void-minecraft-usb/notes_to_self.txt

TODO:
compare sizes of glibc and musl installations
try running multiple MC versions on musl (incl ThatModPack)
need xdg menu maker?
check if there are problems with GRUB’s --disk-module=native on real USB drives on real hardware
test that the (RAM) boot option allows you to install to the stick the system booted off
adjust required USB stick and RAM size in README
test kernel hooks and grub-config with all sorts of weird kernel/initramfs setups
  - all names
  - various compressions
do not rely on the RTC
  - change the message when configuring UTC/localtime to reflect that this is only for offline usage
  - use ntp to get time
    - only fall back to using rtc if offline
  - do not set the RTC
move /boot to /run/void-usb/container instead of its own partition
look into UEFI specs and general availability of FAT16 support
  - if possible, shrink ESP and move GRUB to /run/void-usb/container
add manufacturer where users select the target device
show user-firently status instead of scrolling output from all sorts of tools

musl downsides:
  - no nvidia drivers
  - may be janky in regards to running some Minecraft versions
musl upsides:
  - ??


ideas:
use shell script for init, call real init via exec
system lives on squashfs
  -> overlayfs with tmpfs set up at boot
  -> new system image generated and written back on shutdown
    -> user-selectable ("Do you want to save changes to the system? This will take some time.")
    -> fstrim (if applicable)
swap on zram
f2fs for home

boot setup + dracut configuration
  - root=/dev/loop0 ro
  - custom dracut module
    - pre-mount script
      - mount /run/void-usb/container by UUID (passed from a kernel command line parameter)
      - losetup the squashfs img
    - pre-pivot script?
      - do we need one to move over the /run/void-usb/container mount to real root?
  - overlayfs gets mounted from fstab

when backing up
- do not cross file system boundaries
- exclude /tmp, package cache, logs
- possibly only save the changes in separate squashfs images
  - either until it takes up too much space or until a certain number of images exist
  - consolidate when the user requests it or when exceeding the limit

Steps to install:
  - make our own or extract (if feasible) kb selection and time zone selection to hijack them for our purposes
  - select kb layout
  - install base system
    -> select installation type (x86_32/x86_64/aarch64, glibc/musl)
      -> if musl, add that bit to repo url
    -> configure overlayfs setup
      -> startup script
      -> shutdown squashfs updater
        -> rc.shutdown?
    -> configure time zone
      -> selection dialog?
      -> symlink /etc/localtime
    -> set up an initramfs to mount the squashfs/overlayfs at boot time
    -> prepare 2nd stage installation
      -> auto login root and put script in .bashrc
        -> better method?
    -> build squashfs
  - prompt user to reboot to finish installation
  - second stage installation
    -> configure services
      -> dbus
      -> NetworkManager
      -> acpid
    -> ask user to connect to network using nmtui
    -> install packages
      -> setxkbmap xauth xorg-video-drivers mesa mesa-dri xorg-server elogind xorg-input-drivers xrandr acpilight xhost xinit xrdb xinput xgamma xset iceauth sessreg transset xcmsdb xkbutils xmodmap dejavu-fonts-ttf
      -> terminal?
      -> browser?
      -> prism launcher
      -> java (multiple versions?)
      -> pipewire (pulsemixer?)
      -> ask about nvidia driver
        -> install if needed
        -> find out when and where to set `nvidia-drm.modeset=1`
      -> ask whether to use CTWM or IceWM
        -> short description of up and downsides
        -> if CTWM, also install
          -> xclock
        -> if IceWM, also install
          -> network-manager-applet
          -> sound applet
        -> configure zram swap
    -> passwd -l root
    -> populate /etc/skel
      -> ultimate bashrc bc why not
      -> first run message in xinitrc
        -> auto-deletes itself
        -> displays README.txt on root dir of the F2FS partition
      -> if using CTWM
        -> put xclock in xinitrc
        -> configure more sane defaults
      -> prepend bashrc with a thing that checks of xorg is running
        -> if not, run startx and ask user whether to shut down, reboot, or do nothing afterwards
    -> set up user
      -> ask for username
      -> run useradd (non-interactively)
      -> run passwd (interactively)
      -> add to groups
        -> including sudo group
    -> build new squashfs image and reboot