COMP 3000 2011 Report: CrunchBang - Revision history

Drewmartin: /* Listing Installed Packages */

2011-12-05T21:22:26Z

Listing Installed Packages

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:22, 5 December 2011
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	=== Listing Installed Packages ===		=== Listing Installed Packages ===
	[[File:Synaptic.png\|thumb\|right\|The Synaptic Package Manager lists all the packages installed on the system]]		[[File:Synaptic.png\|thumb\|right\|The Synaptic Package Manager lists all the packages installed on the system]]
	Using the tools that come with CrunchBang there are several ways to get of installed packages. From the command line, you can use ''dpkg --list'' or ''aptitude search <nowiki>'~i'</nowiki>''. Aptitude can also open in a text-based shell by typing just ''aptitude'' and from within there it all installed software can be listed. Alternatively, open the Synaptic package manager, click on the status button and then select 'Installed' from the list on the left.		Using the tools that come with CrunchBang there are several ways to get of installed packages. From the command line, you can use ''dpkg --list'' or ''aptitude search <nowiki>'~i'</nowiki>''. Aptitude can also open in a text-based shell by typing just ''aptitude'' and from within there it all installed software can be listed. Alternatively, open the Synaptic package manager by running ''synaptic'', click on the status button and then select 'Installed' from the list on the left.

	=== Adding and Removing Packages ===		=== Adding and Removing Packages ===

Drewmartin: /* Installation/Startup */

2011-12-05T21:18:27Z

Installation/Startup

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:18, 5 December 2011
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	# A terminal should open and display installation progress. Press enter to close it once complete		# A terminal should open and display installation progress. Press enter to close it once complete
	# Restart CrunchBang		# Restart CrunchBang
	However, this did not work. Even after installing the appropriate packages as instructed, running the VBoxLinuxAdditions.run script simply produced no output. Following the instructions found on their forums at http://crunchbanglinux.org/forums/post/129314/#p129314 solved the issue. ~~The differences were to perform~~ ''apt-get update'' and ''apt-get upgrade'', ~~to install the~~ <code>module-assistant</code> ~~package, run~~ ''m-a prepare''~~, and then run the installation script by doing~~ ''sudo sh /media/cdrom/VBoxLinuxAdditions.run''. The same issue occurred in Debian, so it is not just a CrunchBang issue.		However, this did not work. Even after installing the appropriate packages as instructed, running the VBoxLinuxAdditions.run script simply produced no output. Following the instructions found on their forums at http://crunchbanglinux.org/forums/post/129314/#p129314 solved the issue. Instead of the instructions listed above, one should instead:
			# Boot CrunchBang in VirtualBox
			# Run ''apt-get update'' and ''apt-get upgrade''
			# Install the <code>linux-headers-2.6-686</code>, <code>build-essential</code> and <code>module-assistant</code> packages
			# Run ''m-a prepare''
			# Run ''sudo sh /media/cdrom/VBoxLinuxAdditions.run''
			# Restart CrunchBang
			After performing these steps, the VirtualBox guest additions were successfully installed. The same issue occurred in Debian, so it is not just a CrunchBang issue.

	One feature I particularly liked was the startup script that it came with. Upon the first launch of a CrunchBang installation, a terminal is open running a script to automatically install a number of extra pieces of software, such as Java, OpenOffice, printer drivers, LAMP (which stands for "Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP," and combines several commonly-used web-server packages together), an optional upgrade to the Liquorix/Zen kernel, as well as performing software updates.		One feature I particularly liked was the startup script that it came with. Upon the first launch of a CrunchBang installation, a terminal is open running a script to automatically install a number of extra pieces of software, such as Java, OpenOffice, printer drivers, LAMP (which stands for "Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP," and combines several commonly-used web-server packages together), an optional upgrade to the Liquorix/Zen kernel, as well as performing software updates.

