Having written this guide for building AmiKit for a dedicated Debian 12 bookworm OS here:
https://forum.amiga.sk/index.php?action=vthread&forum=3&topic=2277I decided to take the whole process to the next level and build a universal installer for AmiKit that would work on multiple Debian (not arch) based versions of Linux that are already active (i.e. already installed) without the need for «PlayOnLinux» and «Wine» by using a different layer called Amiberry. With a huge nod of respect to MiDWaN I had a copy of Amiberry 6.2.0 which can use JIT in Linux on x86 based systems I started on my project. I am very much a novice at creating installers, so this is what I found:
The first issue with writing a Linux installer is having a folder/directory that can have permissions by the general «user». There are many ways if you know the «user» name, and others that can use simple relative assumptions by the use of the ~ (tilde sign) or «$HOME» option. However some desktop icon files will not let you use these by default. As an example the amikit.desktop file (located in the user desktop folder) will not allow links to «~» or some «$HOME» options. However it is possible to create a root folder named «amikit» with user permissions.
This was my easiest option, so I built an installer that would create a root folder named amikit and placed all the necessary files inside it, with permissions granted to the user (a simple «sudo chown $USER:$USER /amikit» command). I could then build desktop programs that would direct to files either inside /amikit/ or /usr/bin/.
Once I had this idea, everything started to come together. I could build Amiberry within the /amikit folder then add all the other files/folders I needed to the same location. I built a desktop icon that linked to a /usr/bin/ program that would launch Amiberry. Once I tested it, I revised the default.uae file for Amiberry to point to the correct folders and sure enough it worked. I added extras to the installer to add dependancies like libraries etc. and I soon had a workable version. I tested it in Linux Mint, Debian 11 and Ubuntu all with success.
So I now had an installer for AmiKit that could work with at least a few versions of Debian Linux, or so I thought...
Within the installer I had already added lines that would install all the basic programs needed for Amiberry and I also added the ones needed for AmiKit's RabbitHole functions. However, different versions of Linux used different versions of some libraries and different «terminals» to make use of the programs. How on earth can I simplify this area of AmiKit? Do I just need to install all library variations in the installer and possibly get a problem when the repository fails? Should I install a known terminal program and just use that with RabbitHole (would it cause other issues?)?
If anyone is inclined to help out, I can upload the basic installer I have built so far (you will need to add your own AmiKit and Amiga files, but my RabbitHole programs are there). My Linux knowledge is good but I feel that this may take some help to work out further.
Feel free to offer advice here or in Discord.
P.S. My installer is based on the Raspberry Pi version of AmiKit.
wiisoldier (April 2024)
