3

I am developing a POS System and I am planning to use Linux. My requirements are as follows

  1. UEFI Support. (Running on x86 and x86_64)
  2. No Storage Drive so completely running on RAM and persistence storage data(Around 1 MB) will be in ESP (EFI System Partition)
  3. A GUI Application displaying options for POS.
  4. Wireless connectivity (Not immediately but eventually)
  5. No installation required. (Just copy kernel and initrd images to ESP along with systemd-boot and good to go.)

I have been able to run Minimal Live Linux (https://github.com/ivandavidov/minimal) where kernel and initrd images are stored in EFI System Partition. It could connect to Wired Network and I could login to Bash.

Next step is to load GUI (XOrg or Something else) and add my own GUI application.

I am stuck at a point where I want to create a initrd image with GUI support.

Any pointers on that direction?

Improve this question
4
  • 1
    Try to narrow your question down to a single problem. You say: I am stuck at a point where I want to create a initrd image with GUI support. Well, that is exactly the kind of thing people here might be able to help you with. But you need to explain what the actual problem is. Commented Oct 3, 2020 at 16:11
  • Something like these? Lightweight Desktop environment Ubuntu Server + lxde or openbox or fluxbox, but without all the applications included in a full desktop distribution. help.ubuntu.com/community/ServerGUI Default minimal does not support UEFI, but can be reconfigured. Usually server install is used without any server applications. ubuntuforums.org/… Commented Oct 3, 2020 at 19:37
  • @oldfred, Thanks. I will try mini and update. Commented Oct 4, 2020 at 1:40
  • I could create a small footprint linux using Buildroot with X11 enabled. Commented Oct 15, 2020 at 12:26

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
0

You might prefer learning to create custom LiveCDs, the description reads quite like that; for one, I'd go with mkimage-profiles (disclaimer: I've designed it back in 2010), that would only take me to package the target app and configure livecd-runapp package to autorun it; the rest seems done by generating a hybrid ISO that can be installed by just dd'ing it on an USB Flash, SSD, DoM or whatever comes around. You can try this approach through ALT Starterkits; with it, you'll also be able to quickly adapt for e.g. RPi as the POS platform.

But mkimage-profiles is mostly documented in Russian albeit a few guys found it good enough through google translate and example requests.

The easiest way might be to go with SUSE's OBS, you'll still need to build the app package though.

Improve this answer

You must log in to answer this question.

Start asking to get answers

Find the answer to your question by asking.

Ask question

Explore related questions

See similar questions with these tags.