myDSL Extensions (deprecated) :: Synaptic apps for live cd boot users

I'm impressed by the range of Debian applications on Synaptic potentially runable on DSL and by the ease which necessary adjustments to dependencies are downloaded and installed at the same time.

I have also read that these downloads are to ram only for live CD or toram boots and can't be saved & restored in the case of non-HD boots - BUGGER!

Presumably though the fact one of these apps + dependency adjustments will run in ram bodes well for its conversion to a .dsl for us live CD user ie it clearly will run.

1. Do I have the story straight?
2. When do you begin to convert one of these apps to a .dsl for backup/restore for live cd users? I have read about the deb2dsl script - but what if you also have to install various libs etc as dependencies? Looks complicated. Read something about removing these. Apparently there is a tutorial somewhere?

I'm wondering in particular about Pan, which is a decent newsreader on Synaptic.

When it is used according to the instructions, the deb2dsl script will automatically take care of any dependencies and include them into your newly created *.dsl extension file.

When you install a program using apt-get or Synaptic, the package files that are downloaded from the remote site are stored in your apt/archives directory. This includes any dependencies that are installed as part of the process.

So there are two ways to reconstruct your Debian program installation after rebooting from livecd:

1) Use the deb2dsl script to create a dsl extension. This works for most programs, excluding the ones that come with a pre or post install scripts.

2) After doing the temporary install, save all of your resulting *.deb files that are located in your apt/archives directory. I believe that the path is /var/cache/apt/archives but this is from memory. To restore them, install the dpkg.dsl extension and then use the:

sudo dpkg -i filename.deb

commands to manually re-install each package.

Thanks very much CBagger for taking the time to make this clear reply - I'll give it a shot.

I report success with Method 2, which I have generalised to back up any temporarily installed .deb files and automated the re-installation on boot of all these *.deb files as follows:

1. Added to filetool.lst the line
var/cache/apt/archives/

2. Added to bootlocal.sh the line
sudo dpkg -i /var/cache/apt/archives/*.deb

(Of course dpkg.dsl was already restored via MyDSL=... in the F2 boot options).

You watch all the lib files marching down the bootup screen as they are being reinstalled - 'mazing 'puters!! Now I'm actually feeling like I'm learning something.

Worthy of inclusion in a "how to" for us newbies.

Now another question: can I add a restorable link to these restored Synaptic apps on, say, the right-click desktop menu so that (a) I remember that these have been backed up and (b) they can be easily launced without typing in >"run program"?

OK i've done a bit more searching concerning my last question. For the benefit of others:

1. Organising extensions into submenus has been tackled to some extent by Henk at

http://damnsmalllinux.org/cgi-bin....2;t=739

I'll have to find his homepage and try his .dsl to do this. Appears to be the subject of energetic debate at

http://damnsmalllinux.org/cgi-bin....nd+menu

2. Apparently much less problematic is the placement of additional icons on the desktop linking to apps. This is well discussed at

http://damnsmalllinux.org/cgi-bin....desktop

http://damnsmalllinux.org/cgi-bin....desktop

and

http://damnsmalllinux.org/cgi-bin....desktop

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