installing GuixSD on a Macbook Air A1304

installing GuixSD on a Macbook Air A1304

[Quiliro]

I have received an old Macbook Air (A1304 from 2009). This machine has
a USB port. So, I could connect a USB WiFi dongle in replacement for
the non-free embedded WiFi device. Also, the nVidia GeForce 9400m video
card is reported on h-node.org to not work. But I have used it with
Parabola live and it is type NV50 which is perfectly supported by
Nouveau.

I would like to:
- view videos online. Not typing long URLs. Maybe copy and paste. But I
think that is too long considering that clicking is just one step.
- read and write text
- write spreadsheets
- listen to podcasts
- read email

I understand I could do all this with i3 window manager and emacs.

Would someone guide me how to install and configure GuixSD for this
UEFI machine? Thanks
-- 
Example of rude top posting:

A: Because it messes up the order in which people normally read text.
Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing?
A: Top-posting.
Q: What is the most annoying thing in e-mail?

A: No.
Q: Should I leave quotations after my reply?

Saluton,
Quiliro
0987631031

Re: installing GuixSD on a Macbook Air A1304

[Ludovic Courtès]

Hi,

Quiliro <quiliro@riseup.net> skribis:

> Would someone guide me how to install and configure GuixSD for this
> UEFI machine? Thanks

Installing to UEFI from the GuixSD 0.12 installation image is rather
involved, so I would recommend waiting for the upcoming release, which
should have a solution for UEFI.  As you might have seen, Marius has
been working on it:

  https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/guix-devel/2017-04/msg00364.html

Perhaps you can beta-test the new installation image when it’s ready?

Ludo’.

Re: installing GuixSD on a Macbook Air A1304

[Joshua Branson]

If you don't want to wait, you might be able to install guixSD and not 
use uefi.   I have a macbook 7,1 that supports UEFI.  I've never figured 
out how to install Parabola on it using UEFI.  So instead I boot using 
MBR Master Boot Record.


If you use fdisk to do your partitioning, I believe that you will ensure 
that you boot via MBR.  You need to create a new partition table and 
select "msdos".


https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Fdisk#fdisk


On 04/20/2017 04:15 AM, Ludovic Courtès wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Quiliro <quiliro@riseup.net> skribis:
>
>> Would someone guide me how to install and configure GuixSD for this
>> UEFI machine? Thanks
> Installing to UEFI from the GuixSD 0.12 installation image is rather
> involved, so I would recommend waiting for the upcoming release, which
> should have a solution for UEFI.  As you might have seen, Marius has
> been working on it:
>
>    https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/guix-devel/2017-04/msg00364.html
>
> Perhaps you can beta-test the new installation image when it’s ready?
>
> Ludo’.
>

Re: installing GuixSD on a Macbook Air A1304

[Quiliro]

El Thu, 20 Apr 2017 10:15:52 +0200
ludo@gnu.org (Ludovic Courtès) escribió:

> Hi,
> 
> Quiliro <quiliro@riseup.net> skribis:
> 
> > Would someone guide me how to install and configure GuixSD for this
> > UEFI machine? Thanks
> 
> Installing to UEFI from the GuixSD 0.12 installation image is rather
> involved, so I would recommend waiting for the upcoming release, which
> should have a solution for UEFI.  As you might have seen, Marius has
> been working on it:
> 
>   https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/guix-devel/2017-04/msg00364.html
> 
> Perhaps you can beta-test the new installation image when it’s ready?

It boots marvelously. But I cannot install because I either have to use the USB WiFi or the USB installer because there is only one port and the embeded WiFi is non-free.

I was told I could install it via the Debian that was installed on another partition. But I don't know how to do it. I have Guix installed in Debian.



-- 
Saluton,
Quiliro
0987631031

Ekzemploj de la problemo de sur-respondigi:

R: Ĉar ĝi malutilas la ordon ke homoj legas la tekston normale.
> D: Kial estas sur-respondi tiel malbone?
>> R: Sur-respondi.
>>> D: Kio estas la pli ĝenanto en poŝto elektronika?

R: Ne.
> D: Ĉu mi devas lasi komentariojn post mia respondo?


Ejemplos de los problemas con el top-posting:

Respuesta: Porque desordena la forma en la que las personas normalmente leen texto.
> Pregunta: ¿Por qué es tan malo el top-posting?
>> Respuesta: Top-posting.
>>> Pregunta: ¿Qué es lo más molesto en el correo electrónico?

Respuesta: No.
> Pregunta: ¿Debo dejar las citas luego de mi respuesta?


Examples of the problems in top posting:

A: Because it messes up the order in which people normally read text.
>Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing?
>>A: Top-posting.
>>>Q: What is the most annoying thing in e-mail?

A: No.
> Q: Should I leave quotations after my reply?

