[gentoo-soc] New idea: Gentoo installer

[wiktor w brodlo]

Hi all!

I'm wiktor, I took part in GSoC at Gentoo last year (g-pear).
Unfortunately I couldn't spend more time on my project after summer
due to a various mix of events which are irrelevant to the discussion.
Anyway, I'd like to come back again this year (hopefully all will go
right this time!) and I've got an idea.

Gentoo installer.

I know we've been there already, and failed (mostly through becoming
obsolete though) (http://www.gentoo.org/proj/en/releng/installer/),
that there is Quickstart (hasn't been updated in four months)
(http://agaffney.org/quickstart.php) and that there is this project to
bring Anaconda to Gentoo
(http://en.gentoo-wiki.com/wiki/Google_Summer_of_Code_2011_ideas#Provide_Gentoo_11_LiveDVDs_with_Anaconda_installer)
- however, I think an alternative installation method should exist.

I know about all the controversies that appeared during the
development of the original Gentoo installer and I believe that the
official installation method should be the Handbook. However, having
to install a very similar system on a few computers, installation "by
hand" becomes quite mundane. Also, the Handbook has a lot of places
where it asks you to go compile some stuff before continuing with your
installation - on slower computers this can take a significant amount
of time, during which the computer is pretty much locked but you still
have to come look at it from time to time.

I've had an idea to implement an anaconda-style
wizard/menuconfig-style configurer allowing you to pick all the
options and settings for a basic Gentoo system (locales, timezones,
partition layout, bootloader, logger, cron, network, kernel config,
portage settings, USE etc.) and when all this information is
available, setting up the configuration files for you then emerging
the chosen packages. You can then go away for a few hours/days and
come back to a basic Gentoo install. It's probably too early for X yet
(though eventually I'd like X + chosen environment to be supported),
and I've got some ideas as to how kernel configuration can be slightly
automated.

Of course, as with every non-handbook installation method, there is a
certain common denominator for which the installers can work, and any
complex/"weird" installation is out of question, however I think most
Gentoo installs have some similarities. Also, this is why I believe
the installer should build a simple, basic (for some definition of
"basic") Gentoo that the user can then continue tweaking. The idea is
to save some time, as you don't have to spend time waiting for two or
three tools to compile.

It was born both as a reply to some of my friends who would like to
try Gentoo but are "afraid of compiling" or simply don't have so much
time to spend on building a basic system. If the build process can be
automated, I'm sure they wouldn't mind trying. Also, my brother has
recently asked me to install Gentoo on his 10-years-old Celeron-based
computer and I've only had a Core 2 Duo laptop on my disposal - I've
spent the whole weekend and it was still not finished. If I had my
envisioned installer, I'd just set it up and go away to enjoy my
weekend with family.

What do you think?

~ wiktor.