Adding Startup Disk Support to Mac Linux USB Loader

Hello all. Here's a long-awaited Mac Linux USB Loader update.

I've made a number of small changes to Mac Linux USB Loader, but perhaps the biggest new feature that I'm working on is making USB drives created with Mac Linux USB Loader compatible with OS X's startup disk selector. Here is the screen I'm referring to:

In order for this to work, a few prerequisites have to be met:

• You must enable support for HFS+ drives in Mac Linux USB Loader's preferences, under the Experimental section
• You must be willing to have files placed outside of the EFI folder on the root of your USB drive, as OS X must find certain files in certain places (essentially, we're tricking it into thinking that your USB has an install of OS X on it)
• You must use a distribution which includes drivers for the HFS+ file system in its initrd. Otherwise, your distribution will not be able to load properly. You may need to disable journaling.

More information will be forthcoming. In the mean time, feel free to comment, email me, or donate to the project.

Donations Accepted

I just want to announce that, starting today, I will be accepting donations to my work. You can donate any amount of money that you wish, and you can even pay by credit card.

This is the best way to help contribute to my projects if you are not a developer. Additionally, you can always help by contributing source code or by localizing resources into your native language.

Like what you see? Feel free to drop me a line or even donate to my work.

Website Upgrade

Over the course of today and yesterday, my official page on the Internet, SevenBits' Tech Site, has received a face-lift. The original page, which was based around a shade of orange looked very dated, and to tell you the truth I never liked the design.

This update brings the website into the realm of other personal web pages and makes it look and function better on mobile environments such as iPhones and iPads.

Feel free to email me with any comments or suggestions.

This Independence Day, Celebrate Something as Important as Freedom Itself

America. The land of the free and the home of the brave has braved many changes through her years. So, this Independence Day, while we celebrate the brave actions of our compatriots 238 years ago, we also have another thing to be thankful for.

A new consumer preview release for Mac Linux USB Loader.

So celebrate the day in style with with a new preview of Mac Linux USB Loader's rewrite. Some specific changes since last time:

• The distribution downloader almost completely works now. It grabs the list of mirrors for a specific distribution from my repository and displays a nice little menu for you where you can select the mirror where you want to download. The mirrors are currently divided by country, with, obviously, the greatest country on the planet listed first (oh, sorry, excuse my jingoism - it is Independence Day, after all).

• And, the distribution downloader has a preferences window, though it doesn't really work yet. Most of the settings are saved, however.

There are a few additional changes here. Among them are:

• Some code was added to check the version of OS X that the user is running and, if it's Yosemite, it makes some small UI tweaks.
• The table in the Enterprise setup preference pane was tweaked under the hood.
• And some other, really unimportant stuff.

So, go ahead! Do your patriotic duty and download the latest test image now. Your country needs your immediate assistance! And always remember....

Okay, so maybe this isn't as important as freedom itself. But it's still pretty neat, right? :)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

You Can Design the Enterprise Logo!

Enterprise, my UEFI boot loader for Macs, is in deep need of its own logo. Right now, it's being represented by the UEFI logo, which isn't really suitable. With this in mind, I want to reach out to those who have design skills to design a logo. Here are the only requirements:

• The logo should be rendered in a PNG and SVG format and be at least 512 x 512 pixels or 1024 x 512 pixels, or any larger equivalent ratio. Props if you do both!
• Displaying the name "Enterprise" is not required but if you can work it in I won't complain.
• There are no specific color or design restrictions.
• You should work in something about Enterprise in the work, for example, its relation to the Starship Enterprise from Star Trek, its purpose, its relation to Linux and OS X, its foundation on the UEFI boot process, etc. But I'll waive these requirements if you create something really cool. ;)
• You shall license the work under the LGPL or similar equivalent license. You shall retain copyright on your design, but agree that I may use the icon, gratis, in all works related to Enterprise in perpetuity.
• Entries must be received on or before the first day of July, 2014. A winner will be selected within two weeks. Entries must be submitted by email here.

Unfortunately, I cannot offer any form of monetary prize, however, the winner will be credited for their work and will be given the opportunity to try out the beta versions of the next major release of Incinerator before anyone else (trust me, it'll be huge), which should be relatively soon.

I look forward to seeing what you come up with!