[2024-feb-29] Sad news: Eric Layton aka Nocturnal Slacker aka vtel57 passed away on Feb 26th, shortly after hospitalization. He was one of our Wiki's most prominent admins. He will be missed.

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slackwarearm:development-roadmap [2022/05/11 08:39 (UTC)] mozesslackwarearm:development-roadmap [2024/03/25 13:40 (UTC)] (current) – ["Exploring" (Thinking About It)] change status of honeycomb uefi details mralk3
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 +[[https://arm.slackware.com/|Slackware ARM project web site]] | [[https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/slackware-arm-108/|Forum]] | [[slackwarearm:development|Slackware ARM development documentation]] | [[slackwarearm:inst|Slackware ARM installation guides]] 
 +
 ====== Slackware ARM : Project Road Map ====== ====== Slackware ARM : Project Road Map ======
  
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 Prior to the development of the 64bit port, "Slackware ARM" also referred to the 32bit version of the Slackware Operating System. Prior to the development of the 64bit port, "Slackware ARM" also referred to the 32bit version of the Slackware Operating System.
-"Slackware ARM" is the umbrella project name for all Slackware activities on the ARM platform.+ 
 +**//"Slackware ARM"//** is the umbrella project name for all Slackware activities on the ARM platform.
  
 ====== Slackware AArch64 / ARM 64bit ====== ====== Slackware AArch64 / ARM 64bit ======
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 ^ Category                   ^ Enhancement ^ More ^ Owner ^ ETA (+When it's ready) ^ ^ Category                   ^ Enhancement ^ More ^ Owner ^ ETA (+When it's ready) ^
-| Boot - OS Initial RAM disk | os-initrd-mgr: Package only the Kernel modules required for the local environment. |The generic OS InitRD contains the vast majority of Kernel modules in order to be able to support new Hardware Models. This inflates the InitRD by hundreds of MBs, delaying the booting of the OS. The kernel package will continue to ship a full-fat OS InitRD, and os-initrd-mgr will slim it down during the package post installation. If unable to collect the Kernel modules, os-initrd-mgr will preserve the previous set of Kernel modules. os-initrd-mgr will also be called from within the Installer, so the new OS has a trimmed initrd.| mozes@slackware | July 2022 | +| Docs / Installer | HoneyComb Workstation | Document installation process, [[slackwarearm:inst_sa64_lx2160a_honeycomb|see progress here]] and [[slackwarearm:development_di_lx2160acex7|see notes here]]. Integration of UEFI firmware support. | mralk3@slackware | 2024 some time | 
-| Hardware Model Support | Support HoneyComb LX2 | [[https://www.solid-run.com/blog/articles/honeycomb-lx2-server/|Manufacturer page]] | mralk3@slackware | Q4 2022 | +| Tutorial/Doc | Complete document | The Direct integration guide needs to be completed to enable the community to understand how to contribute Hardware Model support. A video will also be made to walk through it | mozes@slackware | Late 2023 | 
-| Tutorial/Doc | Complete document | The Direct integration guide needs to be completed to enable the community to understand how to contribute Hardware Model support. A video will also be made to walk through it | mozes@slackware | July/August 2022 | +| Installer | Upstream Installer improvements | The ARM port has a number of improvements that should be merged upstream | mozes@ | - | 
-| Tutorial/Doc | Create a wiki doc and short video explaining how to use the Slackware ARM build system. | There's a doc already in source/README.txt. This enables people to easily modify the Slackware Kernel and any packages required for their Hardware Model | | mozes@slackwaremralk3@slackware August 2022 +| Installer | Make ARM Installer builder available | The ARM Installer build system needs significant work to make it publicly available. Depends on upstreaming above | mozes@ | - | 
-| Video support | VC4 Video support for RPi4 | Package rpi-userlandswitch to different RPI boot loader settings (config.txt) to enable VC4May need Kernel patches mralk3mozes June 2022 |+ 
 +===== Complete ===== 
 + 
 +^ Category                   ^ Enhancement ^ More ^ Date completed ^ 
 +| Boot - OS Initial RAM disk | os-initrd-mgr: Package only the Kernel modules required for the local environment. |The generic OS InitRD contains the vast majority of Kernel modules in order to be able to support new Hardware Models. This inflates the InitRD by hundreds of MBs, delaying the booting of the OS. The kernel package will continue to ship a full-fat OS InitRD, and os-initrd-mgr will slim it down during the package post installation. If unable to collect the Kernel modules, os-initrd-mgr will preserve the previous set of Kernel modules. os-initrd-mgr will also be called from within the Installer, so the new OS has a trimmed initrd.| May 2022 | 
 +| Tutorial/Doc | Create a wiki doc and short video explaining how to use the Slackware ARM build system. | There's a doc already in source/README.txt. This enables people to easily modify the Slackware Kernel and any packages required for their Hardware Model | July 2022 | 
 +| pre-boot shell (slkpbs) stage 0 pre-script load | n/a | Insert a new first stage shell prior to the Kernel Module Loader scripts being executed. This enables them to be hacked upon which may make onboarding new HWMs easier. | Dec 2022 | 
 +| All In One Installers | Release and migrate | Migrate to new AiO installers. Needs script work to modify paths and mask out the bare installers imgs, and update install guides. | mozes@ | Jan 2023 | 
 +| All In One Installers | Upstream AiO for x86 | Patch probe with filter codewrite converter script for x86. Test and upstream Jan 2023 
 +| Video support | VC4 Video support for RPi4 | Seems stable with Linux 6.1  |Jan 2023 | 
 +| RK3399 U-Boot (SPI) flashing tool within the OS | Low (it's not ancitipated that a new release of U-Boot for Slackware will be frequent). | Productised version of [[http://ftp.arm.slackware.com/slackwarearm/platform/aarch64/bootware/tools/flash-spl|this tool]]. Add a new package a/hwm-bw-rk3399have it ship new and previous fw in /usr/share with command line options to flash either oneWanted to couple this with slackpkg so that an 'update your spi flash' message could be delivered. I don't think this is an appropriate candidate for automation - it always needs user confirmation. | Aug 2023 | 
 +| Abstract HWM discovery into usr/sbin/slk-hwm-discover | Development | If the HWM discovery becomes more than DT and DMI decodewe'll want to move it into a standalone tool to avoid code duplication and long term maintenance. This script would be included in the OS InitRD, Installer and OS. The script would be referenced from /load-kernel-modules, and several of the Installer scripts. Script will return status codes and null if no model detected. If script doesn't exist, $HWM will be null and warning code will trigger. Scan source tree for /proc/device-tree/model to find all scripts.  | Oct 2023 | 
 +| Hardware Model Support | SolidRun HoneyComb LX2K | [[https://www.solid-run.com/blog/articles/honeycomb-lx2-server/|Manufacturer page]], Grub integration within the installer and OS complete. Hardware model support complete. UEFI firmware is written into SPI Flash during installation.| Feb 2024 ||
  
