diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'blog')
| -rw-r--r-- | blog/20200128.org | 16 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | blog/20200406.org | 58 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | blog/20200410.org | 21 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | blog/20200508.org | 98 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | blog/20200528.org | 37 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | blog/20200617.org | 67 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | blog/20200803.org | 62 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | blog/20201210.org | 22 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | blog/index.org | 11 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | blog/rss.org | 463 |
10 files changed, 855 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/blog/20200128.org b/blog/20200128.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..9309a99 --- /dev/null +++ b/blog/20200128.org @@ -0,0 +1,16 @@ +#+TITLE: Switching to New Website +#+DATE: <2020-01-28 Tue> +#+AUTHOR: Cem Keylan + +In case you haven't seen it before, this website was powered by [[http://werc.cat-v.org][werc]]. And even +though I liked it really much, it was too powerful for a small website like +this. + +So I have decided to reimplement this website with my own static generation +scripts. The source will probably be on [[https://git.carbslinux.org/website/log.html][its git repository]] when I decide to +publish the website. + +The generation requires Plan9 programs, although I have used them just for my +enthusiasm. I have built the site with a combination of mk (instead of make), +rc, and POSIX sh. I am not yet exactly familiar with rc, but I will replace the +shell scripts when I feel like I can. diff --git a/blog/20200406.org b/blog/20200406.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..01a143a --- /dev/null +++ b/blog/20200406.org @@ -0,0 +1,58 @@ +#+TITLE: Roadmap for Carbs +#+AUTHOR: Cem Keylan +#+DATE: <2020-04-06 Mon> + +It has been a busy week. There are lots of changes in direction, and more to +come. I want to talk a little about all of them. + +** Carbs Linux Server Going Down + +It became harder to maintain and pay for the server, and I will be shutting it +down in May. I am currently in the phase of carrying over everything to [[https://github.com/CarbsLinux][Github]]. +The repository and the website is served on Github now. I have also moved the +[[https://github.com/CarbsLinux/wiki/wiki][Wiki]] to Github and anyone can edit it there. There are some outdated posts that +I will be fixing around this week. + +I am not quite sure where to store the downloads page now. But I will be +switching that to a new source as well. (Maybe SourceHut?) + +I feel a little sad for switching, but serving on Github is faster, cheaper, and +hassle-free. + +** Forking KISS + +I had a personal fork of KISS, which I enjoyed thoroughly. I didn't intend to +make it the default when I started it, but it has matured enough to be so. The +package manager can now be found on [[https://github.com/CarbsLinux/kiss][this repository]]. See it for the added +changes. + +This will be a change for the better, as I can develop the package manager as it +fits my views. + +** Small Changes on the Website + +I have made some small changes on the website. The build is not dependent on +Plan9 utilities anymore. It was fun messing around with =rc= and =mk=, but they +are quite limited compared to POSIX shell. + +RSS feeds are finally working as intended, both for the [[https://carbslinux.org/news.xml][news]] section, and the +[[https://carbslinux.org/rss.xml][blog]] section. + +You can see every page's =.txt= output at the end of the page by clicking 'View +Page Source'. Meanwhile, I will be updating some pages to be a little more +'human-readable'. + +** Outsources Repository + +I have opened an =outsource= repository, which I will be pushing this week. I +will add a new post when I am ready to push it. I think it will be interesting, +it will also make more sense about the changes I have added to the package +manager. The now empty repository, can be found [[https://github.com/CarbsLinux/outsource][here]]! + +** New Tarball + +Finally, I have released a new tarball today, which can be obtained from the +[[https://dl.carbslinux.org/releases][downloads page]]. + +I am planning to add more of these update posts as I'm feeling better about the +website structure overall. diff --git a/blog/20200410.org b/blog/20200410.