Links:
Improving Repair Ability of the FreeBSD Installer URL: https://wiki.freebsd.org/SummerOfCode2024Projects/ImprovingRepairAbilityOfTheFreeBSDInstaller
GSoC 2024 - Improving Installer with Repair and Upgrade Ability (#1395) URL: https://github.com/freebsd/freebsd-src/pull/1395
bsdinstall: Add pkg install support in live env (#1424) URL: https://github.com/freebsd/freebsd-src/pull/1424
bsdinstall: Add repair scripts to installer menu (#1427) URL: https://github.com/freebsd/freebsd-src/pull/1427
Laptop and Desktop Working Group URL: https://wiki.freebsd.org/LaptopDesktopWorkingGroup

Contact: Pierre Pronchery <pierre@freebsdfoundation.org>

As part of 2024’s GSoC Project on the FreeBSD installer, I had the pleasure to mentor Chun Cheng Yeh (aka "Leaf") with his implementation of additional capabilities. The aim was to add support for repairing or updating an existing installation of FreeBSD, as well as allowing packages to be installed in the Live environment. This work has been consolidated into three distinct pull-requests, available on GitHub. While some aspects probably still require additional polishing before a possible merge, the possibility to significantly extend the installer images into a potentially life-saving tool is within reach.

This is particularly relevant given the ongoing efforts to improve support for laptop and desktop use of FreeBSD. In this context, I am currently resuming work on the graphical version of the installer. The most immediate challenge includes shaping it suitably for integration into the next major release.

Combining the two initiatives above should help FreeBSD close some gaps with its competition amongst other modern Operating Systems, for the enterprise as well as for laptop and desktop use.

Sponsored by: The FreeBSD Foundation