12-15-2020, 04:22 PM
@barray
Many thanks for your kind feedback. Let me answer to your questions in a different order, I'll try to tie those into the first post as well:
DietPi uses the regular Debian APT repositories, which I think you mean by "aptitude packages". The aptitude package is not installed by default, but can be with the apt commands, if preferred: apt update; apt install aptitude
Our images come with a very minimal set of pre-installed packages, i.e. the essential system packages (apt, util-linux, kernel, firmware, init system of course, ...) and a small set of additional packages we find important enough, e.g. OOTB SSH and WiFi support, most archive types, keyboard, time zone and localisation. Here is a list, below that kernel, firmware and WiFi-related packages: https://github.com/MichaIng/DietPi/blob/...#L681-L712
Those pull dependencies of course, but if you run apt-mark showmanual in DietPi and a fresh Debian (minimal), Armbian (non-desktop image) or Raspbian Lite, you'll notice the difference. This influences the amount of background processes and hence the RAM usaged by a fresh DietPi, which is around 25-30 MiB and 9 background services (check via htop) when connecting via local console.
So the approach is to start very minimal but making it easy to install additional software on demand, especially such which cannot be installed simply via apt but require 3rd party repositories, runtime systems or custom source builds. The scripts we use (including configuration scripts, drive management, backup and much more) are slim bash scripts which do in sum not take more than 1.3 MiB space. They are based on whiptail dialogues, so run in console without an X server or similar required. Here you get an impression: https://dietpi.com/docs/dietpi_tools/
But a desktop of course is easy to install as well
.
I'm also not sure about the compatibility of the images you mentioned. If the SoC and the RAM type matches, it should boot, but the device tree to access all hardware features might differ. Aside of simply testing it, another approach is to install either a fresh Armbian or Debian (at least with Bullseye a large set of SBCs is supported OOTB by the installer) and run our image preparation script on it: https://dietpi.com/docs/dietpi_sbc/#make...stribution
OrangePi Zero is still in the list, otherwise "Generic device" should work. Kernel packages are detected and kept automatically.
In case of PineTab and especially PinePhone, we definitely need to rework a few things to assure that on first boot the dialogues work with touch input. From all I know, with whiptail this does not work and also text is much too small for phones. But I think especially the PinePhone was an awesome step to kickstart/boost the Linux smartphone community and potentially create alternatives for Android. Awesome how many distributors quickly released compatible versions for the PinePhone. We are a very small team with lets say 1.5 actual code developers, so it is not easily possible for us without loosing to much time on the SBC support and development we came from.
@tophneal
I'll do that, I already wanted to, but my wiki account got broken. NB: Do not change "Preferences" > "Appearance" > "Skin", otherwise => HTTP error 500
. But it got sorted by great help on discord already.
Many thanks for your kind feedback. Let me answer to your questions in a different order, I'll try to tie those into the first post as well:
DietPi uses the regular Debian APT repositories, which I think you mean by "aptitude packages". The aptitude package is not installed by default, but can be with the apt commands, if preferred: apt update; apt install aptitude
Our images come with a very minimal set of pre-installed packages, i.e. the essential system packages (apt, util-linux, kernel, firmware, init system of course, ...) and a small set of additional packages we find important enough, e.g. OOTB SSH and WiFi support, most archive types, keyboard, time zone and localisation. Here is a list, below that kernel, firmware and WiFi-related packages: https://github.com/MichaIng/DietPi/blob/...#L681-L712
Those pull dependencies of course, but if you run apt-mark showmanual in DietPi and a fresh Debian (minimal), Armbian (non-desktop image) or Raspbian Lite, you'll notice the difference. This influences the amount of background processes and hence the RAM usaged by a fresh DietPi, which is around 25-30 MiB and 9 background services (check via htop) when connecting via local console.
So the approach is to start very minimal but making it easy to install additional software on demand, especially such which cannot be installed simply via apt but require 3rd party repositories, runtime systems or custom source builds. The scripts we use (including configuration scripts, drive management, backup and much more) are slim bash scripts which do in sum not take more than 1.3 MiB space. They are based on whiptail dialogues, so run in console without an X server or similar required. Here you get an impression: https://dietpi.com/docs/dietpi_tools/
But a desktop of course is easy to install as well
.I'm also not sure about the compatibility of the images you mentioned. If the SoC and the RAM type matches, it should boot, but the device tree to access all hardware features might differ. Aside of simply testing it, another approach is to install either a fresh Armbian or Debian (at least with Bullseye a large set of SBCs is supported OOTB by the installer) and run our image preparation script on it: https://dietpi.com/docs/dietpi_sbc/#make...stribution
OrangePi Zero is still in the list, otherwise "Generic device" should work. Kernel packages are detected and kept automatically.
In case of PineTab and especially PinePhone, we definitely need to rework a few things to assure that on first boot the dialogues work with touch input. From all I know, with whiptail this does not work and also text is much too small for phones
. But I think especially the PinePhone was an awesome step to kickstart/boost the Linux smartphone community and potentially create alternatives for Android. Awesome how many distributors quickly released compatible versions for the PinePhone. We are a very small team with lets say 1.5 actual code developers, so it is not easily possible for us without loosing to much time on the SBC support and development we came from.@tophneal
I'll do that, I already wanted to, but my wiki account got broken. NB: Do not change "Preferences" > "Appearance" > "Skin", otherwise => HTTP error 500
. But it got sorted by great help on discord already.