Generalize whiptail usage to all platforms

[tlaurion]

I think it might be a good time to replace generic-init by gui-init, and let the board configuration options define if FBWhiptail is desired but default to whiptail. I think that it would be a good base in improving the UX for everyone.

@kylerankin @osresearch @flammit : What do you think?

[merge]

So your issue is making this a common goal of the project? FWIW I think it should be one. IMO this is essential for being broadly usable; especially so during setup.

[tlaurion]

Comment deleted. Created #517 instead to track the issue.

[tlaurion]

@merge :
Yes. But each board should be validated individually to have proper Linux config FB support first from people having the models.

For the x230 board to become compatible with FBWhiptail, here were the required changes.
To have Whiptail (console based) instead of FBwhiptail (FB based):

#Whiptail
CONFIG_SLANG=y
CONFIG_NEWT=y
#FBWhiptail
#CONFIG_CAIRO=y
#CONFIG_FBWHIPTAIL=y

#BOOT SCRIPT SELECTION
#export CONFIG_BOOTSCRIPT=/bin/generic-init
export CONFIG_BOOTSCRIPT=/bin/gui-init
#export CONFIG_BOOTSCRIPT_NETWORK=/bin/network-init-recovery

This is the list of board owners i've gathered from board config changes "blames". Can you test the above changes on the board config on those boards and adapt linux config files to activate FB and report?

@osresearch : leopard, tioga
@vejmarie : r630, s2600wf
@jgrip @flammit @osresearch : x220

[osresearch]

leopard/tioga have no video cards at all, r630/s2600wf are almost always headless.

[tlaurion]

So something like for the kgpe-d16 for all those.

…

On February 8, 2019 4:17:05 PM EST, Trammell Hudson ***@***.***> wrote: leopard/tioga have no video cards at all, r630/s2600wf are almost always headless. -- You are receiving this because you authored the thread. Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub: #477 (comment)

-- Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.

[tlaurion]

whiptail is generalized for a while on all coreboot based platforms depending on heads for payload (this project).
kgpe-d16 server board config is an example of this.

Otherwise, this issue is more related to linuxboot based boards which never really received any love here since linuxboot is based on u-root for its payload.

This is history, but NERF (2016-2017) was linuxboot+heads until u-root replaced Heads as linuxboot payload of choice, and linuxboot contributions to Heads stopped at that point. This is why linuxboot boards stopped being supported under heads, which are all under unmaintained/* directory (cannot test).

To revive this, I guess new qemu variants of linuxboot should be added back into Heads if there is an interest from linuxboot to showcase Heads as payload instead of u-root, but I'm unaware of that desire. linuxboot support under Heads stopped around 2017-2018. On my side, I watch u-root tinygo support once in a while, but lack of interest from linuxboot side for Heads slowed down my community time driven effort (my hands are full).

If there is interest from linuxboot community to drive Heads as a u-root payload alternative, I could help, but won't lead the effort.

Will share this comment in slack linuxboot channel to see what happens.

Edit: posted https://osfw.slack.com/archives/C8H5Z29PC/p1732803398565589?thread_ts=1702119772.769289&cid=C8H5Z29PC