Project GSoC 2013: Installer Rework

[Alfonso Sabato Siciliano]

Hello,

I would want to work at this project: "Installer rework"
for the Google summer of code 2013, meta information [0].
If time permits I might add to the project the characteristics
of another projects: "Make DragonFly multiboot capable" (meta
information [0]) and/or "The BSD Installer" [1].

I hope this is the first step to start contributing to DragonFly BSD
also in the future. I love multiprocessor programming so DFBSD looks
very tempting for me and I also like all the other features: HAMMER,
LWKT, NUMA, and so on...(I am migrating my laptop from Debian
to DragonFly BSD)
However working on an OS installer has always been one of my dreams then,
for the reasons above, DragonFly BSD is a great place for me.

Before writing an official application template I would like to give
a draft to confront the mentor and write an application template
that fits the needs of DragonFly BSD.


Draft of Application Template

Name: Alfonso Sabato Siciliano
 I am attending the last year of Master's degree at the University of
Salerno, Italy.
 I have completed my bachelor's degree with 110/110 with honors.
 I have written some open source software: for my dissertation: (C lang)
 Implementation of RFID secure cryptography protocols [2],
 (C++) 3D game [3], (Java) on my site [4],  debian contributions: [5][6][7].

Email: alfix86 at gmail.com

Phone number: 01139 0818299038

Project title: Installer rework

Description of project goals:

 The project is aimed at upgrade and partially rewrite (to add features) the
 installer  to be much simpler to maintain.
 Several functions scattered around in other base utils should be factored
 out into libraries that both the installer and the util it comes from can use,
 examples:
  -partitioning (both GPT and MBR) should be factored out into two libraries,
   that the fdisk and the gpt tools use, but the installer can make use of, too.
  -disklabel32/64 functionality
  -adduser (and other user/group management)
 In addition, the project will add new features to make it easier installation
 process for users, example: cfdisk.
 The updated installer should then make use of all these new libraries and
 other  ones that are already  available (libcryptsetup, libluks,
liblvm, libtcplay)
 to offer more advanced features.
 If time permits I might add to the project the characteristics
 of anothers projects: "Make DragonFly multiboot capable" (meta
information [0])
 and/or "The BSD Installer" [1].


Project timeline broken down by week:

Week 1:
 Study the code.

Week 2-5:
 Scattered functions should be factored out into libraries.

Week 6-8:
 Add new features to the installer.

Week 9-12:
 Testing and I might add to the project the
 characteristics of projects: "Make DragonFly multiboot capable" [0]
 and/or "The BSD Installer" [1].

Additional resources as hardware or software needed for this project:

 This project should not need special hardware resources, only my laptop;
 however for any eventuality I can use computers of the University.
 For resources software just DragonFly BSD.

Please include or provide links to prior code related to this area of work:

 Source code of DragonFly BSD Installer.


I hope that someone will be willing to help me write a more accurate Template.

Thank you for your attention.
regards,
  Alfonso

[0] http://www.dragonflybsd.org/docs/developer/gsocprojectspage/
[1] http://www.bsdinstaller.org/about.html
[2] it should be on the site of the University but it is under renovation.
    I will upload soon protocols on my personal website [4].
[3] https://sites.google.com/site/dangeruboot/video-immagini
[4] http://www.alfix.altervista.org/portale/
[5] http://qa.debian.org/developer.php?login=alfix86@gmail.com
[6] https://mentors.debian.net/packages/uploader/alfix86%40gmail.com
[7] http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=668914