Trying it out

You can try Mer out right now in a virtual machine.

In order to create and boot a Mer-based system running the Nemo UX, follow the next steps:

• Get tools required to create a bootable image from RPM repository per the Image Creation guide.
• Don't forget to run the mic-create-bootstrap step of the Image Creation guide before building it for the first time.
• Make yourself an image using mic-image-creator using this kickstart file created by Stskeeps.

sudo mic-image-creator --format=raw --cache=mycache --mainrepo=mer-core --arch=i586 --config=nemo-handset-i586-testing-0.20111128.3.CE.2011-12-01.2.ks

• Run the image file with your favorite emulation software, Qemu and VirtualBox are both confirmed to work. In case you prefer Virtualbox, you might want to use the vdi format instead of raw for the image generated by mic-image-creator.

Note: By default Qemu will grab your mouse cursor, making mouse interaction less intuitive due to the lack of a mouse cursor from Nemo. In order to enable mouse integration with Qemu, similar to the way it is in VirtuaBbox, you can use the "-usbdevice tablet" option.

Note: Check also discussion page for tips and feel free to add your own.

Prebuilt image

For Meego UX to run properly, it needs GL-capable hardware. That is why if you run usual i586 image in a hypervisor it fails to start Xorg. In order to workaround that, Stskeeps made a special image with llvmpipe GL renderer. Hence this image is capable to run in VM.

Here is the last image. Good luck with it.

Notes:

• if you run qemu/kvm (like I do), then this tweaks might be helpful for you:

 QEMU_AUDIO_DRV=alsa kvm -cdrom meego-nemo-handset-i586-testing-0.20111128.3.CE.2011-12-01.2-1.2.90.20111212.1054.iso -smp 2 -m 512M -usbdevice tablet -soundhw ac97

• sound doesn't work (yet), though Meego/pa see the sound card
• sometimes you can see blackouts. That supposed to be semi-transparent pictures and this doesn't work with llvmpipe. You can't do anything with it yet. Just try to click corners blindly.

Again, good luck.