Question on Building a respin: "If I had known this when I started"

[TheDarrenS]

Hello folks,
I see quite a few respins have been made. I am curious about how anyone created their respin?
What advice those of you that have done it would want to give to one that is going to start out and give it a shot. A kind of "if I had known this when I started" kind of thing.

A quick bit of background.
CJ and I are going to create a respin / remake for two reasons. See www.foreverhomeos.org disability and Pet rescue.
----

I have had some good advice from the devs but would like to ask others what advice they have?


Cj and Darren

[dolphin_oracle]

here's one not many folks will tell you.

before you modify a config file, check to make sure a package being hosted upstream doesn't "own" it, or you may find your custom configs being overwritten by an upgrade.

we don't touch things in /home, but things in /etc/skel are prime examples.

you can check what package owns a file with

Code: Select all

dpkg-query -S filename

FWIW, many of the xfce settings in MX /etc/skel are "owned" by the desktop-defaults-mx-xfce-desktop package, which is safe to remove but you need to make sure to replace with your own custom configs, including thunar custom actions, or you will get stuck with the xfce defaults.

we made this package removable specifically for respinners so that we don't accidentally nuke a custom config you might have wanted to keep.

[junoluna]

as a semi-proud welshman, could you please check the spelling of my country on your website


:)

[JayM]

I wish there was a wiki article about how to make a proper respin. For one thing I never knew about removing desktop-defaults-mx-xfce-desktop, and I still have problems figuring out which files in /etc/skel to replace so when someone installs the respin their new user gets my customizations and which ones not to copy/paste there. Now I'm concerned about the two MX-18 respins I made earlier this year, whether or not I made any terrible mistakes.

[TheDarrenS]

Sorry about that Junoluna, English,Welsh here as well.

as a semi-proud welshman, could you please check the spelling of my country on your website


:)

[dolphin_oracle]

I wish there was a wiki article about how to make a proper respin. For one thing I never knew about removing desktop-defaults-mx-xfce-desktop, and I still have problems figuring out which files in /etc/skel to replace so when someone installs the respin their new user gets my customizations and which ones not to copy/paste there. Now I'm concerned about the two MX-18 respins I made earlier this year, whether or not I made any terrible mistakes.

I doubt you made any mistakes...and we aren't updating the dekstop-defaults packages for mx 18 anymore, so you should be safe.

you aren't *required* to remove the desktop-defaults package, we just made it possible in MX19 to remove it so that settings in /etc/skel don't get hosed by any update in the future.

[TheDarrenS]

So I get this correct does anyone where have a video or build guide on how they built their remix? I have the USB made and a virtual box version but not sure yet where to start. I feel kind of like a mosquito over a nudist camp.

Cj and D

[m_pav]

To make things easier for punters intending to do a snapshot remaster for re-distribution and changing files in /etc/skel, here is the reference list of files that will be overwritten with updates to the package desktop-defaults-mx-xfce-desktop referred to by D.O. You can find this list at any time by doing a dry run removal of any of the desktop-defaults-mx packages, this one just happens to have most of the files one might want to modify.

Code: Select all

/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc

/etc/skel/.config/Thunar/accels.scm
/etc/skel/.config/Trolltech.conf
/etc/skel/.config/mimeapps.list

/etc/skel/.config/orage/oragerc

/etc/skel/.config/xfce4/desktop/icons.screen.latest.rc
/etc/skel/.config/xfce4/desktop/icons.screen0-958x752.rc
/etc/skel/.config/xfce4/help.rc
/etc/skel/.config/xfce4/helpers.rc

/etc/skel/.config/xfce4/panel/datetime-1.rc
/etc/skel/.config/xfce4/panel/launcher-14
/etc/skel/.config/xfce4/panel/launcher-14/14459806201.desktop
/etc/skel/.config/xfce4/panel/launcher-7
/etc/skel/.config/xfce4/panel/launcher-7/14449098302.desktop
/etc/skel/.config/xfce4/panel/whiskermenu-20.rc
/etc/skel/.config/xfce4/panel/xfce4-orageclock-plugin-1.rc

/etc/skel/.config/xfce4/terminal/terminalrc
/etc/skel/.config/xfce4/xfce4-screenshooter
/etc/skel/.config/xfce4/xfce4-taskmanager.rc

