Thus, I've downloaded the Debian net installer CD -- using the BitTorrent P2P distribution for downloading the Debian net installer CD, then applying the ctorrent command-line BitTorrent application on my FreeBSD laptop. After some small effort for resolving an initial issue at installation time, I've now installed Debian into a VirtualBox virtual guest machine, on my FreeBSD laptop. Of course, this being a learning experience -- and although the style in which I write about this learning experience may not seem like "Normal English" to some readers' estimations -- I've considered that it may be useful to record some of my own technical observations from this learning experience, specifically of installing Debian 8.2 from the amd64 netinst CD.
Firstly, as in order to so much complete the installation, I've configured the VirtualBox virutal guest machine such that the virtual guest machine would utilize the VirtualBox ICH9 CPU emulation -- juxtaposed to the VirtualBox PIIX3 CPU emulation. When the virtual guest machine was configured, originally, to use the PIIX3 CPU emulation, the installation would "Freeze", reproducibly -- furthermore, always "Freezing" at a specific time, such as when installing the 'passwd' utility during the Debian installer process. My not being immediately predisposed to bug track that specific issue, I've sought a workaround, and have found a workaround of the issue.
Simply, in the graphical configuration panel for the VirtualBox virtual guest machine for the Debian installation -- specifically, in the virtual guest machine 'System' configuration panel, 'Motherboard' configuration tab -- I've selected the ICH9 Chipset emulation instead of the PIIX3 Chipset emulation. Once making that single change to the configuration for the virtual guest machine, I was able to complete the Debian installation. (Ed. Note: Of course, this configuration change could also be made in applying the 'vboxmanage' shell command, as may be installed with the VirtualBox OSE port on FreeBSD hosts. The VirtualBox manual describes the 'vboxmanage' shell command, at depth)
In order to create something of a minimalist desktop, in the Debian virtual guest machine, I'd selected the XFCE desktop at installation time. Furthermore, I'd deselected the print server installation task, at that time -- thus limiting the amount of software that the installer would install in the virtual guest machine, before "First boot".
Of course, the Debian virtual guest machine will be applied, on my FreeBSD laptop, not as if for creating a stand-alone virtual desktop environment of the Debian installation. Rather, ,the Debian virtual guest machine will be applied as to provide some desktop application services, such that may then be presented on the FreeBSD desktop via the VirtualBox "Seamless" display integration -- such that it will then be possible to use the Evernote and Mendeley desktop applications, without those applications being installed immediately to the FreeBSD laptop's root filesystem.
At "First boot," with the newly created Debian virtual guest machine, I installed the Debian package virtualbox-guest-dkms. To install the Debian package, I used aptitude package manager application on Debian. The selection is illustrated on an XFCE desktop, in the following screenshot.
After installing the virtualbox-guest-dkms package, I've then rebooted the Debian installation within the virtual guest machine. Following the reboot, the Debian installation can now utilize the VirtualBox Seamless display mode. Effectively, this allows for a close visual integration of desktop applications running directly in the Debian virtual guest machine, in a manner of visual integration with the FreeBSD desktop -- at which desktop, I've been applying the Cinnamon desktop environment.
Of course, the installation is not as functionally seamless as much as it may seem visually seamless, at least by the time of "Second boot". At time of "Second boot," I can't help but notice that the virtual host machine's mouse pointer is not actually producing input events to the desktop in the virtual guest machine. The host machine's mouse pointer then appearing to make a manner of geometry events, in the virtual guest machine -- at least, from how it seems, with the desktop of the virtual guest machine being displayed within a VirtualBox window on the virtual host machine. It may be that the virtual guest machine is not receiving any input from the host machine's mouse pointer, in the "Second boot"
At "Second boot," the desktop of the virtual guest machine has become unresponsive to the mouse pointer of the virtual host machine -- perhaps it may be something to do with the APIC implementation in the virtual guest machine, as I've not seen any such issue with the Microsoft Windows virtual guest machine I've installed on the same host machine. In retrospect, the "Unresponsive" state of the host machine's mouse pointer may have actually preceded the switch into Seamless mode in the display of the virtual guest machine. Perhaps it may be "Cleared up" with a simple reconfiguration of the respective VirtualBox virtual guest machine.
After shutting down the virtual guest machine in its minimal "Second boot" configuration, I've now reconfigured the virtual guest machine -- as such, within the host operating system -- such as to apply the original PIIX3 Chipset emulation within the virtual guest machine. Subsequently, I've booted to "Third boot." In a simple commentary, it may seem that the ICH9 Chipset emulation was sufficient for application at installation time, but that it's not working out as well, for application at normal desktop runtime. With the PIIX3 Chipset emulation again selected, then at "Third boot" of the virtual guest machine, again I'm able to use the host mouse pointer within the virtual guest machine.
The screenshot, above, illustrates the VirtualBox seamless desktop integration, with Debian 8.2 running in a VirtualBox virtual guest machine, and the VirtualBox virtualization services then running on a FreeBSD host. On the FreeBSD host, I'm applying the Cinnamon desktop environment. In the virtual guest machine -- presently -- I'm applying the LXDE desktop environment. Though I'm considering to deactivate the desktop environment, entirely -- albeit, then to a loss of "Window switching" behaviors in the virtual guest machine -- personally, I think LXDE is a nice "Starting point" for interacting with the virtual guest machine via a desktop/menu graphical interface.
As illustrated in the previous screenshot, when the VirtualBox virtual guest machine's display window is active on the virtual host desktop environment, and the virtual guest machine display window is configured for VirtualBox Seamless display mode, then the host machine displays the LXDE desktop environment effectively as a layer on top of the host machine's desktop. Visually, the effect is as if the Debian LXDE installation was running immediately within the Cinnamon desktop on FreeBSD. (Ed. note: Effectively, that is a characteristic of the functional configuration, moreover, with the LXDE desktop running within VirtualBox -- the VirtualBox virutalization services then providing a manner of a "Middle services layer" in running the Debian virtual guest machine, and VirtualBox running within a desktop on a FreeBSD host.)
There are a number of optimizations that may serve to produce an optimally running virtual desktop environment, of a Linux installation in VirtualBox -- for instance, to adjust the "clock" timer in the Linux kernel configuration to a value that may be more optimal than the default value, such as for running a Linux desktop within a VirtualBox virtual guest machine. Furthermore, it may be advisable to disable the screensaver in the virtual guest machine. To any further detail, such optimizations will be left as an exercise for another article.
By time of "Fourth boot," hopefully my own simple CorvidCube will have the Evernote and Mendeley desktop applications installed. Presently, perhaps it's an -- albeit wordy -- "Howto" towards a configuration of a sort of meta-development environment on a desktop PC.
Ed. Note: As it turns out, the Evernote desktop application is not available for Linux platforms. Mendeley is, though [Download Mendeley Desktop for Linux]. Bibliography, and so on....
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