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..0868c2d --- /dev/null +++ b/blog/20200410.org @@ -0,0 +1,21 @@ +#+TITLE: Outsource Repository Concept +#+AUTHOR: Cem Keylan +#+DATE: <2020-04-10 Fri> + +In April 3rd, I have added submodule support for Carbs Linux's fork of =kiss=. +Now, from that sentence, it really doesn't sound exciting at all. But in +reality, it opens a path to lots of creative output, and a better way to manage +multi-user repositories (such as KISS Community). + +When managing a repository of submodules, the repository maintainer's only job +is to deal with adding packages. A package maintainer doesn't have to wait for +the repository maintainer to update their packages, as they are only making the +changes to their own repositories. + +This way, an end-user can also track from their preferred maintainers, and do +that with the tidyness of a single repository in their =KISS_PATH=. + +Carbs Linux now has an outsource repository for some packages. Firefox and its +dependencies have been purged from the main repository, but can be found on it. + +[[https://github.com/CarbsLinux/outsource]] diff --git a/blog/20200508.org b/blog/20200508.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c303634 --- /dev/null +++ b/blog/20200508.org @@ -0,0 +1,98 @@ +#+TITLE: The Relation of Carbs and KISS +#+AUTHOR: Cem Keylan +#+DATE: <2020-05-08 Fri> + +Since I have forked KISS, I have received many questions that can be summarized +as "Why?". I have realized that I never truly answered this question. That's the +reason I am writing this post, to give some background on Carbs, and some +differences between KISS Linux and Carbs Linux for anyone who may be wondering. +Perhaps I could make this a "FAQ" page later on. + +** History + +I had the idea of creating my own Linux distribution since the May of 2019. Back +then, I had my own [[https://linuxfromscratch.org][Linux from Scratch]] build, and I wanted to slim it down my +own way and replace the software (with musl,sbase,etc.). The name Carbs Linux +was in my mind since then. I wanted to write my own package manager, but I +wasn't satisfied with anything I had built. + +I had written some incomplete package managers (all named =fat=) and I quickly +threw them into the trash can, where they honestly belonged. I would want to +share them with you for laughs, but my hard-drive got wiped and I have a problem +of not doing an "initial commit" until a program I write is in a usable state. + +I have obtained the 'carbslinux.org' domain name in September 2019, but then +life got on the way, and I stopped for a long time. + +One day on Reddit, I saw Dylan's post on [[https://reddit.com/r/unixporn][r/unixporn]] about KISS, and I really +thought that it was interesting. Here is my [[https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/comments/ducd34/sowm_kiss_d/f7lua7x][comment]] to Dylan on that post. I +checked out the package manager and the repository. The packaging system was +extremely clean and well-thought. I decided to give it a go and fork KISS. + +** Differences between KISS and Carbs + +Now, I still baffle when people ask me this question. My intention was never to +create a distribution with specific differences between KISS. My intention was +being my own BDFL of a distribution I maintain. There are lots of differences +between the main repositories, but they are subtle and not worth talking about. +I personally never even installed KISS Linux on my system. So Carbs, isn't +something like a downstream fork of KISS, it is just a distribution that was +initially based on KISS. + +I try to contribute as much as I can to KISS Linux. I think that it is a +brilliant distribution, and it was a great starting point for Carbs. I am really +grateful to Dylan and all the other contributors. + +** What I'm working on now + +Currently I have a few projects that I'm working on for Carbs. These are, + +A BSD port for Carbs. For a while, I have been working on BSD compatibility on +my fork of the [package manager]. I have tested, without any more issues, on +OpenBSD and FreeBSD. The biggest issues remaining are choosing a vendor for BSD, +packaging the BSD source, and providing a minimal base (like busybox for BSD). +If you aren't familiar with BSD, it has a single source code for all of the +utilities (kernel, command line programs, etc.). Contributions (even chipping in +ideas) are very welcome. + +Adding binary package distribution support natively to the package manager. +Biggest issue in small/old computers are compile times. This feature is for the +bigger packages such as webkit, clang, llvm that take a considerable amount of +time. Some computers with low memories cannot even compile firefox/webkit. + +Adding rsync repository support to the package manager. This is not a current +issue, but rather a futureproofing. As time passes, distribution repositories +grow larger. KISS and Carbs are young distributions without this problem right +now. But in something like 5 years, this size will presumably increase to +hundreds of megabytes. At that point it will be pointless to have the repository +sources unless you specifically need them. + +** What's up with all the init/service daemons? + +If you have ever checked the [[https://github.com/carbslinux/repository][repository]], you may have noticed that there are +lots of init/service related packages. I have had my fair share of time with all +of them, and it is an area that I am really interested in. I have even written +my own [[https://github.com/cemkeylan/shinit][init daemon]] and [[https://github.com/cemkeylan/sysmgr][service