[EROS-Arch] Installers

[Joerg Bornschein]

On Wed, Mar 28, 2001 at 08:08:47AM -0500, Jonathan S. Shapiro wrote:

> > I'd like to _very_ cleanly seperate them:
> > 
> > phase 0:
> >    building a factory for a configuration/setup application. IMHO this
> >    should be done without active constructors.
> >    A system supplied service could do this.
> > 
> > phase 1:
> >    running this setup application. It is nothing more than an ordinary
> >    application. This application of course is turing-complete.
> >    It may be used to export constructors which are applications to other
> >    users.

[phases renumbered]

> What this installation program does is create a new constructor and
> install the installation image into that constructor according to a
> standard method. It also installs any "extra" authorities needed (with
> consent of administrator). Finally, it asks the constructor to
> instantiate a new object.

It's just a small detail, but im wondering why you "install any extra
authorities needed" in phase 1a.

I suppose there will be standard "protocol" to give capabilities to applications
 at application startup. Why not use exactly this mechanism to give needed
 extra capabilities to our setup application in phase 1?

So phase 0 builds a really ordinary, confined (setup) application. 

Of course this one may be run automatically... 


   joerg