From f60e7b5ad11a48a84612e4097d1bae9a339d51de Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Kareem Horstink <kareem@horstink.me>
Date: Fri, 3 Jul 2026 08:38:34 +0000
Subject: [PATCH] Switch from venv to conda for environment management

- start.bat and start.sh now create conda env (paperdash, Python 3.11)
- README updated with conda setup instructions
- Fixes pyhwinfo installation issues on Python 3.12+
---
 README.md        |  8 ++++----
 server/start.bat | 16 ++++++++--------
 server/start.sh  | 14 +++++++-------
 3 files changed, 19 insertions(+), 19 deletions(-)

diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 06cf51c..56a218c 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -120,12 +120,12 @@ e-ink-dash/
 
 ```bash
 cd server
-python start.bat    # Windows
+bash start.bat    # Windows
 # or
 bash start.sh       # Linux/macOS
 ```
 
-The scripts create a venv, install dependencies, and start the server. On first run, `config.yaml` is auto-generated with:
+The scripts create a conda env (`paperdash` with Python 3.11), install dependencies, and start the server. On first run, `config.yaml` is auto-generated with:
 
 - A random 6-digit PIN (logged to console)
 - A random API token (logged to console)
@@ -136,8 +136,8 @@ The scripts create a venv, install dependencies, and start the server. On first
 
 ```bash
 cd server
-python -m venv venv
-venv\Scripts\activate  # Windows
+conda create -y -n paperdash python=3.11
+conda activate paperdash
 pip install -r requirements.txt
 python -m uvicorn main:app --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8921
 ```
diff --git a/server/start.bat b/server/start.bat
index 07aa5be..6e01888 100644
--- a/server/start.bat
+++ b/server/start.bat
@@ -1,20 +1,20 @@
 @echo off
 REM PaperDash Server Startup Script
-REM Creates venv if needed, installs dependencies, and starts the server
+REM Creates conda env if needed, installs dependencies, and starts the server
 
 setlocal
 
 cd /d "%~dp0"
 
-REM Create venv if it doesn't exist
-if not exist "venv" (
-    echo Creating virtual environment...
-    python -m venv venv
+REM Check if conda env exists
+if not exist "conda_env" (
+    echo Creating conda environment...
+    conda create -y -n paperdash python=3.11
+    call conda activate paperdash
+) else (
+    call conda activate paperdash
 )
 
-REM Activate venv
-call venv\Scripts\activate.bat
-
 REM Install dependencies
 echo Installing dependencies...
 pip install --upgrade pip
diff --git a/server/start.sh b/server/start.sh
index b361d10..4ef7702 100644
--- a/server/start.sh
+++ b/server/start.sh
@@ -1,20 +1,20 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 # PaperDash Server Startup Script
-# Creates venv if needed, installs dependencies, and starts the server
+# Creates conda env if needed, installs dependencies, and starts the server
 
 set -e
 
 SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
 cd "$SCRIPT_DIR"
 
-# Create venv if it doesn't exist
-if [ ! -d "venv" ]; then
-    echo "Creating virtual environment..."
-    python3 -m venv venv
+# Check if conda env exists
+if ! conda env list | grep -q "paperdash"; then
+    echo "Creating conda environment..."
+    conda create -y -n paperdash python=3.11
 fi
 
-# Activate venv
-source venv/bin/activate
+# Activate conda env
+conda activate paperdash
 
 # Install dependencies
 echo "Installing dependencies..."