about di-live (Re: TurnKey Linux: new project builds Ubuntu based Live CD appliances)

[Liraz Siri]

Soren Hansen wrote:
> I'm not sure I understand this.. Is it a live cd or is it installable?
> If both, how is this achieved? Do you choose at boot whether you want to
> run a live cd or to install, or do you have a new mechanism for
> installing from a live system running from a live cd (since I presume
> ubiquity won't work from a console)?

It's actually both.

1) There is a a new installation mechanism involved (di-live) which we
    wrote since Ubiquity doesn't (yet) run from the console in a live CD
    type usage scenario.

2) There is a boot option ("install to hard disk") that will take you to
    the installer first thing after the live system boots.

    http://www.turnkeylinux.org/docs/screenshots

If you run the system "live", then di-live doesn't run by default but
you can invoke it manually (I.e., /usr/bin/di-live).

Our next batch of releases will include a curses configuration console
that will run by default and give you the option to invoke the installer
even if you boot into live mode, but its really just a matter of
providing a convenient user interface. Behind the scenes di-live, unlike
debian-installer (which runs in initramfs), always runs from a live
system.

di-live is mostly based on debian-installer with a bit of glue code
written in Python. You can find the source code here:

http://code.turnkeylinux.org/di-live/

Cheers,
Liraz