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There was some discussion of it, although it never went anywhere. It sounds
like it could be nice (things could be optimized somewhat) but ... it isn't
too hard as it is now (I figured it out...) and this way people get to stick
with what they feel more comfortable with.

What do I know, though ;)

Nate

I think it would be easier to implement python or perl script to
essentially do all the steps mentioned in the installation document.

I'm visuallizing something that acts like a wizard and handles each step
in turn...

I've seen this topic come up here from time to time, even in the short time
I've been on the list. I think the general consensus (or at least the
consensus of the people with the needed skills) has been that creating and
maintaining a complete distribution would be a lot of work, work that would
divert energy from the main focus of developing MythTV itself.

Among the things a complete distro would have to do are:

1. Stay up to date on security problems and fixes (since even a
"stand-alone" MythTV host requires a network connection, at a minimum to
get TV listings).

2. Be easily configurable for the variety of equipment used and usable with
MythTV. Since this requirement extends to the need for patched kernels (to
handle TV-out on Matrox cards, for example), unofficial mods to XFree86 (to
handle TV-out on ATI cards, for example), and inintegrated kernel modules
(ALSA, LIRC, maybe wlan-ng if the system uses prism-based WiFi), it is
fairly demanding.

If someone were to release a pre-configured ISO image, I'd expect it to be
designed to work with a particular subset of the possible hardware .. for
example, only bttv-based vidcap cards, only Nvidia TV-out cards, only sound
via the sound card (no btaudio). only a particular hard-disk partitioning
setup, only 802.3 Ethernet (no WiFi), only a particular LIRC-based remote
setup ... you get the idea. There is really a lot of non-Myth-specific
Linux stuff that a working Myth system includes, and a Myth ISO would have
to handle all of it somehow.

Even doing something this restricted in scope would be a lot of work ...
the security issue still remains, for example. I do not expect to see it
any time soon.

What we do have, though, is prepackaged versions of MythTV for some of the
big-name Linux distros. Properly packaged rpms or debs or whatever
accomplish much of what you want, I think. This doesn't get you the latest
fixes from CVS, of course ... but neither would a MythTV ISO, unless it
were updated amazingly often.

WIthout advocating any particular distribution ... all the big-name distros
do a lot of work for you that application developers don't really want to
have to redo.

At 04:31 PM 4/25/2003 +0000, Matthew Crowe wrote:
>Hello -- relatively new user, first posting.
>
>I've been reading the MythTV discussion archives for part of the day today
>and there
>is a lot of discussion about this distro or that distro and getting things
>to work
>with XYZ, etc.
>
>I was wondering if anyone had considered putting together a MythTV distro that
>installs onto a machine with as much info pre-configured as possible?
>
>I'm sure that many people, myself included, are thinking of using Myth as a
>stand-alone PVR solution. It would be wonderful to have an ISO image that
>I can
>plop onto a machine and have most of the installation and compilation done
>ahead of
>time by an experienced professional. (Or someone who got it working well
>enough. :)
>
>There could be three flavors: MythFull which contains the frontend,
>backend, and
>database and is a "complete" solution, MythFront which would contain the
>front end
>and be positioned as a "player-only" set-top box image, and MythBack which
>would
>contain the back-end programs necessary to serve video out to the players.
>
>Any thoughts? Has there been any previous discussion of this topic that a
>newbie
>such as myself may have missed?
>
>Thanks in advance...

If I were going to, I would base it on Knoppix.

On Fri, 2003-04-25 at 13:31, Nathan Ziarek wrote:
> There was some discussion of it, although it never went anywhere. It sounds
> like it could be nice (things could be optimized somewhat) but ... it isn't
> too hard as it is now (I figured it out...) and this way people get to stick
> with what they feel more comfortable with.
>
> What do I know, though ;)
>
> Nate
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> mythtv-users mailing list
> mythtv-users@snowman.net
> http://lists.snowman.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users

At 13:29 25/04/2003 -0400, you wrote:
>I just installed mythvideo. The last step of the instrcutions says
>
> edit the /usr/local/share/mythvideo/mythexplorer-settings.txt file.
>Change the StartDir to a valid mount point on your system.
>
>That file, nor that directory, exists anywhere on my system. Did my
>install mess up, or is the documentation out of date. If it's the later,
>where should I be specifying my video folder?

