build-iso-mx Input settings

[jhsu802701]

To start the ISO build process WITHOUT being prompted for inputs along the way, I must use the --user-defaults parameter to specify a list of settings (from the Input directory) when calling the build-iso script.

Some questions:
1. The defaults-local file is the one with the highest priority. So any variable definitions specified here take precedence over those in the defaults and defaults-system files. Given that the defaults-local file is a custom file for experimental and non-standard setups, shouldn't Input/defaults-local be added to the .gitignore file so it's excluded from the source code? (If we don't want to get rid of this file completely, a compromise is to rename this file in the source code as Input/defaults-local-original.) I just cannot help but think that it's all too easy to accidentally change the Input/defaults-local file in the source code without intending to.
2. Why must the ISO build script insist on a specific kernel version? I know that the default kernel version (5.10.0) is what's used by the current version of MX/antiX Linux. However, that specification is not compatible with GitHub Workflows, which uses kernel version 5.15.0. It looks like the thing to do is to create a special Input/defaults-* file for the GitHub Workflows environment and specify kernel version 5.15.0 there, but I'm still puzzled as to why there's such a rigid requirement.

[dolphin_oracle]

The build is done in a chroot. It doesn’t matter what kernel the host system is using.

We specify the kernel at build and we build isos with different kernels. At least 5 kernels. So specifying the kernel is important.

[AVLinux]

Given that the defaults-local file is a custom file for experimental and non-standard setups, shouldn't Input/defaults-local be added to the .gitignore file so it's excluded from the source code? (If we don't want to get rid of this file completely, a compromise is to rename this file in the source code as Input/defaults-local-original.) I just cannot help but think that it's all too easy to accidentally change the Input/defaults-local file in the source code without intending to.

Custom spins should create their own Input file with their specific settings, there should be no need to alter any existing ones that I can see anyway..

[Adrian]

1. you could do that on your system, I think there's a balance of what we can provide and what we exclude. If we exclude it (add it to .gitignore) then people would not know that's a file they can or should have in their build-iso folder.

2. it's not a requirement to run build-iso script, it directs to build an ISO with a specific kernel -- that's obviously something we need to do, we want our release to come with a specific kernel. BTW, it's possible to use wildcards, that was not working in the past but now specifying 5.10.* should bring the newest kernel that starts with 5.10

[jhsu802701]

The build is done in a chroot. It doesn’t matter what kernel the host system is using.

We specify the kernel at build and we build isos with different kernels. At least 5 kernels. So specifying the kernel is important.

If it doesn't matter what kernel the host system is using, then why does the build-iso script insist that the host system have the same kernel as the one to be installed in the new Linux ISO?

[dolphin_oracle]

It doesn’t. I build on different kernels all the time.