[Splashy-users] [splashy] WORKS: 0.3.10+git20080510-1 with patched /etc/init.d/keymap.sh and /etc/splashy/config.xml

Sun May 11 17:31:05 UTC 2008

Hi Luis (Maestro Debiano), Hi John,

this is a report, some remarks about splashy [1] and a wishlist.
This mini-HOWTO should help not to invent the wheel once more.

After having spent half a day with...
* collecting information from the WIKI [2] and splashy-devel mail archives [3]
* testing/verifying bugs [4]
* and having finally success ;-)

Today, splashy works fine with Sidux/i386 based on Debian/sid.

Yesterday, I built splashy from the git-repository [5a].
[5b] gives detailed instructions for a build.
I adapted the missing debian-dir from the splashy-0.3.8-1 Debian package.
My unreleased Debian package is carrying version 0.3.10+git20080510-1.

After several tests I rely on the debianblue theme which will be in
the upcoming splashy-theme v0.4.1 [6].

The frustrating problem was the F2-disaster and (consequently?) a
non-animated progress-bar [7].
NO, it was a standstill!
By pressing any key splashy was reanimated.

In the end I eliminated two effects:
   Patch #1: /etc/init.d/keymap.sh   <--- standstill
   Patch #2: /etc/splashy/config.xml <--- progress-bar

[P1] PATCHING /etc/init.d/keymap.sh

OK, I overread the section "Sorting out bugs" in the WIKI.
There, it is explained that init-scripts using unicode_start_stop()
function causes problems with splashy.

After patching /etc/init.d/keymap.sh splashy worked nearly perfect.
Niko Cavallini Araya [8] is reporting the additional need of patching
console-screen.sh.
Please, check this for your system.

A more elegant way to find involved init-scripts is:

   root# find /etc/init.d/ -type f | xargs grep unicode_start_stop

Here is my patch (with some typo fixes):

----- SNIP -----

diff -Naur /etc/init.d/keymap.sh.orig /etc/init.d/keymap.sh

--- /etc/init.d/keymap.sh.orig  2008-05-11 09:51:10.000000000 +0200
+++ /etc/init.d/keymap.sh       2008-05-11 17:37:08.000000000 +0200
@@ -52,6 +52,8 @@

 unicode_start_stop()
 {
+       # Check if splashy is running and skip this, splashy will
start again later.
+       pidof splashy > /dev/null && return
        # Switch unicode mode by checking the locale.
        # This will be needed before loading the keymap.
        [ -x /usr/bin/unicode_start ] || [ -x /bin/unicode_start ] ||  return

----- SNAP -----

How to apply this patch?
   root# cd / && cat /path/to/patch/keymap.sh.diff | patch -p0

[P2] ADDING SPLASHY-FIFO IN INITRAMFS: /etc/splashy/config.xml

With the tips from the WIKI - and confirmed in [9] - I enjoyed an
animated progress-bar.
Thus, I added "<fifo>/dev/.initramfs/splashy.fifo</fifo>" to my
splashy config.xml file.
With debianblue-theme my file looks like this:

[/etc/splashy/config.xml]

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!-- Automatically generated by splashy_config. Do not edit -->
<splashy>
    <!-- themes directory: conventional path /etc/splashy/themes -->
    <themes>/etc/splashy/themes</themes>
    <!-- current theme could be relative the themes defined above or
full path -->
    <current_theme>debblue</current_theme>
    <!-- full path to theme to fall back in case of problems. DO NOT CHANGE -->
    <default_theme>/etc/splashy/themes/default</default_theme>
    <fifo>/dev/.initramfs/splashy.fifo</fifo>
    <pid>/etc/splashy/splashy.pid</pid>
</splashy>

WISH-LIST

W1: AUTOVERBOSE BOOT-PROMPT-PARAMETER
What about an "autoverbose=on" as a boot-prompt option (not-only in
case of errors!)?

[splashy-0.3.10+git20080510/doc/splashy_config.pod] says:
[...]
=item B<--autoverbose> yes|no

Set if Splashy turn into verbose mode when an error appears at boot
[...]

A fictive /boot/grub/menu.lst?
...
kernel  /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.25-3.slh.1-sidux-686 root=UUID=${myDiskUID}
ro quiet splash autoverbose=on vga=791
...

W2: PATCHING DANGEROUS INIT-SCRIPTS
Patching "dangerous" init-scripts should be integrated in the final
release of splashy-0.3.10.
E.g. debian/splashy.postinst would be the right place, at least a
warning after package installation.

If you want a GUI-based splashy-config-tool I can recommend QSplashy.
Fathi offered his help as mentor... a Debian package is in pipe ;-).

At the end, I want to thank the splashy-devel team and the huge
efforts of John Hughes.
Without John's deep investigations I had angered a lot of more.
I hope this document saves you(r) TIME an let's you smile again.


Have-a-good-tea (instead of Cheers),
Sedat


WEB-LINKS:
----------

[1]  http://packages.debian.org/splashy
[2]  http://splashy.alioth.debian.org/wiki
[3]  http://lists.alioth.debian.org/pipermail/splashy-devel/
[4]  http://bugs.debian.org/splashy
[5a] http://git.debian.org/git/splashy/splashy.git
[5b] http://splashy.alioth.debian.org/wiki/installation
[6]  http://git.debian.org/git/splashy/debian/splashy-themes.git
[7]  http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=462626
[8]  http://lists.alioth.debian.org/pipermail/splashy-devel/2008-May/001115.html
[9]  http://lists.alioth.debian.org/pipermail/splashy-users/2006-April/000158.html
[10] http://fboudra.free.fr/wordpress/?p=7
     http://splashy.alioth.debian.org/wiki/qsplashy
     http://git.debian.org/git/splashy/qsplashy.git

