Contents
Summary
Enable people to install desktops independently rather than KDE/Gnome/LXDE or Other and offer them as choices on the desktop choice screen with a screenshot for each.
Owner
- Name: Claire Robinson
- Email: eeeemail@gmail.com
Resources
List here people who will be implied in this feature (packagers, QA, doc, ...)
Devs, QA, DE maintainers, Doc team
- Name: Derek Jennings derekjenn at gmail.com (I have some familiarity with the code having assisted with bug 103)
Current status
- Targeted release: Mageia 4
- Last updated: 2024/04/18
- Percentage of completion: 35%
Detailed Description
This mainly concerns the installer but would maybe also require some task- packages. Currently there is a screen in the installer where you choose which desktop you'd like to use. It offers a nice enlargable screenshot for KDE and Gnome and a generic selection of Custom. LXDE is relegated to a tick box on a 2nd screen following selecting Custom as the desktop choice but there is also a further selection possible there called Other which installs XFCE, E17, Windowmaker in one go.
It's not currently possible to install just XFCE, for instance, even though it is on the Classic DVDs. The same for the others. LXDE is treated slightly better, but still really as a 2nd cousin to KDE/Gnome. Nothing indicates what you're getting if you do choose Other. Although a nice surprise to find so many installed it's also untidy, with multiple software collections installed and so duplicates for things like file managers and editors etc.
Notes
- Desktop selection expanded to a two row grid.
- Scroll bar appears if screen very small
- If any desktop is not present on available media it will be greyed out.
- The first non-greyed desktop is the default
- Now with check boxes instead of radio buttons. Multiple desktops may be installed.
- Package group screen expanded to include more desktops.
- E17 is moved from 'Others' to an entry of its own
TODO
- Get screen shots of all desktops
- Need new translations of screen and help pages
- Test all desktop and combinations
- Review rpmsrate_raw file to ensure appropriate packages are installed with each desktop.
Test Version
A trial version of the feature is available by performing a network install from the server http://jennings.homelinux.net from the directory /i586 It is only my home internet connection so it will not be very fast.
For a faster install, download /i586/media/media_info/compssUsers.pl , rpmsrate_raw, and /i586/install/stage2/mdkinst.sqfs to a local mirror.
Once those files have been downloaded from with the folder media/media_info on your mirror run the command
clean-rpmsrate -o rpmsrate rpmsrate-raw ../core/release
That will build an rpmsrate file based on the packages on your mirror.
Cinnamon is now included in the desktop list, and the Custom button has been moved to a separate line, with its image removed to minimise real estate on small screens.
Why it would be good for Mageia to include it
It would add clarity to the desktop choice screen if each were given equal billing, preferably without any being pre-selected, and with a screenshot for each. These are already available on the installer DVDs but currently require one or two extra steps to unearth them. There is already an installer step where KDE and Gnome are shown with a nice screenshot and can be selected indivually. It would also create smaller installations and better quality installations for anybody wishing to use one of the lighter desktops.
Mageia is often refered to as a "KDE distro", which it isn't really.
Test case
Anything useful for QA and all testers to help debugging during all development cycle.
It doesn't actually increase QA workload too much as these are already installed as separately as they can be and each is booted to make sure things work. It would entail extra installs during testing but the installs would be smaller and anything missing should be more evident.
Software / Packages Dependencies
drakx-installer task- for each DE possibly
What could disrupt development of this new feature
As with anything to do with the installer at the moment it relies of a small subset of contributors who may be overloaded.
Planning
Ideally early alpha stages as the actual code changes should be small-ish and would enable thorough testing of each desktop.
Contingency
Release Notes
Documentation
Our installer documentation would have to be updated to reflect the changes.
