Re: [GSoC] Draft proposal for an Install Wizard for Guix

[ludo@gnu.org (Ludovic Courtès)]

Hi!

(Removing summer-of-code@gnu.org.)

Thanks for your proposal!

Thomas Ingram <taingram@mtu.edu> skribis:

> Plan:
>
>   Before the summer starts:
>
> I will be reading up on the ncurses documentation and guile writing
> small programs to practice and prepare. I've been programming in
> scheme for six months so I'm still a relatively novice schemer, but
> will work hard to improve in the following months.
>
> I'll look at the source code of other installers like
> debian-installer, Ubiquity, and others in order to understand how the
> accomplish what the do and what features they offer. This will give me
> an idea of where to start and what level of features we will want.
>
> I will also become very familiar with the installation process of
> GuixSD as it currently exists in order to better understand how to
> automate the process. Also I will become more familiar with the Guix
> code base in order to follow the same style and such in my own code.
>
>   Once the summer has started:
>
> I will begin to write tools and a UI in ncurses to walk users through
> installing GuixSD onto their machine. I'll start by getting the basic
> interface and partitioning done then once that is done I will move on
> to adding and setting up new users and setting the root
> password/setting up sudo.
>
> Stretch goals: once that is completed and working well adding more
> options like picking between different desktop environments.

I like the goals you’re proposing for this installer.

How would you go implementing it?  The proposal does not explicitly
mention a UI library that would be used, and how the UI code would
interact with Guix and GuixSD code.

I know we’re super close to the deadline, but it would be nice to have a
clearer picture of this.

Thanks!

Ludo’.