Graphical live system installer for Essora Linux

Essora Installer is a GTK3 graphical installer for Essora Linux, a Devuan-based distribution using OpenRC as the init system. It copies the running live environment directly to disk and configures the user account, hostname, time zone, keyboard layout, and GRUB bootloader — all through a clean, wizard-style interface.

The installer is built entirely in Python 3 using GTK3 (via PyGObject), with no Calamares or Debian-installer dependency. It is distributed as a .deb package and runs as part of the Essora Linux live ISO.

• 7-step wizard built with Gtk.Assistant — Welcome, Time zone & Keyboard, Partitions, Account, Confirmation, Installing, Finished
• Undecorated window with a custom GNOME-style header bar and application menu
• Per-step validation with real-time feedback before proceeding
• GParted launcher integrated into the Partitions page for partition management

• Copies the live system to disk using rsync -aAX with standard live exclusions
• Supports ext4 and ext3 with custom volume label
• Optional separate /home partition
• Generates /etc/fstab automatically with correct UUIDs
• Supports UEFI (x86_64-efi) and BIOS/Legacy (i386-pc) GRUB installation
• Formats target partition before install (optional)

• User account creation with username/password validation
• Optional root password or locked root account
• Hostname configuration
• Time zone selector with searchable TreeView dialog
• Keyboard layout and model selector (reads evdev.lst)
• Regenerates /etc/machine-id after installation
• Disables live autologin (SLiM and OpenRC getty) on the installed system
• Optional SLiM autologin checkbox for the installed system
• KDE/Plasma locale configuration support
• Runs post-install cleanup scripts: removes live user, installer files, and configures SLiM

• 14 languages with automatic locale detection:

• Language selector on the Welcome page — switches the entire UI on-the-fly
• JSON-based translation files under lang/

• About dialog with GPL-3.0 license info, author, and clickable links
• Essora Locale integration (opens locale-essora from the Region page)
• Real-time installation log with rsync progress feedback
• Single-instance enforcement

• rsync — live system copy
• grub-install / update-grub — bootloader
• mkfs.ext4 / mkfs.ext3 — filesystem creation
• blkid — UUID/type detection
• mount / umount / chroot
• openssl — password hashing
• useradd / passwd

Install the .deb package on the Essora Linux live ISO:

sudo dpkg -i essora-installer_1.2-1_amd64.deb

Or launch directly from the application menu (the .desktop file is included).

To run manually (requires root):

sudo /usr/local/bin/essora-installer.sh

/usr/local/essora-installer/
├── essora-installer.py      # GTK3 frontend (Gtk.Assistant wizard)
├── backend.py               # Installation logic
├── essora-about.py          # About dialog (standalone)
├── translations.py          # JSON translation loader
├── gksu                     # Privilege escalation helper
├── icons/
│   └── essora-installer.png # Application icon (256×256)
└── lang/
    ├── en.json
    ├── es.json
    ├── fr.json
    ├── it.json
    ├── pt.json
    ├── ca.json
    ├── hu.json
    ├── ru.json
    ├── ja.json
    ├── zh.json
    ├── zh_TW.json
    ├── ar.json
    ├── ko.json
    └── de.json

/usr/local/bin/
└── essora-installer.sh      # Launcher script (runs as root)

/usr/local/locale-essora/
└── locale-essora            # Locale configuration tool (external, do not modify)

/usr/share/applications/
└── essora-installer.desktop # Application menu entry

Copyright (C) 2026 josejp2424

This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.

See LICENSE for the full text.

josejp2424

• GitHub: https://github.com/josejp2424
• SourceForge: https://sourceforge.net/projects/essora/
• Contact: Telgram Essora

Essora Installer is one component of the broader Essora Linux project, a Devuan-based distribution using OpenRC, SLiM, and a curated set of GTK3 applications built for a lightweight, fast-booting, and cohesive desktop experience.

Other tools in the ecosystem include: Essora Store, Essora Firewall, Essora Updater, Essora System Center, Essora Remaster, and more.