CTKArch

Is there any news on the next 0.8 version/testing?

Calimero said it's for July...

@Cereal-Killer
Perfect!
Do you think there will be a testing version in advance?

I don't know...
when Calimero said he will release the 0.8 in one month, perhaps he told about the RC...
wait for him, he'll probably tell us more...

As usual, an RC version will be available for testing for 1-2 weeks and the stable one will follow with the fixes, if any.
Planned kernel: 2.6.39.4~8 (or 3.0.x ?). Depends on what they will do with the versioning.

I'm currently concerned by the future of AUFS2. The live system and its add-on system rely on it.
Without AUFS or a similar implementation (unionFS, maybe "dm snapshots"?) live-CDs can't exist.

I was a bit worried reading this. www.mail-archive.com/arch-general@archlinux.org/msg20294.html
Some hope there though (oof!) permalink.gmane.org/gmane.linux.file-systems.aufs.user/3321
And that "dm-snapshot" thingy? I need to know what that's all about.

Well, anyway, one way or another that will hopefully work in the end. Up-to-date stability is the idea.

Not so many big changes planned, but fixes and tiny interface improvements. And, the delayed online iso builder, I hope so. Plus official add-ons again like 0.5.

PS: would one of you two mind customizing his avatar? … it's a bit confusing right now.

@Calimero
Thanks for the update.
I noticed on my latest pacman update that I had to remove aufs2 to complete the update to kernel 2.6.39.
I have little knowledge of AUFS but lets hope this is sorted so live-CDs can continue.

Progress: I've made an AUFS2 package, working with kernel v2.6.39.1 (with symbol export patches), it's on AUR.

Pretty please...got a new box and would love to install the latest...any news?

Keep up the fab work!

You can install v0.7 and update!
I mean, really.
It has no known bugs (even when updating, so far!) except that you must either replace brasero with xfburn or install gvfs to allow it to burn CDs. (which makes it the best ctkarch release so far)

Not many changes in the resulting install from v0.8 are planned. In fact, I'm not sure that you will see the difference.
Most things are just fixes in the live itself, not the install.
The live will be up to date, that's the biggest change. Remember, Arch is a rolling release, so updating v0.7 is the same!

So don't tell me that, please. “Your argument is invalid.”
The main reason why I release new live ISOs quite often is to have an up to date kernel/xorg setup on a live system to test hardware support on new computers. It is not for the differences you would get after installing.

Coming “when it's done”, as usual. Don't fall for the « eeeeeeeeee new release! releaaaase! » thing
Be rational, please understand that version numbers don't change the software itself; only development does. (I'm thinking of mozilla there… 5.0 stable, and 6.0 getting ready, wtf)

Is there any news about the 0.8 ?
Now that Arch has a new iso image for install.
Is there any technical problem, aufs and so.

I need two nice glossy GTK3 themes (a dark/blue one and bright one)  before releasing a new version.

Also, don't worry about AUFS. As you can see, I'm maintaining AUFS3 in AUR and it will remain my solution for unioning.
This won't mess up the upgrades, everything will remain smooth on this side.

To be honest, I'm refraining myself from diving two or three weeks into development (that's what a new version takes), for I have to take care of my studies and other hobbies as well.


I'm curious about one thing : what exactly do you expect from v0.8?
Is it mainly up-to-date drivers for new bought PCs?

I can't speak for blizar, but in my case, yes up-to-date drivers for new PCs.

I mainly use CTKArch on an usb key (with frozen repository). So I expect up-to-date software.
For example, Tilda is buggy in the 0.7 repository and works in current Arch.

I also would like to test Arch with a frozen repository on a hard disk install
(I know that many people use Arch for it rolling release, but each to his own).
I have try it with the 0.7 but I have a problem
(I don't remember which one, probably a buggy package).

As you can see, nothing pressing.

Using version 0.7 for almost a year, a lot of time helping out!
I'm waiting for version 0.8! Thank you!