 ===== "Exploring" (Thinking About It) ===== ===== "Exploring" (Thinking About It) =====
  
-^ Idea ^ Thoughts +=== General updates ==== 
-| have a/kernel-firmware package trigger an initrd rebuild.| This is to capture any new firmware for their Hardware Model. However, the HWM firmware changes rarely, and if anybody really wants the OS InitRD to receive new firmware, they can run os-initrd-mgr. | + 
-SPI flasher tool within the OS Add a new package a/hwm-bw-rk3399have it ship new and previous fw in /usr/share with command line options to flash either oneWanted to couple this with slackpkg so that an 'update your spi flashmessage could be deliveredI don'think this is an appropriate candidate for automation - it always needs user confirmation. |+^ Idea / Category Priority Further information ^ Owner ^ 
 +| Tutorial/Doc: Non A-i-O Installation guides | - | Take the previous HTTP and USB installation guides and link to them from the AiO guides, should people prefer to use the bare installer. | No priority | 
 +| Enhancement, ease of installation | - | Add the Boot Loader to the AiO Installer image to avoid the initial boot loader flashing. This requires development within the installer to discover if the BL is in SPI flash and force a flash, or to offer if there's already a Slackware labeled boot Loader | mozes | 
 +| Enable installation from a greater range of Client hosts | - | Instructions for how to download and write the Installer image for MacOS and Windows |  
 +| have a/kernel-firmware package trigger an initrd rebuild.| Low | This is to capture any new firmware for their Hardware Model. However, the HWM firmware changes rarely, and if anybody really wants the OS InitRD to receive new firmware, they can run os-initrd-mgr. | mozes@slackware 
 +Switch OSinitrd to use LZMA compression n/a | os-initrd-mgr supports decompression of gzip and LZMAbut presently compresses with gzip. LZMA reduces size of initrd by ~10MB, but compression time is approx 4 mins compared to 1 minute for gzip; so increases time taken for kernel package upgrades and using os-initrd-mgr directly. kernel.SlackBuild would also need modifying to initially compress it. Unsure if it's worth the bother for the half second more it takes to load 10more MB. | mozes@slackware | 
 +| Improvement | Low | GRUB on HoneyComb: Enable selection of boot order from within the Installer. This enables user to select the Headed vs Headless (serial) option rather than editing the grub config manually. | mozes@slackware | 
 + 
 +=== Hardware Model Support === 
 +^ Idea Category ^ Priority ^ Further information ^ Owner ^ 
 +| New Hardware Model | Slacking | Support Pine64 PinePhone Pro.  Battery life is very poor on <del>all</del> Linux distributions supporting this device, but not Slackware!  Some hackery with the modem firmware is required to help prolong battery life.  With a Slackware ARM installation, the Pinephone Pro has significantly better battery life. | mralk3@slackware | 
 +| New Hardware Model | Slacking | HoneyComb LX2160a Workstation Installation Documentation | mralk3@slackware| 
 +| New Hardware Model | Low | Honeycomb Workstation Cooling Fan Control | mralk3@slackware | 
 +| New Hardware Model | Low | HoneyComb Workstation: Slackware built UEFI firmware (currently using the vendor's) and a UEFI firmware medium that can flash into SPI| mralk3@slackware | 
 +| New Hardware Model | Start date: Post release of Slackware 15.1. | Support being virtualised on the Apple M2 hardware | mozes@slackware | 
 +| Raspberry Pi4: Installer: Offer to upgrade the EEPROM firmware | - | It'd be a post installation script that checks if the relevant 2 packages are installed, validates if upgrade is available and offers. Not really sure it's worth it though as it'll always become out of date at some point - esp for a stable release.. | mozes |  
 +| Documentation: Install guide for QEMU | Slacking | QEMU is already supported by Slackware AArch64, just not documented. This will be useful for people who want to support a new Hardware Model using the Slackware ARM environment and development kit, without having to buy an existing supported Hardware Model| nobody yet-community?
 + 
 +===== Parked ===== 
 + 
 +These have been parked as they're fun projects but aren'sufficiently important to work on them in the near future. 
 + 
 + 
 +^ Category                   ^ Enhancement ^ More ^ Owner ^ ETA (+When it's ready) ^ 
 +| All In One Installers | Create bootable USB AiOs for x86/64| Continue hacking on tool | mozes@ | May 2023 | 
 +| Disk Encryption | Enhance the documentation of disk encryption | [[slackwarearm:disk_encryption_slackware_aarch64|Research how it will work on all supported hardware devices]] |mralk3@slackware |December 2023 | 
 +| RAID array | Enhance the documentation with a separate doc discussing RAID configuration | The x86 README_RAID.txt is sufficient but has some differences mralk3@slackware | Some day? 2024? | 
 +===== Noticeable issues/bugs/feature gaps =====
  