Drewmartin: /* Packaging Format and Utilities */

2011-12-05T21:11:05Z

Packaging Format and Utilities

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:11, 5 December 2011
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	== Software Packaging ==		== Software Packaging ==
	=== Packaging Format and Utilities ===		=== Packaging Format and Utilities ===
	As a distribution based off of Debian, it is not surprising that CrunchBang uses the same package format, [http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-faq/ch-pkg_basics .deb], and the same package manager, [http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-faq/ch-pkgtools.en.html dpkg]. This package manager installs, removes and supplies information about .deb packages<ref name=dpkg>dpkg. (2011, 16 Sept.). Retrieved November 3, 2011 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dpkg</ref>. CrunchBang comes installed with several higher level package management tool that rely on dpkg and other tools, including [http://wiki.debian.org/Apt Advanced Packaging Tool] (APT), [wiki.debian.org/Aptitude aptitude], [http://wiki.debian.org/Synaptic synaptic] and [http://wiki.debian.org/tasksel tasksel]. It also contains two utilities for manipulating .deb files: [http://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages/hardy/man1/dpkg-deb.1.html dpkg-deb] and [http://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages/oneiric/en/man1/dpkg-split.1.html dpkg-split].		As a distribution based off of Debian, it is not surprising that CrunchBang uses the same package format, [http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-faq/ch-pkg_basics .deb], and the same package manager, [http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-faq/ch-pkgtools.en.html dpkg]. This package manager installs, removes and supplies information about .deb packages<ref name=dpkg>dpkg. (2011, 16 Sept.). Retrieved November 3, 2011 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dpkg</ref>. CrunchBang comes installed with several higher level package management tool that rely on dpkg and other tools, including [http://wiki.debian.org/Apt Advanced Packaging Tool] (APT), [http://wiki.debian.org/Aptitude aptitude], [http://wiki.debian.org/Synaptic synaptic] and [http://wiki.debian.org/tasksel tasksel]. It also contains two utilities for manipulating .deb files: [http://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages/hardy/man1/dpkg-deb.1.html dpkg-deb] and [http://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages/oneiric/en/man1/dpkg-split.1.html dpkg-split].

	=== Listing Installed Packages ===		=== Listing Installed Packages ===

Drewmartin: /* Packages at the the same version as in Debian */

2011-12-05T20:54:04Z

Packages at the the same version as in Debian

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:54, 5 December 2011
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	{\| border="1"		{\| border="1"
	! Package		! Package
	! ~~Difference~~ from Upstream Source		! Purpose and Differences from Upstream Source
	\|-		\|-
	\| Linux Kernel		\| Linux Kernel

