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Integrate Calamares graphical installer #46

@Anshgrover23

Description

@Anshgrover23

Integrate Calamares as the primary graphical installer for Cortex Linux desktop installations, providing a modern, branded installation experience.

Current Behavior

  • GRUB menu offers "Live Boot" or "Install" as separate options
  • Installation uses stock Debian Installer (d-i)
  • d-i has basic theming, looks dated
  • No branded installation slideshow

Proposed Behavior

  • Live boot is the default entry
  • "Install Cortex Linux" desktop icon launches Calamares
  • Calamares is fully themed with Cortex branding (dark theme, purple/cyan accents)
  • Installation slideshow showcases Cortex features
  • Keep d-i available in "Advanced Options" for server/automation use cases

GRUB Menu Structure

► Start Cortex Linux              ← Live desktop with Calamares icon
  Advanced Options ►
    └─ Install (Expert Mode)      ← d-i for automation/servers
    └─ Install (Text Mode)        ← For headless/SSH installs
    └─ Memory Test

Implementation Tasks

  • Add calamares to package lists
  • Create Calamares branding configuration (/etc/calamares/branding/cortex/)
    • branding.desc - metadata and strings
    • stylesheet.qss - dark theme matching Cortex colors
    • Logo and sidebar images
    • Installation slideshow (4-6 slides)
  • Configure Calamares modules
    • welcome.conf - language selection
    • partition.conf - disk partitioning
    • users.conf - user creation
    • packages.conf - package selection (optional)
  • Create desktop icon for installer
  • Update GRUB menu entries
  • Test on UEFI and BIOS systems
  • Test on both amd64 and arm64

Design Requirements

Color Palette

  • Background: #0F0F23 (dark)
  • Primary: #6B21A8 (purple)
  • Accent: #06B6D4 (cyan)
  • Text: #E2E8F0 (light gray)

Slideshow Content Ideas

  1. Welcome to Cortex Linux
  2. AI-Ready Development Environment
  3. Security by Default
  4. Customization & Theming
  5. Community & Support

References

Priority

Medium - Improves user experience but current d-i works

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