Public SourceMage Discussion List

[Ryan Abrams <rabrams AT sourcemage.org>]

Ok.. so i started working on cauldron tonight. What I whipped up is in 
cvs in the installer branch. You can have a look.

Basically, what I have laid out is the following structure:

cauldron
cauldron.scripts
  -Advanced Install
  -Beginner Install
  -Recovery Prompt
cauldron.modules
  -Various Actions

Essentially, Cauldron looks in the scripts dir, determines what files 
are there, and lists them. The user picks a "script" which cauldron 
then includes in itself. This script calls various modules in various 
orders.. Modules can thus be shared between scripts and stuff.

There are a few other framework things to put in place before people 
start hacking on it though.. the first is an abstracted rendering api. 
Basically, instead of direct writing, call a function. That way we can 
easily switch to whatever look we want later. I will work on this this 
weekend.

The second thing is really an extension of the first.. and that is a 
decent looking text mode install process. I am going to get away from 
dialog. The process is being broken in to independant pieces, so moving 
backwards and forwards is gonna be pretty difficult. This could be 
changed later, but for now, i have a few ideas on a nice custom look. I 
will play this weekend on this as well.

I hope to have a /basic/ working Advanced Install script up and going 
in a week or two tops. Then I will start on the basic version, while 
others make the advanced one more advanced, etc...

If you have /anything/ to do with the 1.0 install process (basesystem, 
iso building, kernel spells, etc), and have any work that I dont have, 
send it to me now. I am going to work on assembling a very pre-alpha 
1.0 install iso, so we can test the installer in real installs as we 
develop it. I would like to make sure the installer works with the kind 
of thing we will be installing in 1.0

Anyway.. its a start. :)

-Ryan