Gentoo_Helper: graphical Gentoo installer – looking for test

[adamsz]

Hello Gentoo community,

I have created Gentoo_Helper, a graphical installer that simplifies the Gentoo installation process. The project is available on GitHub: https://github.com/Adam-szcz/Gentoo_Helper.git

Key features:

Support for multiple languages (including Polish and English)

A user-friendly interface for configuring the system

Automated installation steps

I'm looking for people willing to test it and share their feedback. Please give it a try and report any comments or issues.

Thank you!

[justguy]

improve instructions how to install it better if you do this right away then booting gentoo it always asking for name and password i tried password and name for my account but not worked tried github name and mine password not helped

[adamsz]

You need to enter the root password first, then provide the username and its password. After that, Gentoo should boot correctly and accept those credentials

[adamsz]

Can you describe in more detail what exactly the issue is? When you install Gentoo, make sure to always download the latest versions, as they are regularly updated. Also, which programs do you want to have available right after installation?

[adamsz]

Hello everyone,

I’m planning to refactor the installation steps so that they live in a separate file, and then add specific steps for the SystemD Desktop Profile. Do you think it would also be worthwhile to maintain plain OpenRC and SystemD profiles (without a desktop setup)?

Looking forward to your thoughts!

[justguy]

write better documentation IN English and describe more detailed what is "yourname" in steps you saying what to enter linux account or github account

[adamsz]

I don't understand what you mean by "yourname." Before installation, you need to set up a Gentoo user: ... . Please describe the problem in more detail — how are you installing Gentoo and what exactly happens? A proper guide will be created later; for now, the program is still under development.

[adamsz]

https://github.com/Adam-szcz/Gentoo_Hel ... its/v1.3.6

[Chiitoo]

I imagine "yourname" refers to the user account on the Linux side.

There should be absolutely no connection with GitHub or anything else with this aside from the source code.

[zen_desu]

any reason you're going out of your way to include genkernel?

[adamsz]

Genkernel is currently the quickest and simplest solution. In the future it will be just one of several installer options, and advanced users will be able to tweak the script and build the kernel the way they always have.

[zen_desu]

Genkernel is currently the quickest and simplest solution. In the future it will be just one of several installer options, and advanced users will be able to tweak the script and build the kernel the way they always have.

Genkernel is deprecated. Dracut will also work without additional config for basic setups. ugrd will auto-configure for more advanced setups like when LUKS is used. Both options are supported as USE flags for installkernel, which means dist-kernel can easily be used. I think for installers, it's best to guide users towards supported and simple options.

[adamsz]

Right now I’ve moved the install steps into a separate Python file, so it’s a lot easier to swap things in or out.
I’m currently working on the systemd branch, but it still doesn’t boot 100 % cleanly—if anyone wants to glance over the new steps file and point out mistakes, I’d really appreciate it.

Once that’s stable, adding an alternative path with dist-kernel + installkernel [dracut] (and ugrd when LUKS is enabled) should be straightforward. Genkernel will remain only as a legacy fallback.

I’ll have limited hacking time over the next week or two and I’m still learning Gentoo myself, so progress is a bit stop-and-go. There’s plenty left to polish and test, but the new structure should make future tweaks much quicker.

Thanks for the pointers—they’re already shaping the next version!

[zen_desu]

"Right now I’ve moved the install steps into a separate Python file, so it’s a lot easier to swap things in or out.
I’m currently working on the systemd branch, but it still doesn’t boot 100 % cleanly—if anyone wants to glance over the new steps file and point out mistakes, I’d really appreciate it.

Once that’s stable, adding an alternative path with dist-kernel + installkernel [dracut] (and ugrd when LUKS is enabled) should be straightforward. Genkernel will remain only as a legacy fallback.

I’ll have limited hacking time over the next week or two and I’m still learning Gentoo myself, so progress is a bit stop-and-go. There’s plenty left to polish and test, but the new structure should make future tweaks much quicker.

Thanks for the pointers—they’re already shaping the next version!

Those are some nice changes, I checked some of your commits, and they are a bit hard to follow. If you want to invite collaborators or get better eyes on your changes, using clear titles for commits, descriptions, and PRs where necessary can make it easier for others.

I'd recommend entirely dropping genkernel. It may be "gentoo legacy" but I'm not sure it'll work better on any older hardware than dracut. Part of the issue is that genkernel is not very actively maintained or tested, that makes supporting it harder, and having too many options can mean users are left taking less reliable options. If the supported options don't work, I'm not sure genkernel will be what ends up working.