Hello all:
I have read and am very glad andLinux is useful to the C::B community. I will be adding some of these modifications to the next version of andLinux and hope you could give some advice as how to proceed in certain areas. Please understand that andLinux has many different user bases with individual needs. That being said, there are some changes desired that I would like to ask your input on:
1)I originally designed andLinux's startup user as root since Windows already handles much of the security. I have heard arguments from every side about the need for user-level security (as opposed to the default user being root). My preference is to allow the user to decide this level of security during install. Since I foresee a new release in several weeks, I won't have the default user choice into andLinux in time and may need to lower its priority for other reasons.
I would like to know how difficult it is to work in a root-level environment?
How needed are the user-level additions?
I was thinking of adding a .deb package modifying the system allow user-level logon as a work-around. This would allow andLinux to release as root user, but patch to specified user. Do you see this as a good “common ground”?
2)When testing samba printing, file-sharing seemed a very simple addition. I setup file sharing as a quick way of testing samba when I was having problems attaching printers. Even though the security implications of mounting Linux drives in Windows can be argued, try to look at ease-of-use as an equal argument.
Which area in the andLinux file system should be mapped?
Do you see the need to have a specific user account that should be required to send/retrieve files from this area or should andLinux automatically map to the default user?
Should andLinux continue to only allow Linux to access Windows?
Also, I would like to address some things said out in the forums:
1)(and my personal favorite) "yes, the startup of andLinux is a bad hack":
Although I have used “dirty hack”, I prefer to call it a "functional hack" or "working hack". :lol: Much of this is leftover from prior version work-arounds which became obsolete as andLinux “hacks” moved into the CoLinux binaries. Others are because... well... Linux and Windows don't really play well together.
An alternate solution is to do the following (I will try and create better instructions on the wiki):
A) Create a new user
B) Run the panel application from that user getting your settings correct
C) Replace the word "root" for your custom user in the " sux - root ${termcommand} $parameters" command.
As well, you can change the contents of /etc/winterm to contain your preferred startup application.
2)"Yet I can't find anyting ubuntu about it..." and "Am I supposed to start Ubuntu somehow":
Ubuntu is the core OS used in andLinux, which makes andLinux compatible with Ubuntu packages. It just doesn't contain the Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Ubuntu (Gnome) customized desktops that you find in a native install of Ubuntu. Although the Xfce4 panel application is compatible with X, Kde and Gnome, Windows Explorer is your desktop. I will be improving the Xfce4-panel application to be a more robust panel application in future versions (starting with the next version). It will have a full menu of installed Linux applications, add newly installed applications automatically and allow more desktop customizing.
3)"don't know why Xming don't just use the dpi settings already provided by windows OS ??":
If you can find me a way to read the dpi settings from Windows, I will be more then happy to add an automatic adjustment. I think andLinux should be able to set this. I really think this is a great idea!
4)"Guessing from andLinux' changelog they use coLinux 0.6.4":
andLinux uses CoLinux 0.8.0 testing. It is a test version of CoLinux created by Henry Nestler with some modifications added for andLinux. andLinux will not run with the 0.6.x or 0.7.x branches of CoLinux (it may run unstable under some older 0.7.x versions though).
5)"...depending on the coLinux version andLinux is based upon and what you actually want to share, using cofs may be easier":
As a matter of fact, the mount point of /mnt/and already uses cofs to point to the andLinux folder in Windows. On my system, I have the folder c:\andLinuxDev\andLinux-06-Dec which holds andLinux. In this folder I created a transfer folder. i.e. c:\andLinuxDev\andLinux-06-Dec\transfer. Anything placed in this folder is accessible in andLinux from /mnt/and/transfer. I allowed andLinux to see Windows, yet for security sake, I didn't allow Windows to see andLinux. This way, andLinux can only destroy itself if hit with a virus. If Windows gets hit with a virus, most viruses would attach only the executables and preserve the virtual drives.
Please understand that when I originally designed andLinux, I figured only a handful of people may use it for sparse development items. I projected anywhere between 50-100 users. andLinux turned 1 on December 17th and I now have an estimated 30,000 users. andLinux was designed for quick Linux development, but has users with hundreds of different needs now. With PreBeta, I was able to greatly enhance it over its original design without neglecting its initial design. Your feedback helps ensure this.
Feel free to forward any suggestions for how andLinux could better help the C::B community to my email (at the bottom of the wiki page).
David Solomon
andLinux Founder
http://wiki.gp2x.org/wiki/AndLinux