Drewmartin: /* Packages at the the same version as in Debian */

2011-12-05T20:53:43Z

Packages at the the same version as in Debian

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:53, 5 December 2011
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	\|-		\|-
	\| Dash		\| Dash
	\| Dash 0.5.5.1-7.4 contains numerous changes over 0.5.5.1. According to the [https://launchpadlibrarian.net/60686775/dash_0.5.5.1-7.4.diff.gz diff file], the changes are mostly bug fixes, translations and removing or adding dependencies.		\| Dash 0.5.5.1-7.4 contains numerous changes over 0.5.5.1. According to the [https://launchpadlibrarian.net/60686775/dash_0.5.5.1-7.4.diff.gz diff file], the changes are mostly bug fixes, translations and removing or adding dependencies. Dash is a Unix shell, like Bash, but smaller and with fewer features.
	\|-		\|-
	\| Coreutils		\| Coreutils
	\| Coreutils 8.5-1 includes very little on top of 8.5. It provides a workaround for a bug in fstat and stops a test from running due to a bug in gcc. This was taken from the [https://launchpadlibrarian.net/48769017/coreutils_8.5-1.diff.gz diff file].		\| Coreutils 8.5-1 includes very little on top of 8.5. It provides a workaround for a bug in fstat and stops a test from running due to a bug in gcc. This was taken from the [https://launchpadlibrarian.net/48769017/coreutils_8.5-1.diff.gz diff file]. Coreutils provides many basic Unix tools, such as ls, dir, cp and rm.
	\|-		\|-
	\| Busybox		\| Busybox
	\| Busybox 1.17.1-8 incorporates many changes on top of 1.17.1. According to the changelog in the [https://launchpad.net/debian/+archive/primary/+files/busybox_1.17.1-8.debian.tar.gz source] there are updates to the configuration re-application of previous patches and many bug fixes and improvements.		\| Busybox 1.17.1-8 incorporates many changes on top of 1.17.1. According to the changelog in the [https://launchpad.net/debian/+archive/primary/+files/busybox_1.17.1-8.debian.tar.gz source] there are updates to the configuration re-application of previous patches and many bug fixes and improvements. Busybox provides small versions of common Unix utilities, such as ls, ps, pwd and mkdir.
	\|-		\|-
	\| Chromium		\| Chromium
	\| Though the table above states Chromium's "stable" release, all releases of Chromium are considered experimental; stable releases are released as Chrome. Chrome used to be included in CrunchBang and I believe they switched to Chromium since it's open source and therefore easier to customize, which fits in with the goals of the distribution. Chromium 9.0.597.45~r70550-1 had no changes added to it specifically over 9.0.597.45. Instead, its purpose was to incorporate changes made by the Debian maintainers to previous versions of Chromium. This was taken from the change log in the [https://launchpad.net/debian/+archive/primary/+files/chromium-browser_9.0.597.45%7Er70550-1.debian.tar.gz source code].		\| Though the table above states Chromium's "stable" release, all releases of Chromium are considered experimental; stable releases are released as Chrome. Chrome used to be included in CrunchBang and I believe they switched to Chromium since it's open source and therefore easier to customize, which fits in with the goals of the distribution. Chromium 9.0.597.45~r70550-1 had no changes added to it specifically over 9.0.597.45. Instead, its purpose was to incorporate changes made by the Debian maintainers to previous versions of Chromium. This was taken from the change log in the [https://launchpad.net/debian/+archive/primary/+files/chromium-browser_9.0.597.45%7Er70550-1.debian.tar.gz source code]. Chromium is a web browser.
	\|-		\|-
	\| Openbox		\| Openbox
	\| Openbox comes installed on CrunchBang since it provides a large part of CrunchBang's ability to be customized. Openbox 3.4.11.1-1 changes very little over 3.4.11.1. According to the changelog in the [https://launchpad.net/debian/+archive/primary/+files/openbox_3.4.11.1-1.debian.tar.gz source] the updates related mostly to packaging and installation, and removing files that were no longer necessary.		\| Openbox comes installed on CrunchBang since it provides a large part of CrunchBang's ability to be customized. Openbox 3.4.11.1-1 changes very little over 3.4.11.1. According to the changelog in the [https://launchpad.net/debian/+archive/primary/+files/openbox_3.4.11.1-1.debian.tar.gz source] the updates related mostly to packaging and installation, and removing files that were no longer necessary. Openbox is a window manager and replaced GNOME in CrunchBang.
	\|-		\|-
	\| Conky		\| Conky
	\| Conky is included in CrunchBang because it contributes to the ability to customize the look and usage of the system. Oddly enough, the package included in CrunchBang is maintained by Debian, but does not show up in Debian's package list by default. Conky 1.8.0-1+squeeze made numerous improvements over Conky 1.8.0. According to the change log in the [https://launchpad.net/debian/+archive/primary/+files/conky_1.8.0-1%2Bsqueeze1.debian.tar.gz source] the changes included crash and bug fixes, and support for a whole bunch of new configuration options and standard variables inside Conky scripts. Interestingly, this version of Conky bases itself off of an Ubuntu version, which itself bases itself off of the official Conky release.		\| Conky is included in CrunchBang because it contributes to the ability to customize the look and usage of the system. Oddly enough, the package included in CrunchBang is maintained by Debian, but does not show up in Debian's package list by default. Conky 1.8.0-1+squeeze made numerous improvements over Conky 1.8.0. According to the change log in the [https://launchpad.net/debian/+archive/primary/+files/conky_1.8.0-1%2Bsqueeze1.debian.tar.gz source] the changes included crash and bug fixes, and support for a whole bunch of new configuration options and standard variables inside Conky scripts. Interestingly, this version of Conky bases itself off of an Ubuntu version, which itself bases itself off of the official Conky release. Conky is a system monitor which can be used to display the system status, such as CPU usage, RAM usage and internal temperature.
	\|-		\|-
	\| Thunar		\| Thunar
	\| Thunar was included in CrunchBang since it is a highly configurable file manager that was designed for the Xfce Desktop Environment, but also works well with other desktop managers, such as Openbox<ref>How To Set Thunar As The Default #!Crunchbang Filemanager. (2009, Nov. 11). Retrieved November 6, 2011 from http://crunchbanglinux.org/wiki/howto/set_thunar_as_default_filemanager</ref>. Thunar is listed by Debian's package manager, but not installed, while it comes installed by default on CrunchBang. According to the changelog in the [https://launchpadlibrarian.net/48984906/thunar_1.0.2-1.diff.gz diff file] Thunar 1.0.2-1 contains very little in the way of changes over 1.0.2. Essentially, this version just removed a patch applied in a previous fork of Thunar since it was originally taken from an upstream source and 1.0.2 already incorporates the change. It also added a dependency.		\| Thunar was included in CrunchBang since it is a highly configurable file manager that was designed for the Xfce Desktop Environment, but also works well with other desktop managers, such as Openbox<ref>How To Set Thunar As The Default #!Crunchbang Filemanager. (2009, Nov. 11). Retrieved November 6, 2011 from http://crunchbanglinux.org/wiki/howto/set_thunar_as_default_filemanager</ref>. Thunar is listed by Debian's package manager, but not installed, while it comes installed by default on CrunchBang. According to the changelog in the [https://launchpadlibrarian.net/48984906/thunar_1.0.2-1.diff.gz diff file] Thunar 1.0.2-1 contains very little in the way of changes over 1.0.2. Essentially, this version just removed a patch applied in a previous fork of Thunar since it was originally taken from an upstream source and 1.0.2 already incorporates the change. It also added a dependency. Thunar is a file manager that is designed for usage with xfce, but works well with Openbox. It replaces Nautilus which is used in Debian.
	\|}		\|}
	<br>		<br>

