New Linux Distribution

[eangulus]

Hi everyone.

Firstly, I am not sure where I could have put this so I placed it here. If it needs to be moved then can an admin please move it and let me know.

Now to the topic at hand.

I am after a couple of people that are proficient in building and customizing a Linux Distro. I can't pay anyone, and I don't plan on selling it, I plan on giving this distro away as with most distros.

Heres my idea.

Recently I have started building a Digital Photo Frame using an old laptop.
In my quest for what to run on it I found that the easiest was Windows XP with a shared folder I can upload phots too. BUt even with that it was hard to find a good screen saver to do the job.

I have also been thinking about the fact that I could have other info on the display too. Like a netowrk broadcast of Caller ID that could be overlaid on the pictures. Maybe an RSS feed ticker at the bottom or even weather information.

Anyway while thinking of all this I thought that maybe we could build a linux distro specially for the job. Build a distro suited to older equipment including support for wireless cards, has a wizard for setup options, like choosing if you want to read pictures from a network share or share a local folder so you can upload too it.

other features could be built in remote control, a full lockdown of firewall allowing on neccasary ports open, and an image veiwer of course that can support plugins for transition effects, photo effects (Black and white, Sepia, watercolor etc), and plugins for other utilities like the RSS feed reader I suggested and more.

There are plenty of people out there with old laptops that could be made into DPF (Digital Photo Frames), and ho cool and easy would it be if you can just install one linux distro answer a few questions, download some plugins and your all setup. Maybe even the option to run a live CD too.

I also thought of calling it Linux Photo Frame or DPF Linux.

Anyone with ideas or better still, time and the knowledge to help get this idea running would be greatly appreciated, I am able to use linux a little but I have never done a distro rebuild or anything on that skill level. This just be my chance to learn while in the presence of an expert.

Thanks for your time.

Regards,

Shaun Williams

[budman7]

Moved to Coffee lounge.

[carlosponti]

there are plenty of references to how to use debian and acouple of scripts to create a digital picture frame from linux.

[eangulus]

Theres plenty of references for setting up LAMP under Ubuntu, but that didn't stop them form makingUbuntu Server with it already done.

What you said is not the point. I just think it would be a great type of distro especially for newbies to have something that they can easily install and use without have to spend hours on the net researching and trolling forums looking for answers.

[Lordshooter]

Yes: These ideas sound good and make much sense to me.

I will follow this project.

To be able to use old laptops, or old computer, without having too much troubles: I find the idea quite fascinating.

When old computers, and old hardware, does not have to compete with new computers and hardware, and do not have to get to bee updated, in a way, that they can cope with the latest ones: This is a attractive idea.

It is not quite clear, how big the importance is, for this field within computing.
But it looks very promising.

It is mostly about being able to imagine about the potential, of such ideas, and about being able to also read between the lines of your posts, for a even better understanding.

You just got to see some projects, when they start taking shape, as it might be a bit difficult to follow your vision, at first.

Everyone, who has a good imagination, and a good visual memory and sense, has a big advantage, for working with computers. You need that as well, to get to understand some new ideas and roughly prescribed pojects.

The Linux world is yours.


Alexander

[carlosponti]

big difference between ubuntu server and a specialized distro for only one purpose. if someone decided ubuntu and lamp setup wasnt good enough then created a ubuntu lamp edition. yeash. here is a project count the number of existing distros bet its never been done before.

[eangulus]

So what your saying then is that my proposal has already been done.

Let me know and I'll use it.

Basically all I am saying is that a distro that is pre setup for the purpose of a Digital Photo Frame, WIth all unecasary things taken out and all the necasary stuff already installed.