[NEWS] New release strategy to provide more current media

[LilFox]

Hi there . So, i hope a lot of people will be interest to help gentoo return its power and glory. So i'm searching for some kind of manuals of ebuild's creation and commition. Not especially how to create, but commit them, tracking information about them and fixing bugs.

Is there possible?

[d2_racing]

You should read this :

http://devmanual.gentoo.org/
http://www.gentoo.org/proj/en/devrel/ha ... ndbook.xml

[8mihi]

first, want to add as others have, good idea to lessen focus on the 'big' live install, and install media in general, imho.

second, reading some of the posts, a newcomer would be confused, but let's get it straight (again), for the record:

A Gentoo CD (minimal or otherwise) is not required to install Gentoo.

It takes a few minimal installs to sort of get this fact, but eventually one sees that you only need a generic boot agent to get Gentoo installed.

Really, Knoppix, SystemrescueCD (my pers fav), Pentoo, or heck, even a Live Ubuntu disk or almost any decently tooled GNU/Linux boot disk (with network) can assist in getting Gentoo installed. Again, I post this more for newcomers, to help them understand that a Gentoo install is less about having a specific Gentoo disk to install from than it is reading and following a recipe on how to get it installed. Seriously, I've always viewed a Gentoo install as something of a well written recipe (in keeping with the Meta theme which runs through Gentoo). Kudos to the handbook maintainers !

[d2_racing]

Also, do you think that 2 projects will produce 2 almost identical Stages and Snapshot ?

Why not colaborate with Funtoo.org.

In fact, DR can produce Stages and Snapshot by his own.

Any comments on that ?

[yngwin]

If there is anything I can help with, please give me a shout.

Shout!

Hi ! Who can I contact to contribute ? Randomly one of the developers ? Or a developer who is in my interest and it will propose me some tasks ? In other words, how it works to participate to this project ?

This post is a very nice start to get an overview of the various ways how you can contribute:
http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-p-51 ... ml#5167622
As you can see in the rest of that topic, I am trying to get something more organized together on this front.

And if you want to become a developer, arch tester, documentation writer or translator, have a look at our Staffing needs page, which has an email address for our recruiters team. The staffing needs page is by no stretch of the imagination complete, we can always use more volunteers in our various projects and sub-projects. If you have a specific interest, it is usually a good idea to contact the developer(s) who are already working on that. We don't bite.

[nyowe]

Nice decision! To me this means a return to Gentoo's former glory

[ilborg]

I did my last install from old tinyme live-cd and it worked well If you wan't live-cd then you can use some other distribution media I think. Then you can read gentoo manual with normal graphical web browser same time installing gentoo. Ususally when I install some harder distro I just make sure that there is a way to use the internet in the process(another computer or live-cd).

There could be couple of ways to make installer a bit easier though. One way would be to make some kind of text based script which tells you when to do what. It would give you some hints and help so you wouldn't have to look manuals at basic install. Another system could be some kind of text based wizard like xconfigure(if I remember the command right). Or it could be something between: wizard asks you do what do you want to do and there is allways an option to use command line.

Another way to think a helper for installation is to put minimal xorg to the installation medium with net browser(with gentoo manual) and terminal. Xorg would of course use vesa driver only, because I think that nowadays all graphic cards support it and have supported for a while.

Live cd's are not very important because they are slow for normal use and you can try distro better your computer with virtualization. If you wan't to make your pc to work without hard drive I think better way to do it is to use usb pendrive and put your own system there. Community based live systems could be useful though.

[node_one]

Why not colaborate with Funtoo.org.

Has this even been considered?

[kernelOfTruth]

Why not colaborate with Funtoo.org.

Has this even been considered?

afaik

Daniel is already "collaborating" in some way with Donnie and some other devs in contributing his stage-tarballs, but it's nothing official (yet)

[fukas]

Gentoo is a really nice(or let's say, if not the best of the best, but one of the BEST distroes). As for me - I don't think it really needs some annual live-cd's. Gentoo is painlessly instlalled via any existing live-cd(Ubuntu, sys-resc-cd, etc). But, of course, a kind of "prestige" is lost through using others distroes for first install. But anyway, I'm always glad to help in development and new ebuilds( /me is quite familiar with bash and python, so able to do tasks with portage). If I can help in anyway, I'd always like to do that. I can be always contacted via email (fukazzz [at] gmail.com) or jabber (fukazzz[at]jabber.ru). Now. of course, I'm trying to learn the "development system", but quite a noobe, and good guidness would be appriciated.

wbr, Dmitriy.