Drewmartin: /* Major Package Versions */

2011-12-05T20:46:42Z

Major Package Versions

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:46, 5 December 2011
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	\| http://packages.debian.org/squeeze/libqt4-core		\| http://packages.debian.org/squeeze/libqt4-core
	\|-		\|-
	\| Bash		\| Bash (Bourne-again Shell)
	\| 4.1-3		\| 4.1-3
	\| 4.2<ref>Bash (Unix shell). (2011, Oct. 25). Retrieved November 5, 2011 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bash_%28Unix_shell%29</ref>		\| 4.2<ref>Bash (Unix shell). (2011, Oct. 25). Retrieved November 5, 2011 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bash_%28Unix_shell%29</ref>

Drewmartin: /* Packages at the the same version as in Debian */

2011-12-05T20:45:43Z

Packages at the the same version as in Debian

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:45, 5 December 2011
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	With the exception of Thunar, Conky, Chromium and Openbox, all of these packages come installed by default on Debian. They are included in CrunchBang because the functionality they supplied to Debian (kernel, graphical libraries, window system, shells, etc.) was a necessary part of creating a unified desktop environment. In addition, the features CrunchBang needed from them did not differ from the features Debian needed from them. This is in contrast to a package like GNOME (GNU Network Object Model Environment), which is included as part of Debian's standard installation, but replaced in favor of Openbox and xfce in Crunchbang, as these are central to the purpose of CrunchBang.		With the exception of Thunar, Conky, Chromium and Openbox, all of these packages come installed by default on Debian. They are included in CrunchBang because the functionality they supplied to Debian (kernel, graphical libraries, window system, shells, etc.) was a necessary part of creating a unified desktop environment. In addition, the features CrunchBang needed from them did not differ from the features Debian needed from them. This is in contrast to a package like GNOME (GNU Network Object Model Environment), which is included as part of Debian's standard installation, but replaced in favor of Openbox and xfce in Crunchbang, as these are central to the purpose of CrunchBang.

	The following table will discuss some of the differences between these packages and their upstream counterparts.		The following table will discuss some of the differences between these packages and their upstream counterparts, as well as the services they provide.

