Paying for a 'tool' to be developed

Development Discussion
#1

hope this is the best place to ask…really sorry if it’s not…

My ‘hobby’ (obsession perhaps) is refurbishing old computers and on-gifting them in my community. A large proportion of them are XP of Vista vintage.

On machines of that nature I used to put Mint XFCE, but having played with 17.10 Aplha [redmond] i think {when it’s out of beta} I’ve found a new standard.

I’m after tool/script file that I would run after setting up the machine (making sure wifi drivers are installed and working, doing all updates, etc/etc) that erased the home directory and computer name and then shut down the machine.

The next login the new user would type in a name (thus creating a ‘home’ directory in that name), computer name and root password - maybe a tick a box for turning OFF DHCP. The bare minimum to get them to a desktop.

Perhaps a modified OEM install would do this.

If I wanted to discuss with a developer (even sponsoring the thing depending on the $) how/what is the best way to get in touch?

IF you want to see how many machines I’ve given away - feel free to follow this link

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#2

Well, you've come to the right place to discuss this.
I'm not sure there's a need for a new tool though, have you checked this out?

This post reads like the hostname is temporary.

And later in the post it actually say it is:

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#3

Huge thanks - looks like the OEM tool IS what I need.

Follow-up question - which person/team/distribution developed the OEM install ‘first’? is there an easy way (looking at the source code perhaps?) to find out?

I’ve never used any of the source tools before and/or github thingies - not even shure HOW to find what I should look at…

Need to sling them some $

#4

The OEM install is part of Ubiquity, developed by Canonical as part of Ubuntu. It's the program that asks questions, partitions, etc during installation.

A plus for choosing Ubuntu MATE is the :ubuntu_mate: Welcome program, which introduces a user to their new system, as well as the Software Boutique which stocks a variety of common applications, many that should be familiar.

The only thing bad about Welcome is that the Getting Started section does talk about installing drivers and stuff which wouldn't be necessary for an OEM built computer. We were thinking of an OEM file that could be created so Welcome can be customised for an OEM but that's probably going to be developed for 18.04 LTS. :slight_smile:

I'm not sure a new tool needs developing either, as Ubiquity and standard customisation should do the trick, unless you've got something else in mind?

I'd suggest giving it a try in a virtual machine, simply press F4 when booting the installation disc and select "OEM install (for manufacturers)" in the menu.

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