[technosaurus]

my only recommendation is that at least wireless and preferably dsl and dialup support be added to the minimal install cd

then we wouldn't even need the live cd if there was a "meta-package" that encompassed all the livecd stuff as "default programs"

[d2_racing]

afaik
Daniel is already "collaborating" in some way with Donnie and some other devs in contributing his stage-tarballs, but it's nothing official (yet)

I tought that he was alone with this project.

Nice to know that he has some help

[96140]

--

[kernelOfTruth]

Daniel is already "collaborating" in some way with Donnie and some other devs in contributing his stage-tarballs, but it's nothing official (yet)

You're making that up. Releng does the tarballs for Gentoo (not dberkholz; he's in other projects), and no one's been talking to us, either. Donnie did give Daniel the idea of creating unstable tarballs via a blog comment, but that's it. Daniel isn't providing our stage tarballs any more than Donnie is.

Please don't start rumors.

I apologize

so is there any way to collaborate in this topic ?

this surely would safe resources on both sides (and I'm certain lots of users of gentoo would endorse this)

[Januszzz]

IMO current minimal cd is enough for almost all new servers; it sometimes failed to boot on some weird notebooks etc.

Its never a problem, but the only thing that matters is - like others say - reputation.

Look at Debian - IMO they are not very up2date with their site, also have some pitfalls in their distro, had severe bug with modified OpenSSL... still they do have regular release (no matter that it is, when it is ready). Rock solid, you can count on Debian.

I use Gentoo everywhere because I like to (flexibility, all that stuff that everyone says they like Gentoo for...), but honestly - I trust others more my heart is bleeding saying this

EDIT: so I accept the strategy, I'm rather positive about it, I'm positive about every positive move

[dberkholz]

Daniel is already "collaborating" in some way with Donnie and some other devs in contributing his stage-tarballs, but it's nothing official (yet)

You're making that up. Releng does the tarballs for Gentoo (not dberkholz; he's in other projects), and no one's been talking to us, either. Donnie did give Daniel the idea of creating unstable tarballs via a blog comment, but that's it. Daniel isn't providing our stage tarballs any more than Donnie is.

Please don't start rumors.

I'm collaborating with Daniel as far as that means we talk about ideas and one of us goes off and does them...

[GODhack]

So I do now understand 2009.0 is canceled too or only 200*.1 canceled?

[Thorror]

So I do now understand 2009.0 is canceled too or only 200*.1 canceled?

No u understood it right. No "release" anymore

[d2_racing]

Here is the proposition of Daniel : http://blog.funtoo.org/2008/09/gentoo-2 ... tions.html

He use a custom build catalyst called Metro.

[rgk]

If there is anything I can help with, please give me a shout.

++

Great news, I've always been a minimal install person too

[zaccret]

So I do now understand 2009.0 is canceled too or only 200*.1 canceled?

No u understood it right. No "release" anymore

I read "We're looking into automated weekly builds of the minimal CDs and stage tarballs as well as maybe an annual LiveCD release", so we will maybe see a 2009 release. IMHO, it is important to have an annual LiveCD release and not depend on other distros for new users.

[yngwin]

At this moment there is no LiveCD release planned. We first would like to see how things develop with respect to the automated regular builds of the Minimal CD and the stage3 tarballs. Even so, we are considering to do an official LiveCD once a year. We will update you when these ideas crystallize. Thank you all for the positive feedback!

[Xake]

At this moment there is no LiveCD release planned. We first would like to see how things develop with respect to the automated regular builds of the Minimal CD and the stage3 tarballs. Even so, we are considering to do an official LiveCD once a year. We will update you when these ideas crystallize. Thank you all for the positive feedback!

I think this sound very good.
When the automagic for the minimal CD works maybe have an automagic for the LiveCD, but having them more as a "beta", and once a year just freeze it for stabilisation? The LiveCD does not need new GRPs to be tested.

I must admit that I mostly use the minimal CD, but even the liveCD has its use for example if you want the ability to use a graphical browser while you're installing.
And yes, I know I can use Ubuntu for this. Or knoppix. But I would still like to see a Gentoo-LiveCD.

[cwr]

The drawback to the new dispensation is that the 6/12 monthly releases went through
testing as a unit, and there was some hope that the different packages, or at least the
main ones, would play nicely together. With a rolling update you just have to keep
updating.

However, with Gentoo's lack of developers the distribution has no other way
forward. I can't see more developers flocking to Gentoo now.

Will

Do not do unto others as you would they would do unto you: their tastes may not
be the same.

[Etal]

Daniel Robbins recently posted about the release tool ("Metro") he's using for his stage builds on his blog, which seems to be exactly what is needed for weekly builds. What's the general opinion?