LinuxVillage is proud to present our very own distribution.
VillageBox is now available for download.
ISO – Village_RC-2_TEST_xz.iso 415 MB
Village_RC-2_TEST_xz.iso.md5 59kb
Note 2015: project stopped
VillageBox is part of a community – The LinuxVillage forum.
This is where you will find help regarding VillageBox. But it’s
much more than that. You are welcome at any time for any
question or topic related to Linux, or simply to hang out,
chat and make friends.
VillageBox is a lightweight but fully functional operating system based on Debian
and currently uses the Testing repositories. It will become Stable once
Debian Wheezy is officially released, and there will also be a
Testing version of VillageBox available for those who wish to
stay even more up-to-date.
VillageBox uses Openbox as the window manager, with Tint2 as the panel but
without icons. There is no desktop manager involved, and therefore
no “desktop” as such. The Openbox Applications menu updates
automatically when software is installed.
VillageBox has Remastersys installed, which allows you to make an installable
copy of your system. This can be used as a backup, to
distribute to friends, or as a base for your own creation.
VillageBox is 32-bit and runs the 3.2.0-4-686-pae kernel, which allows the computer to see more than 4GB of RAM.
VillageBox runs the following main software:
- Openbox – window manager
- Openbox-menu – updates the applications menu on the fly
- Obconf – configure Openbox
- Tint2 – panel
- Lightdm – display manager
- Thunar – file manager
- Midori – web browser
- WICD – network manager
- Gigolo – local network
- Geany – text editor
- ePDFViewer – PDF viewer
- Catfish – file search
- Geeqie – image viewer
- Sakura – terminal
- Gparted – partitions
- Remastersys – remastering software
- Xarchiver – archiving
- Xfburn – CD/DVD software
- Synaptic – package management
- Conky – lightweight system monitor
- LXappearance – customize appearance
- CUPS – printing
- Keeptalking – language and regional settings
- Xcompmgr – “desktop” effects
- Gigolo
VillageBox allows setting language and locale preferences. Feh controls the wallpaper as a plugin for Thunar – right-click on an image and set it as wallpaper.
Launch Gigolo from the system tray and it uses Thunar to display network shares – double-click in Gigolo to open in Thunar. Remastersys now offers a “Boot to RAM” option in the live cd/usb.
The wallpaper and login to the Desktop Manager have their own look and feel. Desktop keyboard shortcuts are listed in the context menu.
Screenshots are enabled by scrot via the context menu or by pressing “PrintScreen”. CUPS printing is available via the browser thanks to its own command under “Applications – System Tools – Printer”.
Sudo is NOT enabled. Gparted’s file recognition has now been extended.
VillageBox was designed as a minimal but fully functional base for people to build their own spinoff.
If you want to add LXDE or another desktop manager; change browser, file manager or panel; configure a multimedia or diagnostic spinoff; port it to another language; add things like
ZRAM and sudo: this is the raw canvas that will allow you to build what you want.
Or you can use it as is!
Screenshots
A note on the install procedure with Remastersys Live Installer and VillageBox.
When you initially boot the live cd/usb, you have the option to load from the media or load to RAM. Loading to RAM means the system runs much faster, and you can also eject the media you booted from. In either case, there can be a wait of up to half a minute while the system loads. It will look like nothing is happening, but be patient – it simply depends on the speed of your machine.
The system will take you straight to the desktop – remember there is no root account – no password is required to activate the installer. As there are no icons on this remaster, you need to activate the context menu and go to Applications-System Tools. Once there, click “Live Installer”.
The installer is fairly straightforward. It will ask if you wish to continue, what keyboard and locale settings to use, what partition to use, and then it will open gparted.
Go ahead and adjust your partitions accordingly – if no action is needed, simply quit gparted. You will then be asked which partition root will go on, what file system you want, where to place /home, and then the password/user details.
VillageBox does not run sudo, so you will have a root account to configure. Just be aware that if you are used to “keying” down a list, press “tab” not “return” when filling in the user details – “return” will take you to the end of the list and give you an error message.
After setting the user details, you will then be asked where you want to install the bootloader and to set the timezone. At this point, you will receive the location where the install will take place and be asked if you wish to continue. If all looks good, click yes.
The install doesn’t take very long on hardware – however, be patient if you are loading in VBox. When installing grub, a terminal will pop up with scary error messages regarding the process. Just close your eyes!
A minute or two later, when you open them again, they will be gone and you will have a dialog box telling you a new system is installed and asking if you wish to reboot. If you click “yes”, the system will eject the cd/usb and reboot.
The whole process, from boot to reboot, shouldn’t take more than ten to fifteen minutes. You can also do a full install to a USB device, giving you your own portable computer that fits in your pocket!
Everything will go well and the lightDM login screen will appear – simply log in with your username and start playing! Remember you can use Remastersys to create your own build. Simply go to Application-System Tools-Remastersys Backup and you too can create your own spinoff as a backup, to give to friends, or create your own mini distribution. And after all that, don’t forget to drop by the Forum and let us know how it all went.
Changelog 26 Jan 2013
- Fixed network mount issue that could cause Thunar to hang on boot. Thunar and gigolo still work well together. Simply click the network share and it will mount and stay mounted for the session.
- Installed numlockx to allow numlock to activate on boot.
- Default is OFF due to some laptop incompatibilities. Edit autostart to enable.
- Modified Remastersys to allow a “Boot to RAM” option in the live cd/usb device.
- Removed Azenis icon theme and installed MeliaeSVG. Retained Tango as 1 the root icon theme, and it fills in the gaps left by MelaieSVG.
- A few cosmetic changes made to Tint2.
01 Feb 2013
Parted now recognizes the following file systems: btrfs; ext2, 3, 4; fat16, 32; hfs, hfs+; jfs; linux-swap; nilfs2; ntfs; reiser4; reiserfs; xfs.
