Desktop Guide

This section covers the day-to-day management of a TechLit desktop, from system settings to software management.

The tl-sys-configure script (commonly known as reconfigure) is the primary tool for setting up a computer’s core identity and hardware compatibility settings. It provides a simple terminal-based menu for adjusting how the machine behaves on the network and interacts with its own hardware.

You can launch it by typing tl-sys-configure in the terminal.

• Role Assignment: Configure the machine to act as a server (distributing the classroom Wi-Fi) or a client (connecting to it).
• Network Setup: Set the Wi-Fi network name (SSID) that the computer should connect to.
• Hostname: Define the computer’s unique name on the network (e.g., tl-1234).
• Hardware Compatibility Hacks: Enable special workarounds to ensure hardware like graphics cards (GPU) and Wi-Fi adapters function correctly. If you experience graphical glitches or cannot connect to a network, enabling a hack is the first step to troubleshoot. You can enable multiple hacks at once.

This is your central tool for managing system components, updates, and storage. It helps you see what’s installed, free up disk space, and manage updates from a USB drive.

• Storage Management: List all installed components and their disk usage, and remove old components or snapshots to free up space.
• USB Operations: Install updates directly from a USB drive, including full desktop OS updates.

The process for updating the main Desktop OS is handled in the main Updating Guide. The method varies depending on the device’s storage size.

For detailed instructions, please see the Desktop Update Guide.