Re: installing GuixSD on a Macbook Air A1304

[Quiliro]

El Wed, 7 Jun 2017 11:29:02 -0500
Quiliro <quiliro@riseup.net> escribió:

> El Thu, 20 Apr 2017 10:15:52 +0200
> ludo@gnu.org (Ludovic Courtès) escribió:
> 
> > Hi,
> > 
> > Quiliro <quiliro@riseup.net> skribis:
> > 
> > > Would someone guide me how to install and configure GuixSD for this
> > > UEFI machine? Thanks
> > 
> > Installing to UEFI from the GuixSD 0.12 installation image is rather
> > involved, so I would recommend waiting for the upcoming release, which
> > should have a solution for UEFI.  As you might have seen, Marius has
> > been working on it:
> > 
> >   https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/guix-devel/2017-04/msg00364.html
> > 
> > Perhaps you can beta-test the new installation image when it’s ready?
> 
> It boots marvelously. But I cannot install because I either have to use the USB WiFi or the USB installer because there is only one port and the embeded WiFi is non-free.
> 
> I was told I could install it via the Debian that was installed on another partition. But I don't know how to do it. I have Guix installed in Debian.

I installed from Debian using:
guix system init /mnt/etc/bare-bones.scm /mnt
where /mnt is /dev/sda3 (which is also specified on bare-bones.scm). It was correctly finished except it could not install GrUB. So it would not boot. Moreover, rEFInd, the libre EFI boot loader, did not recognize GuixSD. So I tryed 2 things:
1. Booting from the GuixSD USB installer and executing:
guix system reconfigure /mnt/etc/bare-bones.scm
but it would give error: cannot build derivation
2. From Debian I executed:
grub-install
But I get error:
/gnu/store/...-grub-2.02/lib/grub/x86_64-efi/modinfo.sh does not exist. Please specify --target or --directory.
This has the same error with these also:
grub-install /dev/sda
grub-install /dev/sda --efi-directory=/mnt/boot/efi
Plus the GuixSD USB installer lacks /gnu/store/...-grub-2.02/lib/grub/x86_64-efi directory.

How can I boot from the GuixSD installed partition?

Re: installing GuixSD on a Macbook Air A1304

[Quiliro]

El Sat, 10 Jun 2017 15:18:59 -0500
Quiliro <quiliro@riseup.net> escribió:

> El Wed, 7 Jun 2017 11:29:02 -0500
> Quiliro <quiliro@riseup.net> escribió:
> 
> > El Thu, 20 Apr 2017 10:15:52 +0200
> > ludo@gnu.org (Ludovic Courtès) escribió:
> > 
> > > Hi,
> > > 
> > > Quiliro <quiliro@riseup.net> skribis:
> > > 
> > > > Would someone guide me how to install and configure GuixSD for this
> > > > UEFI machine? Thanks
> > > 
> > > Installing to UEFI from the GuixSD 0.12 installation image is rather
> > > involved, so I would recommend waiting for the upcoming release, which
> > > should have a solution for UEFI.  As you might have seen, Marius has
> > > been working on it:
> > > 
> > >   https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/guix-devel/2017-04/msg00364.html
> > > 
> > > Perhaps you can beta-test the new installation image when it’s ready?
> > 
> > It boots marvelously. But I cannot install because I either have to use the USB WiFi or the USB installer because there is only one port and the embeded WiFi is non-free.
> > 
> > I was told I could install it via the Debian that was installed on another partition. But I don't know how to do it. I have Guix installed in Debian.
> 
> I installed from Debian using:
> guix system init /mnt/etc/bare-bones.scm /mnt
> where /mnt is /dev/sda3 (which is also specified on bare-bones.scm). It was correctly finished except it could not install GrUB. So it would not boot. Moreover, rEFInd, the libre EFI boot loader, did not recognize GuixSD. So I tryed 2 things:
> 1. Booting from the GuixSD USB installer and executing:
> guix system reconfigure /mnt/etc/bare-bones.scm
> but it would give error: cannot build derivation

Possibly it is caused by not having network connection when booting with USB because the network device is USB and I have only one port. I could buy a USB hub as suggested, but I have 2 USB hubs and it would not work with those.

> 2. From Debian I executed:
> grub-install
> But I get error:
> /gnu/store/...-grub-2.02/lib/grub/x86_64-efi/modinfo.sh does not exist. Please specify --target or --directory.
> This has the same error with these also:
> grub-install /dev/sda
> grub-install /dev/sda --efi-directory=/mnt/boot/efi
> Plus the GuixSD USB installer lacks /gnu/store/...-grub-2.02/lib/grub/x86_64-efi directory.
> 
> How can I boot from the GuixSD installed partition?
> 



-- 
Saluton,
Quiliro
0987631031

Ekzemploj de la problemo de sur-respondigi:

R: Ĉar ĝi malutilas la ordon ke homoj legas la tekston normale.
> D: Kial estas sur-respondi tiel malbone?
>> R: Sur-respondi.
>>> D: Kio estas la pli ĝenanto en poŝto elektronika?

