(Fix): replaced hardcoded C.__uint32_t / C.__int32_t casts with a C helper function (auth/utmpx_time.h) that lets the compiler handle type conversion.

.gitignore

@@ -3,4 +3,6 @@ go_project_build_documentation.md
 documentation.md
 
 session.md
-build/*
+build/*
+examples/*
+things_todo.md

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+# Changelog
+
+## 0.1.0 — Unreleased
+
+first public release
+
+### What's In
+
+- tui login screen with username/password fields, session switcher, and status messages
+- supports x11, wayland, and tty sessions
+- pam authentication via cgo (thread-locked for safety)
+- faillock integration — detects lockouts, shows remaining attempts, admin bypass via ctrl+u
+- conway's game of life background rendered at 30 fps with unicode half-block characters
+- spring animation on switcher transitions
+- shake animation on failed login
+- caps lock indicator via ioctl
+- configurable power controls (shutdown/reboot on f1/f2 by default)
+- toml configuration with `$VARIABLE` substitution
+- preview mode (`--preview`) to test the login screen without leaving your session
+- utmpx user accounting (glibc only)
+- x11 session setup — xauthority cookies, sigusr1 handshake, server timeout
+- privilege dropping for child processes
+- log piping with 64 mb cap
+
+### Recent Fixes
+
+- **utmpx time field portability** — replaced hardcoded `C.__uint32_t` / `C.__int32_t` casts with a C helper function (`auth/utmpx_time.h`) that lets the compiler handle type conversion. fixes build failure on systems where `ut_tv` uses `struct timeval` instead of the 32/64 compat struct
+- **makefile `deps` target** — added `make deps` to automatically install `libpam0g-dev` and `build-essential`, and verify go is present
+- **readme overhaul** — rewrote for clarity: added "what problem does this solve", "how it works", known issues, simpler install instructions, and proper dependency listing
+
+### What's Missing
+
+- no tests
+- session spawning uses `ForkExec` which is less clean than the original fork-then-exec model
+- not all config options affect the rendering yet
+- occasional terminal state corruption on abrupt exit
+- automata background can flicker on rapid terminal resizes

Makefile

@@ -33,9 +33,25 @@ RST       := \033[0m
 
 ##  ─── targets ────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
-.PHONY: all build install uninstall clean test lint fmt vet \
+.PHONY: all deps build install uninstall clean test lint fmt vet \
         run-preview release help
 
+deps:  ## install system dependencies
+	@printf "  $(BLUE)%-10s$(RST) checking dependencies...\n" "DEPS"
+	@if ! dpkg -s libpam0g-dev >/dev/null 2>&1; then \
+		printf "  $(YELLOW)%-10s$(RST) sudo apt install -y libpam0g-dev\n" ""; \
+		sudo apt install -y libpam0g-dev; \
+	fi
+	@if ! dpkg -s build-essential >/dev/null 2>&1; then \
+		printf "  $(YELLOW)%-10s$(RST) sudo apt install -y build-essential\n" ""; \
+		sudo apt install -y build-essential; \
+	fi
+	@if ! command -v go >/dev/null 2>&1; then \
+		printf "  $(RED)%-10s$(RST) go not found — install go 1.22+\n" ""; \
+		exit 1; \
+	fi
+	@printf "  $(GREEN)%-10s$(RST) dependencies ok\n" "DEPS"
+
 all: build  ## build the release binary
 
 build: $(BUILD_DIR)/$(BINARY)  ## compile latchd

README.md

@@ -44,31 +44,18 @@ This project is a work in progress. here's what you should know:
 
 ### from source
 
-you need go 1.22 or later and `libpam-dev` (or your distro's equivalent).
+you need go 1.22 or later, `libpam0g-dev` (debian/ubuntu) or `pam-devel` (rhel/fedora) or `pam` (arch), and a c compiler (`build-essential`).
 
 ```bash
-# clone and build
-cd src
-go build -ldflags="-s -w" -o latchd .
-sudo cp latchd /usr/bin/
-
-# set up config and session directories
-sudo mkdir -p /etc/latchd/wms /etc/latchd/wayland /var/log /var/cache
-sudo cp ../extra/config.toml /etc/latchd/config.toml
-sudo cp ../extra/xsetup.sh /etc/latchd/xsetup.sh
-sudo cp ../extra/lemurs.pam /etc/pam.d/latchd
-sudo cp ../extra/lemurs.service /etc/systemd/system/latchd.service
-
-# enable the service
+make deps              # install system dependencies
+sudo make install      # build, install binary + configs + systemd unit
 sudo systemctl enable latchd
 ```
 
-you can also use the makefile:
+to test without rebooting:
 
 ```bash
-make build        # compile to build/latchd
-sudo make install # install to /usr/bin and set up systemd
-make run-preview  # test the login screen in your current terminal
+make run-preview
 ```
 
 ### arch

src/auth/utmpx.go

@@ -6,8 +6,10 @@ package auth
 /*
 #include <utmpx.h>
 #include <string.h>
-#include <sys/time.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
+#include <stdint.h>
+
+#include "utmpx_time.h"
 */
 import "C"
 import (
@@ -49,8 +51,7 @@ func AddUtmpx(user string, tty uint8, pid uint32) *UtmpxSession {
 	ut.ut_id[0] = C.char(ttyCh)
 
 	us := time.Now().UnixMicro()
-	ut.ut_tv.tv_sec = C.__uint32_t(us / 1_000_000)
-	ut.ut_tv.tv_usec = C.__int32_t(us % 1_000_000)
+	C.latchd_set_utmpx_time(&ut, C.int64_t(us/1_000_000), C.int32_t(us%1_000_000))
 
 	C.setutxent()
 	C.pututxline(&ut)

src/auth/utmpx_time.h

@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+// Helper: assign seconds + microseconds to utmpx's ut_tv field.
+// The C compiler handles the type conversion, so this works whether
+// ut_tv is struct timeval (long tv_sec/tv_usec) or the compat struct
+// (__uint32_t tv_sec / __int32_t tv_usec).
+
+static inline void latchd_set_utmpx_time(struct utmpx *ut, int64_t sec, int32_t usec) {
+	ut->ut_tv.tv_sec  = sec;
+	ut->ut_tv.tv_usec = usec;
+}