	{\| border="1"		{\| border="1"
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	\|-		\|-
	\| Linux Kernel		\| Linux Kernel
	\| While a list of the individual modifications done to version 2.6.32-38 would be too long to list (the diff file alone is almost 15MB), most of the changes listed in the change log inside the [https://launchpad.net/debian/+archive/primary/+files/linux-2.6_2.6.32-38.diff.gz diff file] are just driver updates.		\| While a list of the individual modifications done to version 2.6.32-38 would be too long to list (the diff file alone is almost 15MB), most of the changes listed in the change log inside the [https://launchpad.net/debian/+archive/primary/+files/linux-2.6_2.6.32-38.diff.gz diff file] are just driver updates. The Linux Kernel provides the core operating system functionality, notably a scheduler, resource management and drivers.
	\|-		\|-
	\| Libc		\| Libc
	\| After reading through the changed log in the [https://launchpadlibrarian.net/62706613/eglibc_2.11.2-10.diff.gz diff file], I have found that the Debian fork consists almost entirely of bugfixes and translations, and the developers give their releases amusing names (@!%$&! you, I use Debian, Perl Sucks, Smash Everything with a _Huge Steamroller_!). The sheer quantity of the changes was quite significant, with the diff file itself coming in just under 120,000 lines.		\| After reading through the changed log in the [https://launchpadlibrarian.net/62706613/eglibc_2.11.2-10.diff.gz diff file], I have found that the Debian fork consists almost entirely of bugfixes and translations, and the developers give their releases amusing names (@!%$&! you, I use Debian, Perl Sucks, Smash Everything with a _Huge Steamroller_!). The sheer quantity of the changes was quite significant, with the diff file itself coming in just under 120,000 lines. Libc provides the functionality for the C programming language defined in the ANSI C standard.
	\|-		\|-
	\| X.org		\| X.org
	\| The changes to xorg in 7.5+8 (over 7.5) were fairly small, consisting of small typo and bug fixes, removing obsolete dependencies and adding support for new architectures. This is available from the changelog within the [https://launchpad.net/debian/+archive/primary/+files/xorg_7.5%2B8.tar.gz source package].		\| The changes to xorg in 7.5+8 (over 7.5) were fairly small, consisting of small typo and bug fixes, removing obsolete dependencies and adding support for new architectures. This is available from the changelog within the [https://launchpad.net/debian/+archive/primary/+files/xorg_7.5%2B8.tar.gz source package]. Xorg provides the basis for GUIs.
	\|-		\|-
	\| GTK+		\| GTK+
	\| There were few changes to GTK+ 2.20.1-2 over 2.20.1, consisting entirely of bug fixes. Most of the fixes were not even made by the Debian team; they were cherry picked from an upstream source. This information is available from the [https://launchpad.net/debian/+archive/primary/+files/gtk%2B2.0_2.20.1-2.diff.gz diff file].		\| There were few changes to GTK+ 2.20.1-2 over 2.20.1, consisting entirely of bug fixes. Most of the fixes were not even made by the Debian team; they were cherry picked from an upstream source. This information is available from the [https://launchpad.net/debian/+archive/primary/+files/gtk%2B2.0_2.20.1-2.diff.gz diff file]. GTK+ is a toolkit that contains widgets used to make GUIs.
	\|-		\|-
	\| Qt 4		\| Qt 4
	\| The changes to Qt 4.6.3-4+squeeze1 over 4.6.3 are fairly minor. As reported in the changelog of the [https://launchpad.net/debian/+archive/primary/+files/qt4-x11_4.6.3-4%2Bsqueeze1.debian.tar.gz source], the fork is quite small and consists mostly of patches cherry picked from the upstream source and bug fixes, and includes a fairly major fix to decrease the failure rate of creating new processes in Qt.		\| The changes to Qt 4.6.3-4+squeeze1 over 4.6.3 are fairly minor. As reported in the changelog of the [https://launchpad.net/debian/+archive/primary/+files/qt4-x11_4.6.3-4%2Bsqueeze1.debian.tar.gz source], the fork is quite small and consists mostly of patches cherry picked from the upstream source and bug fixes, and includes a fairly major fix to decrease the failure rate of creating new processes in Qt. Similar to GTK+, Qt provides widgets for creating GUIs, as well as a framework for C++.
	\|-		\|-
	\| Bash		\| Bash
	\| Very few changes were made to Bash 4.1-3 compared to 4.1. According to the [https://launchpadlibrarian.net/43718282/bash_4.1-3.diff.gz diff file], it is composed entirely of incorporating five upstream patches, changes to the readme, small fixes of .bashrc and a crash fix.		\| Very few changes were made to Bash 4.1-3 compared to 4.1. According to the [https://launchpadlibrarian.net/43718282/bash_4.1-3.diff.gz diff file], it is composed entirely of incorporating five upstream patches, changes to the readme, small fixes of .bashrc and a crash fix. Bash is a Unix shell, which interprets and executes command-line arguments.
	\|-		\|-
	\| Dash		\| Dash

Drewmartin at 20:37, 5 December 2011

2011-12-05T20:37:55Z

Drewmartin: /* Background */

2011-12-05T20:27:42Z

Background

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:27, 5 December 2011
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	== Background ==		== Background ==
	The Linux distribution I chose is [http://crunchbanglinux.org/ CrunchBang] which is commonly referred to as '#!'. CrunchBang is "designed to offer a modern, full-featured GNU/Linux system without sacrificing performance."<ref name="About CrunchBang">About Crunchbang Linux. (2011, Feb. 18). Retrieved October 14, 2011 from http://crunchbanglinux.org/wiki/about</ref> CrunchBang boasts that it is faster than Debian, while still being compatible with all Debian packages. Another key feature is that it is highly configurable due to its usage of several highly-customizable components (Openbox window manager, Thunar file manager and Conky system monitor in particular are all mentioned on the about page)<ref name="About CrunchBang"/>.		The Linux distribution I chose is [http://crunchbanglinux.org/ CrunchBang] which is commonly referred to as '#!'. CrunchBang is "designed to offer a modern, full-featured GNU/Linux system without sacrificing performance."<ref name="About CrunchBang">About Crunchbang Linux. (2011, Feb. 18). Retrieved October 14, 2011 from http://crunchbanglinux.org/wiki/about</ref> GNU is a recursive definition which stands for "GNU is Not Unix." CrunchBang boasts that it is faster than Debian, while still being compatible with all Debian packages. Another key feature is that it is highly configurable due to its usage of several highly-customizable components (Openbox window manager, Thunar file manager and Conky system monitor in particular are all mentioned on the about page)<ref name="About CrunchBang"/>.