 +^ Hardware Model ^ Category ^ Description ^ Notes ^
 +| Pinebook Pro | Reboot | U-boot doesn't find storage (mmc) after a first boot on a new installation| [[https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/slackware-arm-108/current-08-09-23-will-not-reboot-after-install-4175728820/ | LQ thread]]  Workaround for now is to power off completely and boot it back up from power button. | 
 +| Pinebook Pro / RockPro64 | Audio | Headphone and Speakers come muted by default| [[https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/slackware-arm-108/current-08-09-23-will-not-reboot-after-install-4175728820/#post6452980 | LQ thread]]   Work around is to unmute in alsamixer.  Needs a default configuration for alsa / pulse | 
 +| Pinebook Pro | Video | No support for HDMI over USB-C. | [[https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/showthread.php?p=6417390#post6417390|LQ thread.]] Requires Linux 6.2: will resolve after Slackware AArch64 15.1 release |
 +| Pinebook Pro | Power Management | No hibernate  |  Not supported upstream yet. Need to track - will revisit for Linux 6.2.|
 +| Pinebook Pro | Power Management | No suspend  | A patch existed for Linux 5.15. Will revisit for Linux 6.2. |
 +| Pinebook Pro | Audio | Conflict with Bluetooth and no sound after reboot |[[https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/slackware-arm-108/bluetooth-hijacks-audio-4175722950/|LQ thread]]. Not currently looking into, but it might be better to switch to Pipewire instead. People are welcome to investigate | 
 +| Raspberry Pi 4 | KDE/Plasma | KWin segfaults at start up | It seems to be an issue with the Kernel, as community reports it working with the RPi Kernel fork. Will accept patches/tweaks to fix it but it'll probably have to wait until after Slackware 15.1 is released before moving past Linux 6.1 |
 +| HoneyComb Workstation | Cooling | Loud heat sink fan | The fan runs above 10,000 RPM constantly.  It is working as designed by Solid-Run while booting the system with the UEFI system firmware.  The stock fan is too loud to sit by for any significant amount of time. It is possible that a i2c device is exposed to configure the fan |
 +| HoneyComb Workstation | Firmware | Boot failure while attempting to restart the system after a fresh install | A bug in the UEFI firmware is present while the firmware exists on the SD Card.  Executing the "reboot" command after the installation process is complete fails.  The work around is to use the "poweroff" command at that stage.  Then to move the UEFI firmware to the SPI Flash chip post-installation.|
 ====== Slackware ARM / 32bit ====== ====== Slackware ARM / 32bit ======
  
 slackwarearm:development-roadmap ()