MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - iLiad What is the best way to install user apps -- your opinions here

Antartica · 11-07-2006, 02:40 PM

Hi All!

Scotty is very worried about average joe not being able to install the apps we develop here.

Technically is solvable, but we have to commit to one of the possible solutions.

Don'ts (prerequisites):
a. Whatever we do, it should not touch er_registry (that bans the SHELL hack)
b. Don't use the root filesystem to install packages (that leaves us the SD slot --as SDs seen to be more common that CFs at MR-- or the internal memory using some workaround for the FAT exec problem)

Do's (more prerequisites):
A. There has to be a GUI for package install
B. There has to be a GUI for launching apps

Points we need to clarify:
1. Bootstrapping
2. Package install
3. App launch
4. Package format

===bootstrapping===
.
That one is easy: distribute a .sh (a.sh) file that the user copies to /mnt/free from his PC and then use the exploit to ` /bin/sh /mnt/free/a.sh`

The .sh can be a shar file -- an sh that acts as an autounpack-archive (like a zip-generated exe in windows world). That is, like the autopackage packages or the binary nvidia driver for linux. There are utilities to generate shar files, so no problem here.

===package install===

I vote for substitute /usr/bin/setup (rename it to /usr/bin/setup.irex) and launch the installer using the Preferences option in the main screen

When in our installer, we can have an option to launch the real sutup (setup.irex)

That installer should be able to list the packages available at MR and download&install them (bonus: be able to install packages in the memory card or in the intarnal flash), as well as uninstall installed packages.

===app launch===

I don't have an elegant solution for this one yet. I would really love to be able to use the upper-right button to display an UI for app launching, bypassing altoghether contentLister.

For now, we can just substitute the /usr/bin/xpdf with a script and make the user upload the files for other viewers as "mycomic.cbr.pdf", so the xpdf script knows that it has to launch the cbr viewer with that file.

Not very clean, but reasonable.

===package format===

I'm against using ipk just to make it harder for the users to unknowingly install then in the root filesystem.

I'm a GoboLinux user, so I vote for using GoboLinux package format O:-). But that is just an opinion, I have no technical reasons to support that. Anyway, for more information about gobolinux package format see http://www.gobolinux.org

===conclusion===

We need your opinion to have this ironed out soon!

11-07-2006, 02:40 PM	#1
Antartica Evangelist Posts: 423 Karma: 1517132 Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Madrid, Spain Device: quaderno, remarkable2, yotaphone2, prs950, iliad, onhandpc, newton	What is the best way to install user apps -- your opinions here Hi All! Scotty is very worried about average joe not being able to install the apps we develop here. Technically is solvable, but we have to commit to one of the possible solutions. Don'ts (prerequisites): a. Whatever we do, it should not touch er_registry (that bans the SHELL hack) b. Don't use the root filesystem to install packages (that leaves us the SD slot --as SDs seen to be more common that CFs at MR-- or the internal memory using some workaround for the FAT exec problem) Do's (more prerequisites): A. There has to be a GUI for package install B. There has to be a GUI for launching apps Points we need to clarify: 1. Bootstrapping 2. Package install 3. App launch 4. Package format ===bootstrapping=== . That one is easy: distribute a .sh (a.sh) file that the user copies to /mnt/free from his PC and then use the exploit to ` /bin/sh /mnt/free/a.sh` The .sh can be a shar file -- an sh that acts as an autounpack-archive (like a zip-generated exe in windows world). That is, like the autopackage packages or the binary nvidia driver for linux. There are utilities to generate shar files, so no problem here. ===package install=== I vote for substitute /usr/bin/setup (rename it to /usr/bin/setup.irex) and launch the installer using the Preferences option in the main screen When in our installer, we can have an option to launch the real sutup (setup.irex) That installer should be able to list the packages available at MR and download&install them (bonus: be able to install packages in the memory card or in the intarnal flash), as well as uninstall installed packages. ===app launch=== I don't have an elegant solution for this one yet. I would really love to be able to use the upper-right button to display an UI for app launching, bypassing altoghether contentLister. For now, we can just substitute the /usr/bin/xpdf with a script and make the user upload the files for other viewers as "mycomic.cbr.pdf", so the xpdf script knows that it has to launch the cbr viewer with that file. Not very clean, but reasonable. ===package format=== I'm against using ipk just to make it harder for the users to unknowingly install then in the root filesystem. I'm a GoboLinux user, so I vote for using GoboLinux package format O:-). But that is just an opinion, I have no technical reasons to support that. Anyway, for more information about gobolinux package format see http://www.gobolinux.org ===conclusion=== We need your opinion to have this ironed out soon!