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dance_laptop [2014/07/15 21:47] 127.0.0.1 external edit |
dance_laptop [2016/06/24 14:48] (current) nashjc [DanceBox live-USB] |
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In the OECDC we have tried 4 systems, but two are very similar and will be lumped together. | In the OECDC we have tried 4 systems, but two are very similar and will be lumped together. | ||
- | * Asus Eee PCs: We have tried the model 701 and model 900. These are very small, light PCs, weighing less than a kilogram. The 701 has a 7" screen, while the 900 has a 9" screen. Both run Xandros Linux (there are other choices, but I did not try them). | + | * Asus Eee PCs: We have tried the model 701 and model 900. These are very small, light PCs, weighing less than a kilogram. The 701 has a 7" screen, while the 900 has a 9" screen. Both initially ran Xandros Linux, but since have used CrunchBang Linux and Lubuntu. |
- | * An old HP ze4540ca laptop (256MB RAM, 40GB hard drive, no wireless networking, DVD ROM/CDRW combo drive). This machine was purchased in Dec. 2003 and is old enough that I felt comfortable letting it be lugged around to the dances. It is quite heavy ( | + | * An old HP ze4540ca laptop (256MB RAM, 40GB hard drive, no wireless networking, DVD ROM/CDRW combo drive). This machine was purchased in Dec. 2003 and was old enough that I felt comfortable letting it be lugged around to the dances. It was quite heavy. Eventually, components failed and it was decommissioned. |
- | * As at 2009-12-14, we have acquired a new Acer 5534 laptop. The link below tells how the software was set up. | + | * As at 2009-12-14, we acquired a Acer 5534 laptop. The link below tells how the software was set up. |
All laptops are general-purpose machines. That is their strength and downfall. I have tried to configure a system with minimal controls. | All laptops are general-purpose machines. That is their strength and downfall. I have tried to configure a system with minimal controls. | ||
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We also want to be able to easily update the content from the macnash playford site to the laptops. That is, we want to be able to play new tunes! | We also want to be able to easily update the content from the macnash playford site to the laptops. That is, we want to be able to play new tunes! | ||
- | See [[EZDownload | Easy_download]] Unfortunately, not fully working yet, but close. (091214) | + | ===== DanceBox live-USB ===== |
+ | Linux, being open source, is happy to allow copying of the operating system software. This allows what | ||
+ | is called a live-CD or live-USB. This is a storage medium that can be "booted" on a computer and runs | ||
+ | in memory without touching the main drive. John Nash has created two versions of this, one in 2012 and | ||
+ | one in 2016. The 2012 version performed well, but lacked drivers for a new laptop acquired by George | ||
+ | Cherepon of the Ogdensburg group. Building a live-USB is not terribly difficult, but does require | ||
+ | a great deal of attention to detail and a lot of tedious busy-work. A draft report on how the 2016 | ||
+ | live-USB and its design considerations is {{:wiki:dmasterusb.pdf| dmasterusb.pdf}}. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The bootable ISO file is located on this server at [[http://ottawaenglishdance.org/main/live-image/DMaster.iso | http://ottawaenglishdance.org/main/live-image/DMaster.iso]] | ||
+ | |||
+ | To use the live-USB, download the ISO file. It can actually be "burned" to a DVD (the file is just | ||
+ | a little too large for a CD), then "booted" on a machine with a drive attached (even an external | ||
+ | one). Typically you need to hit F12 or some other key right after switching on to be able to select | ||
+ | the CD/DVD drive as the source. | ||
+ | |||
+ | To put the system on a USB, I have used Unetbootin software, but there are a number of others. All | ||
+ | have their fans and detractors. I was able to load the USB (formatted FAT32), then use gparted to | ||
+ | shrink the DanceBox partition (I labelled it when formatting) to about 1 GB. Then I created a second | ||
+ | partition (also FAT32) called DMusic and copied dance instructions (plain .txt) and music (.mp3) in | ||
+ | that partition. I did not copy music into the DanceBox partition where there is just 1 sample | ||
+ | text and 1 sample music file. | ||
+ | |||
+ | All this is relatively straightforward for someone used to formatting and managing disks and storage | ||
+ | devices. However, I fully expect to hear from others by email (nashjc _at_ uottawa.ca). --- //[[nashjc]] 2016/06/24 14:43// |