With the support of the FreeBSD Foundation, a new installer is being developed for FreeBSD that, unlike the current bsdinstall installer, can be used in graphical mode and is more understandable to ordinary users. Currently, the new installer is at the stage of an experimental prototype, but it can already perform basic installation operations. For those who wish to take part in testing, an installation iso image has been prepared that can work in Live mode.
The installer is written in Lua and implemented as an http server that provides a web interface. The installation image is a Live system that launches a working environment with a web browser that displays the installer's web interface in single-window mode. The installer server process and browser run on the installation media and act as backend and frontend. Additionally, it is possible to control the installation from an external host.
The project is developed using a modular architecture. Based on the parameters selected by the user, a configuration file is generated that is used as a script for a real installation. Unlike the installation scripts supported by bsdinstall, the new installer's configuration files are more tightly defined and can be used to create alternative installation interfaces.
Source: opennet.ru