So what does the new year hold for Vinux? Well I have just started work on version 2.0 of the Vinux build script which will allow the user to create a CLI, GUI or HYB(rid) version of Vinux from a standard Debian installation. It will allow you to choose between nine pre-configured builds or create your own unique customised version. The pre-configured builds include CLI, GUI and HYB versions of the 'dna', 'std' and 'max' editions. The main release of Vinux will be based on the HYB 'std' version providing a basic range of both CLI and GUI applications. Obviously the 'max' edition of the GUI and HYB versions will be DVD sized images, the HYB version containing all of the required, recommended and additional packages in the Vinux suite. The next release will be Vinux 2.2, which will probably be the last version of Vinux based on Debian Lenny (5.03). Once Vinux 2.2 is released and any bugs fixed I plan to start working on the Debian Squeeze version (Vinux 3.0) using the same scripts which will provide better hardware support and new versions of Gnome, Orca and Open Office etc. There is a lot of work to do and I estimate it will take me at least a month to get the script into a state were I can start making test builds - I hope to have Vinux 2.2 out by Easter if possible.
However that is only part of the story. There are of course other members of the Vinux Development Group who are working on their own sub-projects. Bill Cox is now working on a version of Vinux based on Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx. He is trying to resolve the latency and stability issues caused by the PulseAudio sound system and seems to be making very good progress. This means that there will hopefully be two versions of Vinux 3.0 - a Debian based version and an Ubuntu based version which will provide users with a choice between stability and cutting edge packages/features. Mobeen will keep producing the VMWare virtual editions of Vinux, and is considering setting up his own website/hosting platform and a Vinux User Forum to differentiate between the needs of users and developers. David Ring will hopefully be producing USB versions of Vinux and possibly a special CLI version based on INX. Don Raikes is working on some scripts with dialog front-ends to ease the process of partitioning, formatting and imaging hard drives, as well as a Vinux installer and possibly a specialised forensics version of Vinux. I am also hoping that David Knight will be able to contribute to the Vinux build script again once his work and family responsibilities allow him to. I hope I haven't missed anything or anyone out!