R: Ne.
> D: Ĉu mi devas lasi komentariojn post mia respondo?


Ejemplos de los problemas con el top-posting:

Respuesta: Porque desordena la forma en la que las personas normalmente leen texto.
> Pregunta: ¿Por qué es tan malo el top-posting?
>> Respuesta: Top-posting.
>>> Pregunta: ¿Qué es lo más molesto en el correo electrónico?

Respuesta: No.
> Pregunta: ¿Debo dejar las citas luego de mi respuesta?


Examples of the problems in top posting:

A: Because it messes up the order in which people normally read text.
>Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing?
>>A: Top-posting.
>>>Q: What is the most annoying thing in e-mail?

A: No.
> Q: Should I leave quotations after my reply?

Re: installing GuixSD on a Macbook Air A1304

[Chris Marusich]

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Quiliro <quiliro@riseup.net> writes:

> How can I boot from the GuixSD installed partition?

I'm sure there are many ways to do this, but I don't think there is a
single turn-key solution for this scenario at this time (install GuixSD
into a single partition and dual boot it alongside another distro).  If
you search the guix-devel and guix-help email lists for keywords like
"install to partition" or "dual boot partition", I think you'll find
many relevant email threads.  Multiple people have done this, and they
have done it using various methods.  The one thing all these methods
seem to have in common is that they require careful manual upkeep, since
some of the configuration is not managed by GuixSD.

Personally, I avoid dual booting because I have found it is fragile, and
I don't think the current version of GuixSD plays very nicely with it.
I can easily imagine myself accidentally overwriting my bootloader by
running "guix system reconfigure" but forgetting to pass
"--no-bootloader", for example.

Here are some links to help you get started:

https://lists.gnu.org/archive/cgi-bin/namazu.cgi?query=install+to+partition&submit=Search%21&idxname=guix-devel&max=20&result=normal&sort=score

https://lists.gnu.org/archive/cgi-bin/namazu.cgi?query=dual+boot+partition&submit=Search%21&idxname=help-guix&max=20&result=normal&sort=score

-- 
Chris

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Re: installing GuixSD on a Macbook Air A1304

[Quiliro]

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El Sun, 11 Jun 2017 23:43:40 -0700
Chris Marusich <cmmarusich@gmail.com> escribió:

> Quiliro <quiliro@riseup.net> writes:
> 
> > How can I boot from the GuixSD installed partition?
> 
> I'm sure there are many ways to do this, but I don't think there is a
> single turn-key solution for this scenario at this time (install GuixSD
> into a single partition and dual boot it alongside another distro).  If
> you search the guix-devel and guix-help email lists for keywords like
> "install to partition" or "dual boot partition", I think you'll find
> many relevant email threads.  Multiple people have done this, and they
> have done it using various methods.  The one thing all these methods
> seem to have in common is that they require careful manual upkeep, since
> some of the configuration is not managed by GuixSD.
> 
> Personally, I avoid dual booting because I have found it is fragile, and
> I don't think the current version of GuixSD plays very nicely with it.
> I can easily imagine myself accidentally overwriting my bootloader by
> running "guix system reconfigure" but forgetting to pass
> "--no-bootloader", for example.

Thank you very much. I do not wish to have dual boot. I don't care about the Debian system. I want to boot from GuixSD.

> Here are some links to help you get started:
> 
> https://lists.gnu.org/archive/cgi-bin/namazu.cgi?query=install+to+partition&submit=Search%21&idxname=guix-devel&max=20&result=normal&sort=score
> 
> https://lists.gnu.org/archive/cgi-bin/namazu.cgi?query=dual+boot+partition&submit=Search%21&idxname=help-guix&max=20&result=normal&sort=score
> 

Thank you. I will investigate them.

-- 
Saluton,
Quiliro
0987631031

Ekzemploj de la problemo de sur-respondigi:

R: Ĉar ĝi malutilas la ordon ke homoj legas la tekston normale.
> D: Kial estas sur-respondi tiel malbone?
>> R: Sur-respondi.
>>> D: Kio estas la pli ĝenanto en poŝto elektronika?

R: Ne.
> D: Ĉu mi devas lasi komentariojn post mia respondo?


Ejemplos de los problemas con el top-posting:

Respuesta: Porque desordena la forma en la que las personas normalmente leen texto.
> Pregunta: ¿Por qué es tan malo el top-posting?
>> Respuesta: Top-posting.
>>> Pregunta: ¿Qué es lo más molesto en el correo electrónico?

Respuesta: No.
> Pregunta: ¿Debo dejar las citas luego de mi respuesta?


Examples of the problems in top posting:

A: Because it messes up the order in which people normally read text.
>Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing?
>>A: Top-posting.
>>>Q: What is the most annoying thing in e-mail?

A: No.
> Q: Should I leave quotations after my reply?

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