supervisor]]. I maintain all those packages on KISS +Community Repository as well with the exception of busybox. Those are, =busybox +init/runit=, =runit=, =sinit=, and =sysmgr=. I would definitely recommend +checking out =shinit= and =sysmgr=. + +** Why I don't publicize Carbs + +There are a couple of reasons I don't publicize Carbs a lot. + +KISS is the better alternative in terms of support and community. I work on +maintaining this distribution just as hard as Dylan, but in the end, Carbs is +based on his original hard work, and I believe that he deserves the recognition +more than I do. + +Since I cannot answer questions like "What is the difference?", I prefer staying +as the silent sibling project of KISS Linux. Plus, there is no point in dividing +the newly-emerging community in half. + +That's not because I don't have ideas for the future of Carbs, I do. I just +think that I will deserve the recognition once those above lists are checked. + +I think that's about it, if you have questions you can send me a mail, ping me +on IRC (my handle is =merakor=), and I will be happy to answer. Maybe your +question fits this post, and I can update it to thoroughly give an explanation. diff --git a/blog/20200528.org b/blog/20200528.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ba3a305 --- /dev/null +++ b/blog/20200528.org @@ -0,0 +1,37 @@ +#+TITLE: kiss 2.0.0 and Overall Changes +#+AUTHOR: Cem Keylan +#+DATE: <2020-05-28 Thu> + +Carbs Linux kiss version 2.0.0 has been released which introduces rsync +repositories. + +Git is no longer a mandatory dependency for the package manager, every git +source on the core repository has been replaced with https sources (sbase, +sinit), and rootfs tarballs will no longer ship with git. Repositories in the +upcoming tarball will be rsync repositories. + +Git is now on the =extra= repository and is still (optionally) used in the +package manager. + +The idea behind this change is size reductions and increased speed with rsync. +As I said on the previous post, git repositories get larger and larger over the +time span. Currently my personal copy of the git repository is around 77MB and I +have forked KISS Linux (as a shallow copy) around December. Obviously, I have +commits that I ommitted. I tend to create commits I dislike, which I change with +=git reset --soft HEAD^=, which doesn't actually remove the commits, etc. A user +will have a repository much smaller than mine. + +This is a precaution with the added bonuses of speed and dropping a mandatory +dependency. + +You can see the rest of the changelog [[https://github.com/CarbsLinux/kiss/blob/master/CHANGELOG.md][here]]. + +** Binary Repositories + +A few days ago, I have also published [[https://github.com/CarbsLinux/kiss-bin][kiss-bin]], a first version for managing +binary repositories. Currently, there are some caveats that I'll be fixing along +the way. I decided not to include this in the package manager natively as +managing the source based and binary based packages together adds levels of +complexity that we do not want. Instead, this is an extension for kiss which +sources the package manager as a library. I hope to see it being adopted by +others interested on the matter as well. diff --git a/blog/20200617.org b/blog/20200617.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..0c91582 --- /dev/null +++ b/blog/20200617.org @@ -0,0 +1,67 @@ +#+TITLE: June Newspost +#+AUTHOR: Cem Keylan +#+DATE: <2020-06-17 Wed> + +This will be an active month for Carbs as major changes to the base and the +package manager will be coming up. + +** Statically linking the base + +For the past couple of weeks I have been trying to simplify the base and +statically link the core (mostly binaries rather than libraries). I usually see +some people extremely opposed to static linking as I also see the opposite on +people. + +I believe that binaries on the core should always be linked statically. This +ensures that an SONAME bump to =libObscure.so= will not break the core +functionality of your system, forcing you to use external resources to recover +from such an issue. As long as you can compile, use core utilities, edit text, +and access the web, you can solve any given issue on your system. + +However, I don't think that removing shared libraries is sensible either. Not +every piece of software out there is good quality enough to be statically +linked. + +** Major changes on the core repository + +There have been drastic changes to the core repository and the base rootfs this +month (with more on the way). Right now changes are as follows. + +*** Removed from Core +- =git= +- =libressl= +- =grub= +- =bison= +- =dhcpcd= +- =ubase= + +*** Added to Core +- =bearssl=, as a =libressl= replacement +- =byacc=, as a =bison= replacement + +*** Statically linked +- =kiss= +- =neatvi= +- =mandoc= +- =byacc= +- =m4= +- =e2fsprogs= +- =make= +- =pkgconf= +- =sbase= +- =libnl= +- =wpa_supplicant= +- =bearssl= + +** Making the wiki available offline + +Soon, all documentation regarding Carbs Linux will be avaialable to be installed +from the core repository in a =carbs-docs= package along with its own document +crawler. Currently, the documentation regarding the installation process is a +little outdated which will also receive some important updates. + +** ISO image for Carbs + +I am thinking of releasing an ISO image in order to provide a standardized +environment for installation along with installation helper tools in the spirit +of =arch-install-scripts=. Let's see how that's going to play out. diff --git a/blog/20200803.org b/blog/20200803.