From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (qmail 10794 invoked from network); 3 Feb 2004 03:43:30 +0000 Received: from smtp.gentoo.org (128.193.0.39) by eagle.gentoo.oregonstate.edu with DES-CBC3-SHA encrypted SMTP; 3 Feb 2004 03:43:30 +0000 Received: from lists.gentoo.org ([128.193.0.34] helo=eagle.gentoo.org) by smtp.gentoo.org with esmtp (Exim 4.24) id 1AnrTG-0001mO-9J for arch-gentoo-installer@lists.gentoo.org; Tue, 03 Feb 2004 03:43:30 +0000 Received: (qmail 24254 invoked by uid 50004); 3 Feb 2004 03:37:18 +0000 Mailing-List: contact gentoo-installer-help@gentoo.org; run by ezmlm Precedence: bulk List-Post: List-Help: List-Unsubscribe: List-Subscribe: List-Id: Gentoo Linux mail Reply-To: gentoo-installer@lists.gentoo.org X-BeenThere: gentoo-installer@lists.gentoo.org Received: (qmail 960 invoked from network); 3 Feb 2004 03:37:18 +0000 Message-ID: <401F1769.7050602@gentoo.org> Date: Mon, 02 Feb 2004 22:37:13 -0500 From: Eric Sammer User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.7a) Gecko/20040110 X-Accept-Language: en-us, en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: gentoo-installer@lists.gentoo.org References: <401E4DAB.8030409@skylineaero.com> In-Reply-To: <401E4DAB.8030409@skylineaero.com> X-Enigmail-Version: 0.82.6.0 X-Enigmail-Supports: pgp-inline, pgp-mime Content-Type: multipart/signed; micalg=pgp-sha1; protocol="application/pgp-signature"; boundary="------------enig95E735373331889FEBB69C66" X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 2.60 (1.212-2003-09-23-exp) on samus.int.ineoconcepts.net X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, hits=-4.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00 autolearn=ham version=2.60 Subject: Re: [gentoo-installer] a few different questions X-Archives-Salt: ba6ec9a3-9ae2-4260-ab1a-187950f63370 X-Archives-Hash: bbc95d72a4f9ddbac2f6853a6719744e --------------enig95E735373331889FEBB69C66 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit At risk of being extremely repetitive, it seems to be worth repeating. Andrew Gaffney wrote: > I've got a few questions about the proposed new installer: > > 1. I've heard that the core installer will be written in Python. Is this > true? Docs. > 2. Whether Python or not, will real-time frontends have to be written > the same language as the core installer, or will it be controlled > through a pipe or similar method? I'm not entirely sure what you mean by "real time" but the physical commands will be shelled out where required. If you're asking if we're going to reimplement fdisk in pure python, the answer is a certain "no." ;) > 3. Will the core installer have plugin capabilities (e.g. user-created > configuration/installation steps), either scripted (bash) or coded > (Python or whatever)? It depends on what you want to do. You can create arch templates (see the docs re: arch templates) that define the steps to perform and the actions that will be taken. Custom steps (see the docs re: steps) can be added increasing the front end (see the docs re: front end) options and what the user may do. Arch templates basically implement the control portion of the back end (see docs re: back end) and handle the flow control. In short, docs. :) > 4. Which existing installer will the new code be based from or will this > be done completely from scratch possibly using existing concepts? Existing ideas will be taken and reused but all code will be a reimplementation to develop a generic platform. We'll be taking the best of each and running with it. Again, docs. > 5. Are there any plans to include X along with Qt, GTK, Tcl/Tk, etc. on > the LiveCD to allow for the creation of GUI installer frontends? There was talk of potentially creating a custom live cd with things that the installer can use / wants. Nothing was decided, but with catalyst, it becomes trivial (in comparison) so I imagine it will be decided later. A simpler answer is the main live cd will almost never contain a full X environment. Love it or hate it - people will never agree and it's outside the scope of the installer project to try and force such issues either way. > 6. What is already done? What needs to be done? What is still up in the > air? Docs, docs, and docs. > 7. How can I help? Writing docs. Writing code. Offering ideas. Testing. Testing. Testing. > I don't know Python, but I have pretty decent bash - > only since working on GLIS frontend ;) - and Perl skills. I don't know > any Python, but I can always learn. While writing code is not to be discounted, there are many ways to help. > 8. Anything else important that I might have missed? The docs. :) I'm sorry about busting your chops with regard to the docs. We have spent a lot of time putting them together to answer these kinds of questions (and others) and are trying to get people to look at them (and hopefully read them without glazing over). Of course, I jest for the most part but it can become difficult to repeat some things. -- Eric Sammer Gentoo Linux http://www.gentoo.org --------------enig95E735373331889FEBB69C66 Content-Type: application/pgp-signature; name="signature.asc" Content-Description: OpenPGP digital signature Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="signature.asc" -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.2.4 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org iD8DBQFAHxdsD/V/IA6/2WURAgmrAKCoJ12Ew/htMb7WpeBw8jqC9t8beQCfSGsc r4sYLaGpgdtFeBadeezu2CQ= =pTTe -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- --------------enig95E735373331889FEBB69C66--