	From browsing the forums, it appears that CrunchBang appeals to users who like to customize their desktop appearance. Some of the most popular threads on the forums are those for screenshots of the users' desktops. In fact, they have monthly threads solely for this purpose, and the threads for [http://crunchbanglinux.org/forums/topic/14337/august-2011-screenshot-thread/ August 2011] and [http://crunchbanglinux.org/forums/topic/14874/september-2011-screenshot-thread/ September 2011] had over 1000 replies each. There is also a [http://crunchbang-linux.deviantart.com/gallery/ DeviantArt page] for users of CrunchBang to post their themes, screenshots, desktops and such.		From browsing the forums, it appears that CrunchBang appeals to users who like to customize their desktop appearance. Some of the most popular threads on the forums are those for screenshots of the users' desktops. In fact, they have monthly threads solely for this purpose, and the threads for [http://crunchbanglinux.org/forums/topic/14337/august-2011-screenshot-thread/ August 2011] and [http://crunchbanglinux.org/forums/topic/14874/september-2011-screenshot-thread/ September 2011] had over 1000 replies each. There is also a [http://crunchbang-linux.deviantart.com/gallery/ DeviantArt page] for users of CrunchBang to post their themes, screenshots, desktops and such.

Drewmartin at 18:36, 5 December 2011

2011-12-05T18:36:06Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:36, 5 December 2011
Line 55:		Line 55:

	[[File:Login.png\|thumb\|right\|A custom login screen]]		[[File:Login.png\|thumb\|right\|A custom login screen]]
	New themes for the window borders are basically a text file that contains colors and border sizes, similar to cascading style sheets in web pages, and images to be used as the icons on a window. The content of windows can by styled with GTK themes.		New themes for the window borders are basically a text file that contains colors and border sizes, similar to cascading style sheets in web pages, and images to be used as the icons on a window. The content of windows can by styled with GTK (GIMP Toolkit) themes.

	Other things, such as the login screen, Conky information and menus can all be configured. The learning curve for getting getting started with customization can be steep. The [http://openbox.org/wiki/Help:Themes Openbox theme guide] alone is over 5500 words. Since each of these custom elements use their own specification, changing all of them to one's liking would take a not insignificant amount of time to develop proficiency.		Other things, such as the login screen, Conky information and menus can all be configured. The learning curve for getting getting started with customization can be steep. The [http://openbox.org/wiki/Help:Themes Openbox theme guide] alone is over 5500 words. Since each of these custom elements use their own specification, changing all of them to one's liking would take a not insignificant amount of time to develop proficiency.

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:37, 5 December 2011
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	CrunchBang was created and continues to be developed by Philip Newborough<ref name="wiki">CrunchBang Linux. (2011, Sep. 26). Retrieved October 14, 2011 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CrunchBang_Linux</ref> who goes by the name "corenominal" on the [http://crunchbanglinux.org/forums/ CrunchBang forums] and on [http://corenominal.org/ his blog]. Philip does all of the development himself.		CrunchBang was created and continues to be developed by Philip Newborough<ref name="wiki">CrunchBang Linux. (2011, Sep. 26). Retrieved October 14, 2011 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CrunchBang_Linux</ref> who goes by the name "corenominal" on the [http://crunchbanglinux.org/forums/ CrunchBang forums] and on [http://corenominal.org/ his blog]. Philip does all of the development himself.

	The latest release of CrunchBang, called CrunchBang 10 "Statler" R20110207, is available in 32-bit and 64-bit versions with either the Openbox window manager or the Xfce4 desktop manager. They are available for download as torrents from the [http://crunchbanglinux.org/downloads/statler/20110207/ CrunchBang downloads page]. The installation CD images are between 640-690MB in size, while a fresh installation of 64-bit CrunchBang took about 1.7 GB of hard disk space.		The latest release of CrunchBang, called CrunchBang 10 "Statler" R20110207, is available in 32-bit and 64-bit versions with either the Openbox window manager or the Xfce4 desktop manager. They are available for download as torrents from the [http://crunchbanglinux.org/downloads/statler/20110207/ CrunchBang downloads page]. The installation CD (compact disc) images are between 640-690MB (Megabytes) in size, while a fresh installation of 64-bit CrunchBang took about 1.7 GB (Gigabytes) of hard disk space.

