On Thu, Sep 05, 2019 at 11:27:03PM -0500, golinux@??? wrote:
> Dear Dev1ers,
>
> Many of you have asked how you can help Devuan. Well, here's an opportunity
> - especially for those who keep asking when Beowulf will be released!

I have just had a go in a couple of scenarios using a VM.

The basic process is:

 1) Install sysvinit-core (if you don't have it already), remove libnss-systemd
    and reboot.
 2) Manually download and  install devuan-keyring (wget, dpkg -i).
 3) change apt sources from buster to beowulf.
 4) apt update.
 4) apt full-upgrade or apt-get dist-upgrade.

The process is not too bad, particularly if you have a very basic
install. However, the main issue is step 1) if you have anything desktoppy
installed (lightdm, xfce....). Debian's libpam-systemd unhelpfully depends on
systemd-sysv which in turn conflicts with sysvinit-core. So, by installing
sysvinit-core the whole chain systemd-sysv -> libpam-systemd -> policykit ->
desktop gets more or less removed. Of course it could all be reinstalled later,
but that is understandably probably too much for most users.

I have already submitted #935304 which is being ignored and may well not be
fixed in bullseye. Sigh!

In the report I point out that libpam-systemd depending on systemd-sysv doesn't mean
systemd will always be PID 1, which is (I think) the intention of it.

So, I am working on a transitional package that could help in devuan to smooth
this out and not require the whole GUI to be removed and reinstalled. The basic
idea is that the transitional package Provides systemd-sysv and Depends
sysvinit-core. Installing it temporarily will satisfy libpam-systemd whilst the
system is rebooted without having to uninstall half of the system.

Thoughts?

Mark