Hmm, on my PC it was at /usr/local/share/mythtv/mythvideo-settings.txt IIRC.


Paul VPOP3 - Internet Email Server/Gateway
support@pscs.co.uk http://www.pscs.co.uk/

> Van: Matthew Crowe <mtcrowe@jupiter.wox.org>
>
> Hello -- relatively new user, first posting.
>
> I've been reading the MythTV discussion archives for part of the day
> today and there is a lot of discussion about this distro or that distro
> and getting things to work with XYZ, etc.
>
> I was wondering if anyone had considered putting together a MythTV distro
> that installs onto a machine with as much info pre-configured as
> possible?

Yes, this has been considered.

> There could be three flavors: MythFull which contains the frontend,
> backend, and database and is a "complete" solution

Nope, unless you would want a _really_ small ISO. Having some script ask
what you want to use it for at boot time is easier to maintain. 1 ISO
instead of 3...

----------
> Van: Dwight Hubbard <dhubbard@dwightandamy.com>
>
> I think it would be easier to implement python or perl script to
> essentially do all the steps mentioned in the installation document.
>
> I'm visuallizing something that acts like a wizard and handles each step
> in turn...

Yes, off coarse we should make a better installer, but that's not the point
he made. Booting a working system from CD is nice.

----------
> Van: Ray Olszewski <ray@comarre.com>
>
> I've seen this topic come up here from time to time, even in the short
> time I've been on the list. I think the general consensus (or at least
> the consensus of the people with the needed skills) has been that
> creating and maintaining a complete distribution would be a lot of work,
> work that would divert energy from the main focus of developing MythTV
> itself.
>
> Among the things a complete distro would have to do are:
>
> 1. Stay up to date on security problems and fixes (since even a
> "stand-alone" MythTV host requires a network connection, at a minimum to
> get TV listings).

No need to, use Knoppix, or better Morphix (kinda like "modular Knoppix").
It will revert to Debian when hdinstalled (yes, that removes the
autodetect-on-boot stuff). Knoppix is widely known for it's outstanding
hardware detection. Morphix is spin-off from Knoppix, it adds modularity so
you can (more) easely add software packages to the CD.

And I guess everybody can run "apt-get update; apt-get upgrade" when put on
your harddisk, the installation questions for Debian are pretty clear most
of the time.

> 2. Be easily configurable for the variety of equipment used and usable
> with MythTV. Since this requirement extends to the need for patched
> kernels (to handle TV-out on Matrox cards, for example), unofficial mods
> to XFree86 (to handle TV-out on ATI cards, for example), and inintegrated
> kernel modules (ALSA, LIRC, maybe wlan-ng if the system uses prism-based
> WiFi), it is fairly demanding.

Knoppix/Morpix account for most of these hardware.

Knoppix: ALSA, WLAN, standard kernel (about everything sane enabled)
Morphix: as above plus nVidia drivers
unsure: TV-out on Matrox cards, TV-out on ATI cards, LIRC
not included: V4L2

Yes, you would need to add some stuff. But the framework of autodetecting
is there already. About all of the hardware detect stuff we add can go
straight into Knoppix an Morphix, so I think we might even get some thelp
there.

Heck, even some guy from Morphix and one from "MediaPackKnoppix" have
looked at incorporating MythTV. This hasn't been done since it indeed takes
a lot of time to get some decent general support. But AFAIK, bttv based
tv-cards are already supported, so most people (not me though) who run
MythTV on a "nVidia + ethernet + bttv" system could be reached if you
'just' put the MythTV Debian packages on the CD.

> Even doing something this restricted in scope would be a lot of work ...
> the security issue still remains, for example. I do not expect to see it
> any time soon.

What security issue?

> What we do have, though, is prepackaged versions of MythTV for some of
> the big-name Linux distros. Properly packaged rpms or debs or whatever
> accomplish much of what you want, I think. This doesn't get you the
> latest fixes from CVS, of course ... but neither would a MythTV ISO,
> unless it were updated amazingly often.

Off coarse not, but you should be able to get one of the prepackaged Myth
updates by apt-getting, urmpi, sourcerer or whatever distro you want to
base it one.

----------
> Van: Paul K. Dickson <nixdude@myrealbox.com>
>
> If I were going to, I would base it on Knoppix.

Hey :-)