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..0dcf679 --- /dev/null +++ b/blog/20200803.org @@ -0,0 +1,62 @@ +#+TITLE: August 2020 News Post +#+AUTHOR: Cem Keylan +#+DATE: <2020-08-03 Mon> + +We are having some stalls during this summer, as I am currently working on +university-related stuff. Nonetheless, there are some important changes that I +want to share in this month's post. + +#+TOC: headlines 1 local + +** Carbs Packaging Tools + +This month I have reworked =kiss= into a new package manager, now renamed as +=cpt=. Updating =kiss= will now bootstrap the new package manager, so you don't +have to manually edit your system. If you don't like the idea of this, you can +look up the =post-install= script on =core/kiss= and apply the changes manually. + +You will also need to rename your =KISS_*= variables to =CPT_*=. So, =KISS_PATH= +becomes =CPT_PATH=. + +The rework changes the previous commands on the package manager into standalone +tools, and move the package manager functions to a library. This makes it easier +for a user to import functions and variables from the package manager, and +extend the package manager with their own intended way. Previously this required +ugly hacks and workarounds to use the package manager functions. I will be +making use of these changes to re-implement binary package management functions +as well. + +If you want to use the library on your script you can simply do this: + +#+BEGIN_SRC sh +#!/bin/sh +. cpt-lib +(...) +#+END_SRC + +There are obviously some clean-up and simplifications needed in this new +tool-based package management method. + +** Docs + +I have added documentation for the distribution, and finally updated the guide +for installation. It is now /almost/ complete. These docs can be installed to +your system for online viewing. I will also add a documentation crawler similar +to how werc works (but as an offline viewer). You can find =carbs-docs= from +the repository. Currently, the documentation lacks but I will be adding new +stuff. These will solely be distribution specific documentation and will not be +a wiki-like source. If anyone would like to contribute to a wiki-like +documentation source, I would happily re-open the distribution wiki. You can +find the source on [[https://github.com/CarbsLinux/docs]]. + +** Re-opening the Carbs Linux server + +Back in May, I had shutdown the Carbs Linux server due to financial issues, but +I am slowly reverting to the self-hosted model. Back then, the git repositories +were mirrored to GitHub, and the management was overall much more flexible. The +server used to run Carbs Linux as well (that was fun and horrifying at the same +time). Now, I will be relaunching the git server which will be the upstream +source before August 5. You can switch your remote, but GitHub will stay as a +remote nonetheless. + +*EDIT:* The git-server is up! diff --git a/blog/20201210.org b/blog/20201210.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..7da78cb --- /dev/null +++ b/blog/20201210.org @@ -0,0 +1,22 @@ +#+TITLE: First Year of Carbs Linux +#+AUTHOR: Cem Keylan +#+DATE: <2020-12-10 Thu> + +December 10, 2020 marks the first year after the initial release of Carbs Linux. +When I forked the KISS Linux repository on the 9th of December, I was fairly new +to package management. Carbs Linux used to be almost identical to KISS Linux. A +lot has changed since then: + +- [2020 Jan 13] Replaced default init system to =sinit= +- [2020 Jan 15] Packaged =WebKit2GTK= +- [2020 May 17] Added =bearssl= on the testing repository +- [2020 May 28] Added =rsync= repository support to kiss +- [2020 Jun 03] Replaced =bison= with =byacc= +- [2020 Jun 11] Replaced =libressl= with =bearssl= +- [2020 Jun 24] Replaced =kiss= with =cpt= + +I have really enjoyed maintaining and developing this distribution, and I want +to thank everyone who was involved in some way or another. While I have slowed +down in development due to college workload, I am still actively maintaining all +the packages on the repository. I do have some ideas that I am thinking of +implementing during the semester break. Hope to see you all in January. diff --git a/blog/index.org b/blog/index.