## page was renamed from InstallerDevelopment/ToDo
See Installer/Development for technical details on how to get started. Usually best to start with a particular component and learn by expansion from there.

locale configuration (localechooser)
 * languagechooser/countrychooser merge incomplete; makes life hard for oem-config

keyboard configuration (console-setup)
 * much better now we're using X keymaps
 * no translations
 * various keymap bugs to be hoovered up one by one

hardware detection (hw-detect)
 * mostly done by udev these days
 * some hardcoded things remain (weird buses, floppies, PS/2 mice, some IDE stuff, etc.)
 * device enumeration order differs in some cases (defer disk detection until all udebs loaded?)

network configuration (netcfg)
 * OK for DHCP, static
 * wireless largely OK except for WEP glitches and no WPA support
 * funky things like PPP not supported (work done in Debian, needs to be integrated)

mirror selection (choose-mirror)
 * will need modifications for automatic optimal mirror detection eventually

partitioning (partman)
 * needs to be optimised
 * error handling poor in places
 * parted breaks with newer ext3 filesystems
 * RAID interface is clunky; assist Debian redesign along the lines of LVM
 * cdebconf plugins could help; requires ABI break in libd-i to fix dependency handling
 * writing recipes is hard

DST configuration (clock-setup)
 * largely done; may need to check a couple of corner cases

user/password configuration (user-setup)
 * historical state machine bugs, but basically done now
 * reserved usernames list manually maintained

base system installation (base-installer)
 * must be updated when kernel names change
 * occasional initramfs generation hiccups

apt configuration (apt-setup)
 * various extra bits of preseeding for Ubuntu

package selection (pkgsel)
 * tasksel does most of the work now
 * task conflict detection
 * language-support-* awkwardness

boot loader installers (grub-installer, lilo-installer, yaboot-installer, silo-installer, etc.)
 * loads of bugs and lots to try to figure out
 * grub is particularly liable to just failing to install for no obvious reason
 * lilo used in some cases where grub can't cope (notably XFS)
 * probably number one place where extra developer effort would yield good results
 * is UbuntuSpec:grub2 any better?
 * booting other operating systems (os-prober) largely works but isn't optimal
 * some argument for installing simple MBR and chaining to boot loader in partitions; needs very careful thought and testing, probably spec fodder

preseeding (preseed)
 * infrastructure Just Works; always needs more testing
 * glitches in various components (chiefly partman)

Kickstart (kickseed)
 * thin layer over preseeding, so pretty reliable for what it does
 * still needs lots more testing to catch changes in underlying preseeding
 * has small manual test suite, but should be more automated
 * often needs minor updates
 * RAID; other features

rescue mode (rescue)
 * exiting rescue shell started blowing up in edgy for some reason
 * could do with more features for common tasks

miscellaneous infrastructure
 * Tollef's cdebconf Unix sockets work
 * language packs are IMO impractical, but we should keep translations more up to date somehow

build system (debian-installer)
 * needs updates when kernel udebs are rearranged (again)
 * careful of netboot initramfs size
 * floppies never supported by d-i on 2.6 to date, but recent work in Debian should be investigated

platform support
 * Intel Macs done, at least with BIOS compatibility; EFI is more work
 * new ports come along from time to time
 * typically subarchitecture detection, new bits in hw-detect, sometimes partitioning, boot loader installers

documentation (installation-guide)
 * guide isn't bad, but needs various cleanups
 * translations; perhaps try to get more changes into Debian protected by conditionals to make this easier

testing
 * base-installer has automatic test suite for kernel selection; cdebconf has some manual tests
 * many more unit tests would be reasonably straightforward
 * automatic system testing (joeyh's digress?)

CD boot loader (syslinux, gfxboot, gfxboot-theme-ubuntu)
 * not installer as such, but tightly coupled for locale and keyboard
 * gfxboot-theme-ubuntu needs regeneration for new locales and keymaps
 * UI glitches
 * accessibility

OEM installation (oem-config)
 * various minor enhancements in UbuntuSpec:simplify-oem-installation
 * should be merged into ubiquity for UI improvements and ease of maintenance
 * guide for OEMs

Installation from live CD (ubiquity)
 * uses localechooser, tzsetup, console-setup, user-setup, partman, apt-setup, grub-installer, etc.
 * [[https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubiquity/+bugs|bug list]] is massive; bughelper and apport beginning to help
 * external partition editors the intrinsic source of many bugs; new partman-based partitioner to address this
  * still slow; disk bar UI not done
 * grub-installer causes a big chunk of the rest of the problems; probably largely grub's fault
 * recover more gracefully from errors, particularly boot loader installation problems
 * automatic partitioning UI not as designed yet (needs partman changes)
 * lots of minor UI things (UbuntuSpec:feisty-ubiquity)
 * UbuntuSpec:ubiquity-slideshow
 * better customisation and advanced configuration
 * test suite: unit? system? special frontend?
 * user guide

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[[CategoryTeamTODOPage]]