Trying to get started: Dependency management

[maximilian-tech]

I am very interested in this distribution, but I have troubles getting started and understanding how do use it.

I'd like to build generic-base-wayland with znver2 optimization.

I start from the base image: t2-24.5-x86-64-base-wayland-glibc-gcc-nocona.iso

Then I execute

$ svn co https://svn.exactcode.de/t2/tags/24.5 t2-24.5
$ cd t2-24.5
$ ./scripts/Config
<Modify> set 'Base Wayland Desktop'
<Modify> set 'nocona' to 'zenver2'
< Exit >
$ ./scripts/Build-Target
...
Building 0-base/glibc
...
! configure: error:
! *** python
...
...

So python is missing. But python is a dependency of glibc (as defined in package/base/glibc/glibc.cache). Why isn't python build before?

Or do I use T2 in a wrong way? Am I missing crucial steps?

Thanks!

[rxrbln]

Hi, yes, indeed python had a convoluted history and I guess there should be selftest diagnostics to check for that. Long story short: python does not 100%ly working cross compiled. We tried to patch it multiple times over the years but it was an ever breaking mess. As all our modern ISOs must be 100% cross compiled we can not ship python by default (patches welcome). The fresh install 101 points out installing python: https://t2sde.org/kb/8/ which should fix this case.

We tried bootstrapping python for probably quite a decade as part of the t2 target, but due to modern python dependency hell that lead to even more problems over time. For a user Emerge will install it into the system, but a target dev int needs to be installed on the build host system (and all the potentially many python modules to cross compile e.g. firefox, like mako or so). Ideas and patches to improve all of this welcome!

[maximilian-tech]

Thanks for the quick answer and pointing me to https://t2sde.org/kb/8/!

After executing

$ ./scripts/Emerge-Pkg -deps=none -f perl perl-xml-parser \
python pip setuptools meson ninja libtool libxml 

like described and additionally executing

./scripts/Emerge-Pkg ed

for bc, I am currently in build phase 1.
However, Building 1-base/ncurses (6.4) fails for some reason (ERROR-LOG has not Error or alike, the libs are also installed to the build/<default-...-linux>/lib64.

Can you point me to a configuration that does build? Is it better to install the Desktop/Wayland once the system is running natively?

---

Update: I choose to build the generic-base image instead (no wayland).
But it fails in 2-gcc..
gcc<hash>/ERROR-LOG reveals, that crypt.h is missing from target ../../../../libsanitizer/sanitizer_common/sanitizer_platform_limits_posix.cpp:180:10 fatal error: crypt.h: No such file or directory

I have the feeling I am using T2SDE wrong.

---

Is the following process the correct one to use T2?:
~[A]~

1. Start from t2-24.5-x86-64-base-wayland-glibc-gcc-nocona.iso
2. Execute $ svn co https://svn.exactcode.de/t2/tags/24.5 t2-24.5 && cd t2-24.5 (or trunk instead of 24.5)
3. Install needed packages (not included due to cross-compile shenanigans): $ ./scripts/Emerge-Pkg -deps=none -f perl perl xml-parser python pip setuptools meson ninja libtool libxml ed packaging ( Addtionally packaging seems to be needed? )
4. Configure the system via $ ./scripts/Config ( e.g. generic-base-wayland with znver2 optimization.)
5. Execute $ ./scripts/Build-Target <<--- Currently stalled here!
6. Execute $ ./scripts/Create-ISO
7. Install T2 via the created image.

~[B]~
One this optimized T2 is up an running, on should again

1. Execute $ svn co https://svn.exactcode.de/t2/tags/24.5 t2-24.5 && cd t2-24.5 (or trunk instead of 24.5)
2. Install needed packages (not included due to cross-compile shenanigans):
   $ ./scripts/Emerge-Pkg -deps=none -f perl perl xml-parser python pip setuptools meson ninja libtool libxml ed
3. Install any other packages via ./scripts/Emerge-Pkg (e.g. git). Doing this is here the same as specifying them in the ~[A]~4. via X git in the modified package selection(?).

My question: Say, I'd like a Desktop like Ubuntu (GNOME based), with qt5base package installed, how do I do this?

1. Continue from ~[B]~3. and do ./scripts/Emerge-Pkg gnome-desktop qt5base?

Thanks again for the work you put into T2!

[rxrbln]

do you want to build your own iso for distribution or just use it on your desktop? If you only want to use it, you only need scripts/Emerge-Pkg to install software like gnome-desktop or qt6base / kate etc. into your system. I would not bother rebuilding everything for znver2, just use it for installing additional packages and updates.