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..875b133 --- /dev/null +++ b/blog/index.org @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +#+TITLE: Blog Index + +This is the Carbs Linux blog index. You can find every post here. [[file:../rss.xml][RSS Feed]] +- [[file:20201210.org][First Year of Carbs Linux]] /posted on 2020-12-10/ +- [[file:20200803.org][August 2020 News Post]] /posted on 2020-08-03/ +- [[file:20200617.org][June Newspost]] /posted on 2020-06-17/ +- [[file:20200528.org][kiss 2.0.0 and Overall Changes]] /posted on 2020-05-28/ +- [[file:20200508.org][The Relation of Carbs and KISS]] /posted on 2020-05-08/ +- [[file:20200410.org][Outsource Repository Concept]] /posted on 2020-04-10/ +- [[file:20200406.org][Roadmap for Carbs]] /posted on 2020-04-06/ +- [[file:20200128.org][Switching to New Website]] /posted on 2020-01-28/ diff --git a/blog/rss.org b/blog/rss.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..9de4962 --- /dev/null +++ b/blog/rss.org @@ -0,0 +1,463 @@ +#+TITLE: Carbs Linux blog +#+DESCRIPTION: a simple Linux distribution + +* First Year of Carbs Linux +:PROPERTIES: +:RSS_PERMALINK: 20201210.html +:PUBDATE: 2020-12-10 +:ID: 91a73ba0-bd3c-437c-94af-fe767c3dcc02 +:END: +December 10, 2020 marks the first year after the initial release of Carbs Linux. +When I forked the KISS Linux repository on the 9th of December, I was fairly new +to package management. Carbs Linux used to be almost identical to KISS Linux. A +lot has changed since then: + +[2020 Jan 13] Replaced default init system to =sinit= +[2020 Jan 15] Packaged =WebKit2GTK= +[2020 May 17] Added =bearssl= on the testing repository +[2020 May 28] Added =rsync= repository support to kiss +[2020 Jun 03] Replaced =bison= with =byacc= +[2020 Jun 11] Replaced =libressl= with =bearssl= +[2020 Jun 24] Replaced =kiss= with =cpt= + +I have really enjoyed maintaining and developing this distribution, and I want +to thank everyone who was involved in some way or another. While I have slowed +down in development due to college workload, I am still actively maintaining all +the packages on the repository. I do have some ideas that I am thinking of +implementing during the semester break. Hope to see you all in January. +* August 2020 News Post +:PROPERTIES: +:RSS_PERMALINK: 20200803.html +:PUBDATE: 2020-08-03 +:ID: 20184071-45d1-4af3-b679-63610e737f82 +:END: +We are having some stalls during this summer, as I am currently working on +university-related stuff. Nonetheless, there are some important changes that I +want to share in this month's post. + +#+toc: headlines 1 local + +** Carbs Packaging Tools + :PROPERTIES: + :ID: fe405200-c791-40bb-af90-55b14328c901 + :END: + +This month I have reworked =kiss= into a new package manager, now renamed as +=cpt=. Updating =kiss= will now bootstrap the new package manager, so you don't +have to manually edit your system. If you don't like the idea of this, you can +look up the =post-install= script on =core/kiss= and apply the changes manually. + +You will also need to rename your =KISS_*= variables to =CPT_*=. So, =KISS_PATH= +becomes =CPT_PATH=. + +The rework changes the previous commands on the package manager into standalone +tools, and move the package manager functions to a library. This makes it easier +for a user to import functions and variables from the package manager, and +extend the package manager with their own intended way. Previously this required +ugly hacks and workarounds to use the package manager functions. I will be +making use of these changes to re-implement binary package management functions +as well. + +If you want to use the library on your script you can simply do this: + +#+begin_src sh + #!/bin/sh + . cpt-lib + (...) +#+end_src + +There are obviously some clean-up and simplifications needed in this new +tool-based package management method. + +** Docs + :PROPERTIES: + :ID: 9a665dbf-7a5a-4e66-88a6-b95b27fd0f08 + :END: + +I have added documentation for the distribution, and finally updated the guide +for installation. It is now /almost/ complete. These docs can be installed to +your system for online viewing. I will also add a documentation crawler similar +to how werc works (but as an offline viewer). You can find =carbs-docs= from +the repository. Currently, the documentation lacks but I will be adding new +stuff. These will solely be distribution specific documentation and will not be +a wiki-like source. If anyone would like to contribute to a wiki-like +documentation source, I would happily re-open the distribution wiki. You can +find the source on [[https://github.com/CarbsLinux/docs]]. + +** Re-opening the Carbs Linux server + :PROPERTIES: + :ID: d2ede03b-5386-48f9-9349-27ad6972558e + :END: + +Back in May, I had shutdown the Carbs Linux server due to financial issues, but +I am slowly reverting to the self-hosted model. Back then, the git repositories +were mirrored to GitHub, and the management was overall much more flexible. The +server used to run Carbs Linux as well (that was fun and horrifying at the same +time). Now, I will be relaunching the git server which will be the upstream +source before August 5. You can switch your remote, but GitHub will stay as a +remote nonetheless. + +*EDIT:* The git-server is up! +* June Newspost +:PROPERTIES: +:RSS_PERMALINK: 20200617.html +:PUBDATE: 2020-06-17 +:ID: e0ddba22-7d55-4830-895a-5d02e1f41f90 +:END: +This will be an active month for Carbs