Ubuntu Derivatives

Status

• Created: 2005-04-26 by JuanjeOjeda

• Priority: NeedsPriority

• People: JuanjeOjedaLead, JeromeGotangco

• Contributors: JuanjeOjeda

• Interested:

• Status: BrainDump, UduBof, DistroSpecification, NewSpec

• Branch:
• Malone Bug:
• Packages:
• Depends:
• Dependents:

  FullSearch(UbuntuDerivatives)

  2. BrandingForDerivatives

• UduSessions: 1, 4, 8, etc

Introduction

We need to see how other people could customize Ubuntu to create their own distribution.

Rationale

There is a lot of people who want create their own distribution but based in Ubuntu. We need try to figure out how make easy this.

Only in Spain there are about 4 regional governments and around 4 o 5 universities who want to base their distribution in Ubuntu.

Scope and Use Cases

Cases:

• Guadalinex (Spanish distribution):
  • They need change all the artwork
  • They need put by default Spanish as language, Spain/Madrid as timezone and so on.
  • They don't need all the languages installed
  • They have some owns packages and applications which they want to have installed
  • They want to see Guadalinex instead of Ubuntu in the Installer and more places
  • They want to put their own home page and bookmarks in the browser
  • They could like to change some defaults applications (like browser or so)
  • They could like to change the menu structure
  • They could like to change the defaults entries on "Add/Remove Programs" application
  • Probably the need to change some translations and add their own documentation
  • Maybe they like to change the "sudo" system
  • They could like to change the desktop and panels
  • And much more...
• SILU (Spanish distribution focus on universities):
  • The same than before
  • They need to take off some apps and install others in the base system (live or installable CD)
  • They need to add a submenu for the universities oriented applications
  • They need to relocate some applications in the menu
  • They need to change the securety policy in the version to install in the classrooms (no-sudo, student shoudn't change the Desktop aspect, etc)
  • And much more...
• More distros

Implementation Plan

Data Preservation and Migration

Packages Affected

User Interface Requirements

Outstanding Issues

• We need to make easy change branch stuff (see BrandingForDerivatives) and the rest of changes

• The system must be stable and easy to maintain
• Every change should be in a single package (name: package_changed-version-versionOfChange-config or something like that)
• All the Gnome stuff should be configured through Gconf.
• There is a need to identify the type of derivative before the start of development.
• Hypothetical Change Set and Launchpad can ease up the creation of derivatives.

• The packages must make a backup of the original configuration and to have a postrm script to put back that original configuration

• Would be interesting to have a application to customize the distro and extract all the changes as a packages (something like the [http://software-libre.org/moin/Meta/en/BrandingSystem Branding System] what is planned to create from the [http://metadistros.hispalinux.es/ Metadistros] project)

• And is even better to put all the artwork, selection of defaults applications and stuff people could like to customize (bookmarks, "About $Distro", Desktop aspect, etc) in a single package (or group of packages join in a metapackage or virtual package) as a Distro profile or Distro theme.

UDU BOF Agenda

• Discuss about tool for customization or "Distro theme"... or both.

• Try to figure out the better way to do that kind changes (in the most of the cases)
• See how use the branding stuff in this topic

UDU Pre-Work

• Write down all the diferents points where the people who customize a distibution could change something (at least, teh most of them)