FYI,

As we speak I'm preparing a clean squeeze image with scratchbox (following basically http://wiki.maemo.org/Building_a_Vir...mo_development).

Once ready and tested (I'll do a hello world), I'll post a download link.

In principle I could then extend it by installing X and Qt-SDK but I'll make that as a separate image.

Cheers.

Add. It's uploading to my VPS. Unfortunately my upload is like 120kB/s and the compressed vmdk image is 2GB. In 2 hours it will be there and then I'll post instructions. Should have used QEMU directly on the VPS (without KVM of course), but Virtualbox makes it easier to "prototype". Whatever.

Fabulous.
The qtsdk was small and a breeze.
I think that is the right approach reinob a clean ready sdk...
for the vault and to test in this method.
and then another (for starters) with Qtsdk...
and all things considered ...if it takes well...
I say ...make a last one and just pack it to the gills...
I'm not sure just how much such a process can take...
I may have to alter my methods of approach to the solution along the way...
ie:
-I may have to dump the idea I can get "all" the device line environments on a single live distributable...and do them separately.

- I may have to dump the idea of it being a "live" distributable in favour of simply a distributable iso...due to the size everything will need.
-Possibly instead I'll have to clone the ready-to-go os's and then toss them up onto demonoid ...I got a running account with them..It'd be available 20 min. after upload...since I am anticipating a very hefty size.


I've messed around with a lot of different stuff ..
some of it coming close to what I'm doing now...
and I'm pretty quick...
For example...The "live distro" with (quite minimal installed space requirements) qtsdk worked out well.
But this ...the sheer size of the host distro after the standard sdk environment is set up...and getting that to work for a live...let alone distributable...is "Undiscovered Country" now...for me ...
and so ...until I am face to face with what I have to work with...
It's all up in the air how it will turn out...
Only thing I am certain of is...
that it will turn out..
just not sure what the Camelopardalis will finally look like.

Install debian and scratchbox. If you really cant find the image, I have some copies laying around, and the CD with the sources etc as well.

Please do let me know if anything is missing, because I am sure I will be able to provide you with it if I can upload it here somewhere.

Perhaps its already here?

Reinob.
just bending the topic-direction a little...
Back to LXC.
I've done some cursory reading on LXC ..
I am completely unfamiliar with it.
What I read I like...
I think it may be the very thing to bring down a chunk of the massive overhead which will be encountered doing things the way I am.

After working away at the method I know...let's see how it turns out...

I think possibly tackling it... via your astute and timely mentioned LXC and integrating it into the process (instead of using virtualbox and adding yet more (Now that I know about LXC...) unnecessary weight in the form of the size and weight of the "guest" os which has the sdk on it..) may just be a very very very good idea.

From what I garner from reading on LXC....it is optimally set for ubuntu latest...so saying ...for as pain free a method of set up as possible.... it is a perfect candidate for Lubuntu (although I do see 'buntu as a easy ...candy distro...and it doesn't quite work with my idea of a "make-it-once-and-forget-about-it-for-the-rest-of-eternity" rolling release intent...I HATE maintaining...or "redo-ing" crap...and it WILL have to happen at the end of the support cycle for Lubuntu...and so it is the same old same old problem all over again in a few years. ).
oooh yeah..
I forgot ...
KKKKKKKand-ay
just wait a sec.
I think the brownies in my pink plastic Easy-Bake oven are finally done...
-"ding"-

Brownies are done everybody!
(well...done for everybody wanting to develop on a live pen-drive distro with qtsdk preinstalled...and for only the n900...that is...)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5q...ew?usp=sharing

It is cute...
But frankly this particular Lubuntu-live-distributable is the bottom of the list of my "enjoyable" distros I am doing this with...and it only has qtsdk on it... and my expectation is more developmental options.

Don't forget when burning this onto a usb or dvd give yourself plenty of persistent overhead so you can play, change and keep stuff.

edit: I've deleted the above downloadable...
I suggest a better here-
http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=95567

The advantage of a real VM (qemu or virtualbox) is IMHO that isolation is bigger (you can really move the VMs around if/as needed), and you get the networking for free (as long as you use NAT which is perfectly fine for this use-case).

With lxc (and docker) the main disadvantage I see is the networking, as you need (yourself) to set-up a bridge interface. This is easy, but each distro does it differently (ifupdown, systemd-networkd, network manager, whatever).

And this is only about plain-old scratchbox sdk. Meaning it doesn't even need a graphical interface. You can run it with qemu in the background and ssh into it whenever you feel like doing something.

If/when QtSDK is added to this then you need X, and AFAIK running X on LXC (or docker) is not a trivial thing.

Anyway, with the clean image (now in a vmdk container) I can extract this and make a rootfs suitable for LXC, docker, or even for unpacking onto real hardware. Of course you still need a kernel (and possibly an initramfs), but that's not an issue.

Anyway, I'd be happy if (in a few hours) some of you can download the Virtualbox image I'm uploading. Virtualbox can easily do snapshots, so make sure you use them.

excellent.
Hm...
LXC is weirdly intriguing ...
Kinda like a real pretty colourful hypnotizing venomous snake..
awful pretty ...but ...
yeah it looks like it has it's share of advantages and disadvantages...
I need to study it more ...
at this point ...
right at this moment ...
trying to understand it's ins and outs....I think it would only help in my development of a unique brain tumour...

@Zeebra-
you got the good stuff in a running virtualbox instance?
That's what is needed.
and not just for the n900...
I need running vb instances for the n8x0 and 770 too.

OK.

If anyone wants to give it a go:

sftp tmo@bbmk.org
as password use our domain, what we're all about, all 5 lowercase letters of it

then cd sdk
get Maemo_SDK.tar.gz

It's 1908310604 bytes (1.8G).
md5sum gives 02269b29893a1e325416c698e5eecfe5

unpack it and you get:
Logs/
install.txt
Maemo SDK-flat.vmdk (10737418240 bytes)
Maemo SDK.vbox
Maemo SDK.vbox-prev
Maemo SDK.vmdk

I suppose the .vbox can be directly opened by Virtualbox. You may need to tweak the path to the virtual disk (.vmdk).

The install.txt documents what I've done to create the image.
user and its password is user.
for root the password is the same as for the tmo user on my server.
(or read install.txt if you don't like riddles).

The tmo user on bbmk.org can only do sftp and only on a folder. I think I've gotten that part pretty OK. If I spot misuse I drop the account on the spot.

Additional "flavours" of this will (some day) include CSSU and/or CSSU-thumb toolchain. QtSDK (1.1.1) is on the list as well, but don't wait awake for it.

that is fabulous reinob.
me and sftp or ftp for that matter have a tempestuous relationship..
and at the mo. I'm having a hell of a time with my filezilla ...
irritates the hell out of me...I'll sort it out by this evening ...
I must head out the door at the moment...
business..
back in a few hours...