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Re: Utility for customize and remasters Livecd



Greetings,

On Sat, Mar 3, 2012 at 5:05 PM, Ronny Standtke <ronny.standtke@gmx.net> wrote:
>> The only way?
>
>
> I work with our target group (teachers, students, kids) almost every day
> and, yes, so far it seems like it is the only way they can (barely) manage.
>

I also work in a similar environment, and I believe the value of
live-build.debian.net

>
>> I would propose that there are other solutions. Off the top of my
>> head, I would think it is entirely practical to slap a front-end
>> (web*** or otherwise) on live-build to provide customized images for
>> that target group.
>
>
> We can't and have absolutely no desire to provide customized images for each
> and every school out there.

No need to have it available to all. It could be a server just for you
and your user group and configured just for your setups.

> We give teachers a tool so that they can produce
> a custom school specific image for internal redistribution after they have
> installed their printers, set up their WLAN access points, etc.

Your setup may not allow, but in one setup I work at I netboot (a few
hundred) lxde desktop stations with debian live and I have a small
program that maps their home directory in and configures their station
to utilize campus cups servers for printing.

On what I call firmware units, desktops provide the network manager
and I train users to use the tool, but it is pretty straight forward.

What I have discovered over time is the more I can stay generic on
setups, the easier it is to stay current.

> Right now I
> see no way to provide this functionality via a web front-end slapped onto
> live-build but I would be glad if you can prove me wrong.
>

Well it is hard to quantify exactly with out more details of scope of
hardware, but on a custom setup you could put any set of
configurations you wanted on the images or even script by equipment,
building, user group for things to include.  I am not saying it would
be perfect, but utilized with persistence it might get you further
than you are now.

>
>> You're certainly free to choose another approach, it is just one that
>> we don't support or recommend.
>
>
> I am fully aware of this and I can live with that.
>
>
>> But, I think if you explored our way, you would discover there are
>> benefits to doing it this way and such technical challenges as there
>> are to rolling it out to your target audience are actually possible
>> to overcome.
>
>
> We (developers of the lernstick distribution) use live-build to produce the
> official (generic) image and see all the technical benefits of doing so. It
> is a fantastic tool for us developers but *absolutely* impossible to use for
> normal users that barely can distinguish their word processor from their
> operating system. Yes, this is the target group we currently have to deal
> with...
>

I do understand and I believe live-build.debian.net offers an example
that basic users can utilize to configure to build and create images.
It would just require customization to meet your scope and needs.

I do hope this information assists.


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