With the support of the FreeBSD Foundation, a new installer for FreeBSD is being developed that, unlike the currently used bsdinstall installer, will be able to operate in graphical mode and will be more user-friendly for regular users. Currently, the new installer is in the experimental prototype stage but is already capable of performing basic installation operations. For those interested in participating in the testing, a bootable ISO image has been prepared, which can work in Live mode.
The installer is written in Lua and is implemented as an HTTP server providing a web interface. The installation image represents a Live system that runs a working environment with a web browser displaying the installer’s web interface in a single-window mode. The server process of the installer and the browser run on the installation media, acting as backend and frontend. Additionally, there is an option to control the installation from an external host.
The project is being developed using a modular architecture. Based on the parameters chosen by the user, a configuration file is created, which is used as a script for the actual installation. Unlike the installation scripts supported in bsdinstall, the configuration files of the new installer have a more strictly defined structure and can be used to create alternative installation interfaces.
Source: opennet.ru