as major changes to the base and the +package manager will be coming up. + +** Statically linking the base + :PROPERTIES: + :ID: ca2f0783-0484-42d6-8f19-1b16330f474e + :END: + +For the past couple of weeks I have been trying to simplify the base and +statically link the core (mostly binaries rather than libraries). I usually see +some people extremely opposed to static linking as I also see the opposite on +people. + +I believe that binaries on the core should always be linked statically. This +ensures that an SONAME bump to =libObscure.so= will not break the core +functionality of your system, forcing you to use external resources to recover +from such an issue. As long as you can compile, use core utilities, edit text, +and access the web, you can solve any given issue on your system. + +However, I don't think that removing shared libraries is sensible either. Not +every piece of software out there is good quality enough to be statically +linked. + +** Major changes on the core repository + :PROPERTIES: + :ID: 7bcf3f1b-1341-485d-a28a-3dedc24d1eee + :END: + +There have been drastic changes to the core repository and the base rootfs this +month (with more on the way). Right now changes are as follows. + +*** Removed from Core + :PROPERTIES: + :ID: 29d41729-1428-44dc-b315-cd9c3070e7c5 + :END: +=git= +=libressl= +=grub= +=bison= +=dhcpcd= +=ubase= + +*** Added to Core + :PROPERTIES: + :ID: 9935f194-03c4-4e83-b6f1-fd8e35adb51e + :END: +=bearssl=, as a =libressl= replacement +=byacc=, as a =bison= replacement + +*** Statically linked + :PROPERTIES: + :ID: 445af4be-741c-41a4-b983-a1ffb71c3476 + :END: +=kiss= +=neatvi= +=mandoc= +=byacc= +=m4= +=e2fsprogs= +=make= +=pkgconf= +=sbase= +=libnl= +=wpa_supplicant= +=bearssl= + +** Making the wiki available offline + :PROPERTIES: + :ID: 02f68296-e84b-4a60-9af6-efc5b72a262e + :END: + +Soon, all documentation regarding Carbs Linux will be avaialable to be installed +from the core repository in a =carbs-docs= package along with its own document +crawler. Currently, the documentation regarding the installation process is a +little outdated which will also receive some important updates. + +** ISO image for Carbs + :PROPERTIES: + :ID: 503ea473-9001-4080-9073-628f4cddaedc + :END: + +I am thinking of releasing an ISO image in order to provide a standardized +environment for installation along with installation helper tools in the spirit +of =arch-install-scripts=. Let's see how that's going to play out. +* kiss 2.0.0 and Overall Changes +:PROPERTIES: +:RSS_PERMALINK: 20200528.html +:PUBDATE: 2020-05-28 +:ID: 757f34bc-c510-4a93-be60-80ac355ad6d3 +:END: +Carbs Linux kiss version 2.0.0 has been released which introduces rsync +repositories. + +Git is no longer a mandatory dependency for the package manager, every git +source on the core repository has been replaced with https sources (sbase, +sinit), and rootfs tarballs will no longer ship with git. Repositories in the +upcoming tarball will be rsync repositories. + +Git is now on the =extra= repository and is still (optionally) used in the +package manager. + +The idea behind this change is size reductions and increased speed with rsync. +As I said on the previous post, git repositories get larger and larger over the +time span. Currently my personal copy of the git repository is around 77MB and I +have forked KISS Linux (as a shallow copy) around December. Obviously, I have +commits that I ommitted. I tend to create commits I dislike, which I change with +=git reset --soft HEAD^=, which doesn't actually remove the commits, etc. A user +will have a repository much smaller than mine. + +This is a precaution with the added bonuses of speed and dropping a mandatory +dependency. + +You can see the rest of the changelog [[https://github.com/CarbsLinux/kiss/blob/master/CHANGELOG.md][here]]. + +** Binary Repositories + :PROPERTIES: + :ID: d34206ef-dac4-4fa7-8a24-6beeb2376615 + :END: + +A few days ago, I have also published [[https://github.com/CarbsLinux/kiss-bin][kiss-bin]], a first version for managing +binary repositories. Currently, there are some caveats that I'll be fixing along +the way. I decided not to include this in the package manager natively as +managing the source based and binary based packages together adds levels of +complexity that we do not want. Instead, this is an extension for kiss which +sources the package manager as a library. I hope to see it being adopted by +others interested on the matter as well. +* The Relation of Carbs and KISS +:PROPERTIES: +:RSS_PERMALINK: 20200508.html +:PUBDATE: 2020-05-08 +:ID: 258ca25e-b053-4c53-a86d-c067346461e3 +:END: +Since I have forked KISS, I have received many questions that can be summarized +as "Why?". I have realized that I never truly answered this question. That's the +reason I am writing this post, to give some background on Carbs, and some +differences between KISS Linux and Carbs Linux for anyone who may be wondering. +Perhaps I could make this a "FAQ" page later on. + +** History + :PROPERTIES: + :ID: 12457ae2-b958-479d-906c-4ec5c333b7a3 + :END: + +I