/etc/skel/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/accessibility.xml
/etc/skel/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/displays.xml
/etc/skel/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/keyboards.xml
/etc/skel/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/thunar-volman.xml
/etc/skel/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/thunar.xml
/etc/skel/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-appfinder.xml
/etc/skel/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-desktop.xml
/etc/skel/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-keyboard-shortcuts.xml
/etc/skel/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-mime-settings.xml
/etc/skel/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-mixer.xml
/etc/skel/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-notifyd.xml
/etc/skel/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-panel.xml
/etc/skel/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-power-manager.xml
/etc/skel/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-screensaver.xml
/etc/skel/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-session.xml
/etc/skel/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-settings-editor.xml
/etc/skel/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfwm4.xml
/etc/skel/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xsettings.xml

/root/.config/Thunar/accels.scm
/root/.config/Trolltech.conf
/root/.config/mimeapps.list

/root/.config/orage/oragerc

/root/.config/xfce4/desktop/icons.screen0-958x752.rc
/root/.config/xfce4/help.rc
/root/.config/xfce4/helpers.rc

/root/.config/xfce4/panel/datetime-1.rc
/root/.config/xfce4/panel/launcher-14
/root/.config/xfce4/panel/launcher-14/14459806201.desktop
/root/.config/xfce4/panel/launcher-7
/root/.config/xfce4/panel/launcher-7/14449098302.desktop
/root/.config/xfce4/panel/whiskermenu-20.rc

/root/.config/xfce4/terminal/terminalrc

/root/.config/xfce4/xfce4-screenshooter
/root/.config/xfce4/xfce4-taskmanager.rc

/root/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/accessibility.xml
/root/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/displays.xml
/root/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/keyboards.xml
/root/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/thunar-volman.xml
/root/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/thunar.xml
/root/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-appfinder.xml
/root/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-desktop.xml
/root/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-keyboard-shortcuts.xml
/root/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-mime-settings.xml
/root/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-mixer.xml
/root/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-notifyd.xml
/root/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-panel.xml
/root/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-power-manager.xml
/root/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-session.xml
/root/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-settings-editor.xml
/root/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfwm4.xml
/root/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xsettings.xml

/usr/bin/mx-edit-as-root.sh

/usr/share/backgrounds/mountain_grass.jpg
/usr/share/backgrounds/mx19-default-wallpaper-attribution.txt

/usr/share/desktop-defaults-mx/uca.xml

/usr/share/doc/desktop-defaults-mx-xfce-desktop
/usr/share/doc/desktop-defaults-mx-xfce-desktop/changelog.gz
/usr/share/doc/desktop-defaults-mx-xfce-desktop/copyright/code]

So if you want to keep your configs, you could simply make a compressed copy of each folder containing your modifications, remove the package and restore the folder post removal.

[Route99]

You may start first with installing MX-Linux in a Virtual Machine (VM), the same holds for testing significant updates..., test new configuration files.
Saves a lot of time...

As I'm now dual booting and already had a VM under Window, but there are interesting manuals how to set up a VM in MX-Linux.
The hurdle in the start may be big, but the moment you really see the advantages of a VM.. you will always start with it.
I'm now comparing several Linux versions in a VM, now MX-Linux. Ok... I will and make mistakes in the beginnen (and later..) ... but after installing I made a VM of MX-Linux and cloned it.
All my experiments I do in the clone... NOK... I make a new clone (minutes work) and throw away the "broken" clone...
Every time I make real progress I make a copy of the clone thats OK, that becomes my new best VM..... till I'm ready and I will replace it with my last best clone...

Another advantage: You can still work further in your MX-Linux (or Windwos) and in the front or background your VM is active/working...

VM under MX-Linux: https://www.fosslinux.com/18881/how-to- ... -linux.htm

I'm running now 2 Debian Jessie LTS servers. In 2020 the LTS support expires. The hardware of the server is from 2011, suns now reasonable with this Debian, and I wanna try if MX-Linux is "lighter to run on this hardware".
In a VM I need to find out how the new config files need to be, I had a similar problem when I changed to Debian Jessie .

[Stevo]

I feel the two best choices for accessibility addons might be XFCE with compiz, or KDE Plasma, which also has some accessibility settings in Desktop effects. For either, you should copy the compiz or the Plasma configuration files from your home folder over to the matching location in /etc/skel, so that new users will get those settings by default.

Maybe someone else would recommend MATE, but I'm not as familiar with it.

Cinnamon and GNOME also have good options, but are "heavier".