus, I hope their example this year is -followed by many others. :)</p> - -<p>The public list of donors can be found on -<a href="http://www.linuxiskolen.no/slxdebianlabs/donations.html">the -donation page</a> for the project, which also contain instructions if -you want to donate to the project.</p> - - -