Call for contributors: Ubuntu Server image with Gladys pre-installed (project launched by Howmation)

Development
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Hi everyone,

I’m writing to ask for some help on a project that’s really close to my heart and could change a lot for new Gladys users.

The idea

Today, installing Gladys on a mini-PC requires going through an Ubuntu installation, then Docker, then Gladys. It’s accessible, but it remains a barrier for many people. The goal of this project is to offer a bootable ISO image that installs Ubuntu Server with Gladys pre-configured: you flash a USB key, boot the mini-PC, choose the disk, plug in the Ethernet, and at the end you open http://gladysassistant.local and Gladys is there. A real « Gladys box » that you make yourself.

Who’s behind it

It’s Howmation who started this project, and frankly, I think it’s a great idea. He has already done a huge amount of work, and the repository is public here: GitHub - GladysAssistant/ubuntu-server-gladys: WIP : Building a simpler OS to install Gladys Assistant · GitHub

Where we are

The core of the system is done. Concretely, in the repository there is already:

  • An installer based on Ubuntu Server LTS amd64, remastered with Subiquity Autoinstall (base image authenticated against Canonical signatures on each build)
  • An automated first boot that installs Docker, retrieves the gladysassistant/gladys:v5 image, and launches Gladys with Watchtower for updates
  • A tty1 console and a web setup page to follow the progress, with the new design already ported (still to be refined)
  • A hardened system by default: no SSH, no default account, locked root, automatic security updates
  • Python unit tests, QEMU integration tests (UEFI installation, first boot, network outage, power outage)
  • GitHub Actions workflows for CI, weekly tests, and release publishing
  • Complete documentation: architecture, build, operations, release, security, hardware checklist

What’s left to do

Howmation told me that the core is there, but we still need to make the CI/CD cleaner and more robust, and finish improving the design. He’s very busy right now with other developments, so the project needs extra hands to move forward. Here are the big topics we need help with:

  1. CI/CD: make the build, QEMU test, and release pipelines more reliable and simpler
  2. Tests on real hardware: the hardware checklist in the repository (docs/HARDWARE-TEST-CHECKLIST.md) needs to be validated on real mini-PCs (Intel N100/N150, Core, AMD Ryzen, NVMe, SATA, Secure Boot enabled or not). If you have a mini-PC on hand, it’s a valuable contribution even without writing a line of code
  3. Setup page design: finish refining the web interface of the first boot
  4. Review and feedback: test the build, read the docs, report what’s not working

How to contribute

  • Clone the repository and read the README and docs/BUILD.md, everything is explained to build the ISO locally
  • Test!
  • Reply to this topic if you want to take one of the above subjects, we’ll coordinate here so I can give you access to the repo!

The goal is to publish this very soon. Everything is already well advanced, we mainly need reviews, tests, and a bit of polish. If you have skills in Ubuntu, Autoinstall, Docker, GitHub Actions, Python, or simply a mini-PC to sacrifice for testing, your help is welcome!

A big thank you to Howmation for starting this project, and thanks in advance to everyone who wants to join in.