	CrunchBang is based on Debian GNU/Linux,<ref name="About CrunchBang"/> with the latest release being based on Debian 6.<ref>CrunchBang 10 “Statler” r20110207. (2011, Feb. 8). Retrieved October 14, 2011 from http://crunchbanglinux.org/blog/2011/02/08/crunchbang-10-statler-r20110207/</ref> Previous to this, CrunchBang was based off of Ubuntu releases, up to Ubuntu 9.04.01.<ref>Development release: CrunchBang 10 “Statler” Alpha 1. (2010, March 19). Retrieved October 14, 2011 from http://crunchbanglinux.org/blog/2010/03/19/development-release-crunchbang-10-statler-alpha-1/</ref>		CrunchBang is based on Debian GNU/Linux,<ref name="About CrunchBang"/> with the latest release being based on Debian 6.<ref>CrunchBang 10 “Statler” r20110207. (2011, Feb. 8). Retrieved October 14, 2011 from http://crunchbanglinux.org/blog/2011/02/08/crunchbang-10-statler-r20110207/</ref> Previous to this, CrunchBang was based off of Ubuntu releases, up to Ubuntu 9.04.01.<ref>Development release: CrunchBang 10 “Statler” Alpha 1. (2010, March 19). Retrieved October 14, 2011 from http://crunchbanglinux.org/blog/2010/03/19/development-release-crunchbang-10-statler-alpha-1/</ref>
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	However, this did not work. Even after installing the appropriate packages as instructed, running the VBoxLinuxAdditions.run script simply produced no output. Following the instructions found on their forums at http://crunchbanglinux.org/forums/post/129314/#p129314 solved the issue. The differences were to perform ''apt-get update'' and ''apt-get upgrade'', to install the <code>module-assistant</code> package, run ''m-a prepare'', and then run the installation script by doing ''sudo sh /media/cdrom/VBoxLinuxAdditions.run''. The same issue occurred in Debian, so it is not just a CrunchBang issue.		However, this did not work. Even after installing the appropriate packages as instructed, running the VBoxLinuxAdditions.run script simply produced no output. Following the instructions found on their forums at http://crunchbanglinux.org/forums/post/129314/#p129314 solved the issue. The differences were to perform ''apt-get update'' and ''apt-get upgrade'', to install the <code>module-assistant</code> package, run ''m-a prepare'', and then run the installation script by doing ''sudo sh /media/cdrom/VBoxLinuxAdditions.run''. The same issue occurred in Debian, so it is not just a CrunchBang issue.

	One feature I particularly liked was the startup script that it came with. Upon the first launch of a CrunchBang installation, a terminal is open running a script to automatically install a number of extra pieces of software, such as Java, OpenOffice, printer drivers, LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, ~~PHP~~), an optional upgrade to the Liquorix/Zen kernel, as well as performing software updates.		One feature I particularly liked was the startup script that it came with. Upon the first launch of a CrunchBang installation, a terminal is open running a script to automatically install a number of extra pieces of software, such as Java, OpenOffice, printer drivers, LAMP (which stands for "Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP," and combines several commonly-used web-server packages together), an optional upgrade to the Liquorix/Zen kernel, as well as performing software updates.

	== Basic Operation ==		== Basic Operation ==
	[[File:desktops.png\|thumb\|left\|Xfce4 desktop (left) compared to Openbox desktop (right)]]		[[File:desktops.png\|thumb\|left\|Xfce4 desktop (left) compared to Openbox desktop (right)]]
	Both versions, Openbox and xfce, have a minimalist look and feel, showing simply a black background with the CrunchBang logo in the center and a dark task bar on the bottom. Notably, system information is displayed on the right side of the desktop, containing such things as the RAM usage and total RAM, swap usage, disk usage and CPU usage, as well as a list of common shortcut keys.		Both versions, Openbox and xfce, have a minimalist look and feel, showing simply a black background with the CrunchBang logo in the center and a dark task bar on the bottom. Notably, system information is displayed on the right side of the desktop, containing such things as the RAM (random access memory) usage and total RAM, swap usage, disk usage and CPU usage, as well as a list of common shortcut keys.

	[[File:menus.png\|thumb\|right\|Openbox menu (left), xfce left side menu (center), xfce menu (right)]]		[[File:menus.png\|thumb\|right\|Openbox menu (left), xfce left side menu (center), xfce menu (right)]]
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	[[File:New_menu.png\|thumb\|right\|Added a new sub-menu (Programming) with one item (Eclipse)]]		[[File:New_menu.png\|thumb\|right\|Added a new sub-menu (Programming) with one item (Eclipse)]]
	[[File:Theme.png\|thumb\|left\|A custom desktop theme]]		[[File:Theme.png\|thumb\|left\|A custom desktop theme]]
	CrunchBang boasts that it is highly configurable, so I took a look at some of the things that can be customized. The menu does not automatically add programs when they are installed but items can be added to it by editing an xml file or from a GUI utility. Using the ~~graphical user interface (~~GUI) utility, obconf, it was easy to add new items to the menu. One neat thing it could do is have scripts run from the menu, for example to list all the files that had recently been opened.		CrunchBang boasts that it is highly configurable, so I took a look at some of the things that can be customized. The menu does not automatically add programs when they are installed but items can be added to it by editing an xml file or from a graphical user interface (GUI) utility. Using the GUI utility, obconf, it was easy to add new items to the menu. One neat thing it could do is have scripts run from the menu, for example to list all the files that had recently been opened.

