Re: [uml-devel] [RFC] UML kernel & rootfs bundle with every kernel release ?

roland
2007-04-02T20:36:35Z

>> Why? I've never understood what a framebuffer gives you that you
>> don't have now.
> Just like the network auto-configuration via dhcp, it would allow users to
> download images+kernel and run them like appliances without understanding
> anything about X or UML, just click and run.

mhh, i also think framebuffer would be nice, but the main idea behind my
posting is have some recent linux kernel up and running without any effort -
with main focus on kernel, not on apps.

sure, it would be nice to have X for the unexperienced users, but if you run
uml and get networking up and running, you just do ssh -X into your uml and
then you have your X. those people who run the latest kernel for testing
special things are not unexperienced, but having a packaged kernel+rootfs
"ready to run" would also make _their_ life easier. think of testing
several kernels in parallel to find/fix regressions.

booting into something graphical with kdm/gdm login, firefox inside etc
would be really nice, but that would be probably overkill for the purpose it
should serve. framebuffer and X could be added later to uml, and i`m sure,
it will exist one day.

btw - i think besides that packaged uml+rootfs, the same thing could be
distributed in other formats, i.e. qemu, vmware, M$ virtual pc (add your
favourite v12n solution here)

regards
roland

----- Original Message -----
From: "Antoine Martin" <antoine@nagafix.co.uk>
To: "Jeff Dike" <jdike@addtoit.com>
Cc: "Blaisorblade" <blaisorblade@yahoo.it>; <devzero@web.de>;
<user-mode-linux-devel@lists.sourceforge.net>;
<linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org>
Sent: Monday, April 02, 2007 12:21 PM
Subject: Re: [uml-devel] [RFC] UML kernel & rootfs bundle with every kernel
release ?

> Jeff Dike wrote:
>> On Sun, Apr 01, 2007 at 08:58:45PM +0100, Antoine Martin wrote:
>>> I reckon that one critical thing which could drastically increase the
>>> user base would be to have a working virtual framebuffer implementation.
>>
>> Why? I've never understood what a framebuffer gives you that you
>> don't have now.
> Just like the network auto-configuration via dhcp, it would allow users to
> download images+kernel and run them like appliances without understanding
> anything about X or UML, just click and run.
> We are all capable of setting up Xvfb here, but most users are not, which
> is why they download ready-made images.
> It would also make it a lot easier to focus on writing a management UI,
> hell if there isn't one shortly after, I'll do one myself!
> Think of a UML browser image (running IE via wine in a limited image with
> just X + wine + IE - I would much prefer that to having wine+IE installed
> locally), testing framebuffer apps like gtk-fb/cairo-fb without risking
> your dev environment, etc...
>
> Antoine