had the idea of creating my own Linux distribution since the May of 2019. Back +then, I had my own [[https://linuxfromscratch.org][Linux from Scratch]] build, and I wanted to slim it down my +own way and replace the software (with musl,sbase,etc.). The name Carbs Linux +was in my mind since then. I wanted to write my own package manager, but I +wasn't satisfied with anything I had built. + +I had written some incomplete package managers (all named =fat=) and I quickly +threw them into the trash can, where they honestly belonged. I would want to +share them with you for laughs, but my hard-drive got wiped and I have a problem +of not doing an "initial commit" until a program I write is in a usable state. + +I have obtained the 'carbslinux.org' domain name in September 2019, but then +life got on the way, and I stopped for a long time. + +One day on Reddit, I saw Dylan's post on [[https://reddit.com/r/unixporn][r/unixporn]] about KISS, and I really +thought that it was interesting. Here is my [[https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/comments/ducd34/sowm_kiss_d/f7lua7x][comment]] to Dylan on that post. I +checked out the package manager and the repository. The packaging system was +extremely clean and well-thought. I decided to give it a go and fork KISS. + +** Differences between KISS and Carbs + :PROPERTIES: + :ID: aa9e4559-0afd-4bdb-8993-006a9f16927c + :END: + +Now, I still baffle when people ask me this question. My intention was never to +create a distribution with specific differences between KISS. My intention was +being my own BDFL of a distribution I maintain. There are lots of differences +between the main repositories, but they are subtle and not worth talking about. +I personally never even installed KISS Linux on my system. So Carbs, isn't +something like a downstream fork of KISS, it is just a distribution that was +initially based on KISS. + +I try to contribute as much as I can to KISS Linux. I think that it is a +brilliant distribution, and it was a great starting point for Carbs. I am really +grateful to Dylan and all the other contributors. + +** What I'm working on now + :PROPERTIES: + :ID: 293684f2-3b65-42a0-8011-8441a963194c + :END: + +Currently I have a few projects that I'm working on for Carbs. These are, + +A BSD port for Carbs. For a while, I have been working on BSD compatibility on +my fork of the [package manager]. I have tested, without any more issues, on +OpenBSD and FreeBSD. The biggest issues remaining are choosing a vendor for BSD, +packaging the BSD source, and providing a minimal base (like busybox for BSD). +If you aren't familiar with BSD, it has a single source code for all of the +utilities (kernel, command line programs, etc.). Contributions (even chipping in +ideas) are very welcome. + +Adding binary package distribution support natively to the package manager. +Biggest issue in small/old computers are compile times. This feature is for the +bigger packages such as webkit, clang, llvm that take a considerable amount of +time. Some computers with low memories cannot even compile firefox/webkit. + +Adding rsync repository support to the package manager. This is not a current +issue, but rather a futureproofing. As time passes, distribution repositories +grow larger. KISS and Carbs are young distributions without this problem right +now. But in something like 5 years, this size will presumably increase to +hundreds of megabytes. At that point it will be pointless to have the repository +sources unless you specifically need them. + +** What's up with all the init/service daemons? + :PROPERTIES: + :ID: 8de3a6dd-b66f-4da3-baae-efb264461a67 + :END: + +If you have ever checked the [[https://github.com/carbslinux/repository][repository]], you may have noticed that there are +lots of init/service related packages. I have had my fair share of time with all +of them, and it is an area that I am really interested in. I have even written +my own [[https://github.com/cemkeylan/shinit][init daemon]] and [[https://github.com/cemkeylan/sysmgr][service supervisor]]. I maintain all those packages on KISS +Community Repository as well with the exception of busybox. Those are, =busybox + init/runit=, =runit=, =sinit=, and =sysmgr=. I would definitely recommend +checking out =shinit= and =sysmgr=. + +** Why I don't publicize Carbs + :PROPERTIES: + :ID: 15a9f5cc-3e2f-495d-8075-3213bcebe237 + :END: + +There are a couple of reasons I don't publicize Carbs a lot. + +KISS is the better alternative in terms of support and community. I work on +maintaining this distribution just as hard as Dylan, but in the end, Carbs is +based on his original hard work, and I believe that he deserves the recognition +more than I do. + +Since I cannot answer questions like "What is the difference?", I prefer staying +as the silent sibling project of KISS Linux. Plus, there is no point in dividing +the newly-emerging community in half. + +That's not because I don't have ideas for the future of Carbs, I do. I just +think that I will deserve the recognition once those above lists are