	[[File:Login.png\|thumb\|right\|A custom login screen]]		[[File:Login.png\|thumb\|right\|A custom login screen]]
	New themes for the window borders are basically a text file that contains colors and border sizes, similar to cascading style sheets in web pages, and images to be used as the icons on a window. The content of windows can by styled with GTK (GIMP Toolkit~~) themes~~.		New themes for the window borders are basically a text file that contains colors and border sizes, similar to cascading style sheets in web pages, and images to be used as the icons on a window. The content of windows can by styled with GTK themes. GTK stands for GIMP Toolkit, and GIMP stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program.

	Other things, such as the login screen, Conky information and menus can all be configured. The learning curve for getting getting started with customization can be steep. The [http://openbox.org/wiki/Help:Themes Openbox theme guide] alone is over 5500 words. Since each of these custom elements use their own specification, changing all of them to one's liking would take a not insignificant amount of time to develop proficiency.		Other things, such as the login screen, Conky information and menus can all be configured. The learning curve for getting getting started with customization can be steep. The [http://openbox.org/wiki/Help:Themes Openbox theme guide] alone is over 5500 words. Since each of these custom elements use their own specification, changing all of them to one's liking would take a not insignificant amount of time to develop proficiency.

	== Usage Evaluation ==		== Usage Evaluation ==
	CrunchBang does feel more responsive than Debian while running in VirtualBox. Starting programs feels like it takes less time, and the boot process is certainly faster. Out of the box, it has fewer running processes than Debian and the lower memory usage reflects that. Running Conky, causing the desktop to display constantly-updating system information does cause it to use slightly more CPU than Debian. I am not sure why Debian managed to compile the Linux kernel faster than CrunchBang did.		CrunchBang does feel more responsive than Debian while running in VirtualBox. Starting programs feels like it takes less time, and the boot process is certainly faster. Out of the box, it has fewer running processes than Debian and the lower memory usage reflects that. Running Conky, causing the desktop to display constantly-updating system information does cause it to use slightly more CPU (central processing unit) than Debian. I am not sure why Debian managed to compile the Linux kernel faster than CrunchBang did.

	[[File:Insult.png\|thumb\|right\|Statler periodically pops up on the desktop and insults the user]]		[[File:Insult.png\|thumb\|right\|Statler periodically pops up on the desktop and insults the user]]
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	CrunchBang comes installed with several packages that contribute to the goal of a customizable distribution, such as various Openbox and GTK+ sciprts, CruncBang wallpapers, Conky (which is not even Debian's package list), Thunar (along with a modified package that adds context-menu items for Dropbox to Thunar), and a modified Dropbox binary for use with CrunchBang.		CrunchBang comes installed with several packages that contribute to the goal of a customizable distribution, such as various Openbox and GTK+ sciprts, CruncBang wallpapers, Conky (which is not even Debian's package list), Thunar (along with a modified package that adds context-menu items for Dropbox to Thunar), and a modified Dropbox binary for use with CrunchBang.

	I checked if the package list contained developer software that I had used in the past, and it had Git (already installed), Eclipse, Mercurial, Python, Qt libraries and Qt creator, Boost libraries and Java in many flavors (J2EE, OpenJDK, etc.~~) and~~ many libraries and services used with Java (Glassfish, Spring, JBoss). Some of these were not the most recent versions. For example, the version of Eclipse listed was 3.5.2 whereas the latest release is at 3.7.1, and for the Java JDK only J2EE 6u26 was listed which is three updates behind, as well as Java 7 having been released.		I checked if the package list contained developer software that I had used in the past, and it had Git (already installed), Eclipse, Mercurial, Python, Qt libraries and Qt creator, Boost libraries and Java in many flavors: Java Standard Edition (J2SE) Development Kit (JDK), Java Enterprise Edition (J2EE), OpenJDK, etc. It also contained many libraries and services used with Java (Glassfish, Spring, JBoss). Some of these were not the most recent versions. For example, the version of Eclipse listed was 3.5.2 whereas the latest release is at 3.7.1, and for the Java JDK only J2EE 6u26 was listed which is three updates behind, as well as Java 7 having been released.

	== Major Package Versions ==		== Major Package Versions ==