[NTLUG:Discuss] Setting up VirtualBox OSE

[Alex Maurin]

How do I make a developer workstation out of my laptop.

I have googled this, and still can't figure it out.

I have not been able to really learn python without being able to
experiment on it.

I have little idea where to begin.

I am not familiar with the open source development cycle.

I was hoping my first project would be a
platform-independent remote secondary package manager to help support
techs install software remotely.

Basically, one would install this package manager using the primary
package manager of the platform, using DEBs, RPMs or whatever.

I want the user to be able to install this easily on any platform Java
or Python can handle.

I want to install Python Eggs as the packages.

Say I email my client a link to my website with a Java Web Start link.

He clicks it, installs it.

Now I walk him through the install over the phone, installing the Egg Manager.

Over the phone, I then negotiate a connection to his computer via
passwords and certificates.

Once that is done, I now have the means to install further software in
Python and Java, regardless of platform, by way of the add-on manager.

VNC alone does not work for me.
SSH alone does not work for me.

I need to install services to use them.

I thought, in my limited understanding, that perhaps Java + Python is
the way to go, all things considered.

I also thought that Java Web Start would work well, as the install is
over the network.

I thought that Python would be the scripting language most of the app
was written in, including the add-ons that provided
platform-independence and services.

I thought that Python Eggs would be an ideal way to install new
add-ons using this universal add-on manager.

What I actually want to learn is how an ideal project gets set up.

Here is my ideal afaik:

Python as the primary language.

Mercurial as the version control system.

DEB as the (default) package format. (I'll learn RPM JAR and EGG formats later.)

Where do I begin?

I love the ideas of Python and Mercurial, but don't know how to use them.

RE: http://www.russellbeattie.com/blog/distributed-revision-control-systems-git-vs-mercurial-vs-svn

Thank you very much!