checked. + +I think that's about it, if you have questions you can send me a mail, ping me +on IRC (my handle is =merakor=), and I will be happy to answer. Maybe your +question fits this post, and I can update it to thoroughly give an explanation. +* Outsource Repository Concept +:PROPERTIES: +:RSS_PERMALINK: 20200410.html +:PUBDATE: 2020-04-10 +:ID: b70d712e-dfd8-46ba-8519-2102b0506551 +:END: +In April 3rd, I have added submodule support for Carbs Linux's fork of =kiss=. +Now, from that sentence, it really doesn't sound exciting at all. But in +reality, it opens a path to lots of creative output, and a better way to manage +multi-user repositories (such as KISS Community). + +When managing a repository of submodules, the repository maintainer's only job +is to deal with adding packages. A package maintainer doesn't have to wait for +the repository maintainer to update their packages, as they are only making the +changes to their own repositories. + +This way, an end-user can also track from their preferred maintainers, and do +that with the tidyness of a single repository in their =KISS_PATH=. + +Carbs Linux now has an outsource repository for some packages. Firefox and its +dependencies have been purged from the main repository, but can be found on it. + +[[https://github.com/CarbsLinux/outsource]] +* Roadmap for Carbs +:PROPERTIES: +:RSS_PERMALINK: 20200406.html +:PUBDATE: 2020-04-06 +:ID: ab41c584-5be1-46b0-99e2-4d9eef2091aa +:END: +It has been a busy week. There are lots of changes in direction, and more to +come. I want to talk a little about all of them. + +** Carbs Linux Server Going Down + :PROPERTIES: + :ID: 7b2135a9-122c-495e-9bb0-b79fc39ef098 + :END: + +It became harder to maintain and pay for the server, and I will be shutting it +down in May. I am currently in the phase of carrying over everything to [[https://github.com/CarbsLinux][Github]]. +The repository and the website is served on Github now. I have also moved the +[[https://github.com/CarbsLinux/wiki/wiki][Wiki]] to Github and anyone can edit it there. There are some outdated posts that +I will be fixing around this week. + +I am not quite sure where to store the downloads page now. But I will be +switching that to a new source as well. (Maybe SourceHut?) + +I feel a little sad for switching, but serving on Github is faster, cheaper, and +hassle-free. + +** Forking KISS + :PROPERTIES: + :ID: 037cba41-3be3-4714-9512-ff896d600dae + :END: + +I had a personal fork of KISS, which I enjoyed thoroughly. I didn't intend to +make it the default when I started it, but it has matured enough to be so. The +package manager can now be found on [[https://github.com/CarbsLinux/kiss][this repository]]. See it for the added +changes. + +This will be a change for the better, as I can develop the package manager as it +fits my views. + +** Small Changes on the Website + :PROPERTIES: + :ID: b33e18eb-6f15-49e2-9c2b-473af26030f4 + :END: + +I have made some small changes on the website. The build is not dependent on +Plan9 utilities anymore. It was fun messing around with =rc= and =mk=, but they +are quite limited compared to POSIX shell. + +RSS feeds are finally working as intended, both for the [[https://carbslinux.org/news.xml][news]] section, and the +[[https://carbslinux.org/rss.xml][blog]] section. + +You can see every page's =.txt= output at the end of the page by clicking 'View +Page Source'. Meanwhile, I will be updating some pages to be a little more +'human-readable'. + +** Outsources Repository + :PROPERTIES: + :ID: 1856485d-22c8-4c58-b710-ee4fa4374f9d + :END: + +I have opened an =outsource= repository, which I will be pushing this week. I +will add a new post when I am ready to push it. I think it will be interesting, +it will also make more sense about the changes I have added to the package +manager. The now empty repository, can be found [[https://github.com/CarbsLinux/outsource][here]]! + +** New Tarball + :PROPERTIES: + :ID: 63a8a514-af1b-46d1-a4fe-c4e84d47d256 + :END: + +Finally, I have released a new tarball today, which can be obtained from the +[[https://dl.carbslinux.org/releases][downloads page]]. + +I am planning to add more of these update posts as I'm feeling better about the +website structure overall. +* Switching to New Website +:PROPERTIES: +:RSS_PERMALINK: 20200128.html +:PUBDATE: 2020-01-28 +:ID: b8735f8c-441c-45f2-ba47-73daf7ed511a +:END: +In case you haven't seen it before, this website was powered by [[http://werc.cat-v.org][werc]]. And even +though I liked it really much, it was too powerful for a small website like +this. + +So I have decided to reimplement this website with my own static generation +scripts. The source will probably be on [[https://git.carbslinux.org/website/log.html][its git repository]] when I decide to +publish the website. + +The generation requires Plan9 programs, although I have used them just for my +enthusiasm. I have built the site with a combination of mk (instead of make), +rc, and POSIX sh. I am not yet exactly familiar with rc, but I will replace the +shell scripts when I feel like I can. |