Thanks again for the great work calimero!
I expect from v0.8 up to date soft and drivers that wont need the complicated update process required by the 0.7 since arch has done a mess of changement.
i hope that it will be easily usable with virtual machine so that one can build its own arch from ctk without leaving the system. (use of addon and system partition are so usefull for that).
For example lets suppose that in one year i have one x64 laptop usable and my swiss-knife-usb-key with a lightweight i686 ctk installed that i use for work and a slow internet connection. It would be helpfull to build an entire up-to-date x64 arch with all my applis from virtual machine (using for example the virtualise-this-key application) and then stop the cpu for the moment of installation and restart directly on a fresh computer.
i guess many thing are already there, and taht's one reason i always go back to ctk. Just waiting the 0.8 that will ease the post install update process

hi

So sad to see such inactivity on this forum. Systemd seems to bury CTKarch.
More than 2 years from the last version, we see many new distributions
using arch rise in Distrowatch hit (manjaro, cinarch). I've seen many
people in the forum interested in installing CTKarch on a hard disk, and
these distributions may be an alternative.

However, my interest is in Live USB distribution. embedded a customized
distribution with my datas on a USB key and run it on different computers
is a killing feature. I've tried many ones (slitaz, puppy, tiny, slax,
porteus), but CTKarch is for me the better compromise : ease to add
package, hardware recognition, distribution lightness, desktop default
environment. I confess that my desktop at home and work is greatly inspired
from CTKarch.

But now, accusing its age, hardware recognition gones badly. CTKarch can't
deal with my new computers at work (at home it still resists). Luckily, I
still have an old computer at work, that I try to prevent from beeing
retired. Expecting, it will lasts until CTKArch 0.8 (or 1.0).

Glad to hear that the project is not dead.

Will the Live USB features keep in the future version ?
(creating Arch package is more usefull for hard disk installation)

Bonjour,
Utilisant (peu) ces dernières années un ordi qui ne m'appartenait pas, j'avais mis quelque chose de plus "mainstream" dessus (lubuntu). Mais voilà tout à une fin, et comme la version n'était plus maintenu je me suis retrouvé avec un ordi inutilisable. J'ai ressortit ctkarch avec espoir ... mais non, on ne peut plus non plus s'en servir, sauf "En l'état". Hors elle a un peu vieilli ... je ne sais pas si on peut encore attendre une version 0.8, ou si tu es passé à autre chose ?
Du coup j'ai retroussé mes manches, j'ai installé arch en suivant le guide, Et me voilà avec une installation de base, une connexion internet qui marche, lxde en moche et quand yaourt aura fini de yaourter je devrais avoir un navigateur web ...
On est bien loin encore d'un système complètement fonctionnel.
Pourrais-tu diffuser la liste des fichiers, les fichiers de configuration éventuels permettants de faire d'une Arch "from scratch" un "CTK-DE", reprenant les fonctionnalités et l'aspect de ctkarch ? En gros, d'avoir une ctkarch 0.75, sans amélioration par rapport à la précédente mais actualisée.
Je me débrouille depuis 6 mois avec un liveUSB de Porteus, très bien dans le concept mais bancal dans la pratique, et j'aimerais bien mieux avoir une installation fixe, sobre et efficace.
Merci d'avance pour ton coups de pouce, qui sera sûrement utile pour d'autre aussi.
yannig,

Actuellement je fais et maintiens toujours des installations avec le bureau et la config ctkarch.
Les fichiers sont disponibles depuis des années sur le site.

Les étapes sont :
- Installer la base arch comme on veut
- Installer ctkarch-autostartx et ctkarch-sysconfig depuis AUR
- Lancer ctkarch-sysconfig et se laisser guider (cf page du projet, ctkarch.org/git/sysconfig/)
- Se créer un utilisateur et extraire dans son home les fichiers de Overlay/home/arch dans l'archive de sources dispo sur ctkarch.org/download/0.7/?extra
- Installer un tas de paquets, en prenant ce qui semble utile là-dedans ctkarch.org/documentation/0.7/packageslist/packageslist

Au minimum il faudra xorg-xinit, openbox, fbpanel ou tint2, voire urxvt, gmrun et fbpanel pour retrouver ctkarch au prochain reboot.

CTKArch n'est pas abandonné, et continue d'exister a minima, mais je n'ai pas encore tout ce qu'il faut pour faire un liveCD totalement au point et facilement maintenable. (thème GTK3 et fontes qui marchent surtout, mais aussi quelques logiciels utilitaires)
Après avoir à peu près géré le débarquement systemd, l'énergie a manqué pour s'en occuper.