> On Feb 22, 2014, at 22:48, arch-general-requ...@archlinux.org wrote:
> 
> Are you trying to build a full-featured Live desktop environment for
> chromebooks?

I'm thinking about it, but I'm not sure if it's needed.

I've written one script to generate an ArchLinux|ARM bootable USB/SD card-based 
installation; another, to generate a Debian installation. In each case, it goes 
from shell command to usable installation in about half an hour. It works for 
the Samsung Chromebook (ARM 7-based). It might work for other ARM-based 
systems; I don't know.

In each case, the OS is installed on an external device, which means it is 
awfully close to being a "live CD" (not a CD, but you get the point). The 
principal advantage of a 'live' device would be non-permanence of user data.

I've had a look at porting Tails to the ARM platform. It would be nontrivial, 
but it could be done. Still, I'm happier with the idea of working with 
ArchLinux, not Debian (or Tails). ArchLinux's kernel sources are available and 
easy to modify (by me), whereas I've had no luck with Debian's kernel.

If the root partition of the device is encrypted, do we really need it to be 
'live' at all? Does anyone actually want a live version of ArchLinux for ARM 
systems, or would a freely available and easy-to-build-at-home external SD card 
or thumb drive do? What is the problem we're trying to solve? Depending on our 
objective - privacy, disaster recovery, or merely mucking about with a 
Chromebook without nuking its internal drive - we might not need the live 
capability.

Comments?

-Hugo

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