This commit introduces several major enhancements:
1. **Experimental `config.plist` Auto-Enhancement (Linux Host for Detection):**
* `linux_hardware_info.py`: Added audio codec detection.
* `plist_modifier.py`:
* Uses detected audio codecs for more accurate `layout-id` selection.
* Expanded mappings for Intel Alder Lake iGPUs, more audio devices, and Ethernet kexts.
* Refined NVIDIA GTX 970 `boot-args` logic based on target macOS version and iGPU presence.
* Creates a `.backup` of `config.plist` before modification and attempts restore on save failure.
* Integrated into `main_app.py` with a user-selectable experimental checkbox.
2. **Reworked `README.md`:**
* Completely rewritten for "Skyscope" branding and project vision.
* Details all current features, including platform-specific USB writing (manual Windows dd step).
* Comprehensive prerequisites, including `apfs-fuse` build dependencies for Debian.
* Updated usage guide and future enhancement plans. Version set to 0.8.2.
3. **UI/UX Enhancements for Task Progress:**
* Added a QTimer-driven text-based spinner to the status bar for active operations.
* Centralized UI state management (`_set_ui_busy`, `update_all_button_states`) for consistent feedback and control enabling/disabling.
* Refactored completion/error handling into generic slots.
4. **Improved Windows USB Writing Guidance:**
* `usb_writer_windows.py` now uses `diskpart` to fetch and display the
macOS partition number and byte offset, providing more specific details
for your manual `dd` operation.
5. **Debian 13 "Trixie" Compatibility:**
* Reviewed dependencies and updated `README.md` with specific notes for
`hfsprogs` and `apfs-fuse` installation on Debian-based systems.
This set of changes makes the application more intelligent in its OpenCore
configuration attempts, improves your feedback during operations, and provides
much more comprehensive documentation, while also advancing the capabilities
of the platform-specific USB writers.
This major update brings several key features and improvements:
1. **Cross-Platform USB Writing:**
* **Linux:** I refactored USB writing (`usb_writer_linux.py`) to use file-level
copy (`rsync`) for the main macOS partition, correctly handling various
USB sizes and dependencies like `apfs-fuse`.
* **macOS:** I implemented USB writing (`usb_writer_macos.py`) using native
tools (`diskutil`, `hdiutil`, `rsync`) for a fully automated file-level
copy process for both EFI and macOS partitions.
* **Windows:** I added initial USB writing support (`usb_writer_windows.py`)
automating EFI partition setup and file copy (using `diskpart`, `7z.exe`,
`robocopy`). Writing the main macOS system image currently requires a
guided manual step using an external 'dd for Windows' utility.
2. **Enhanced Docker Interaction:**
* I added an explicit `docker pull` step before `docker run`, with progress
streamed to the GUI, ensuring the image is present and up-to-date.
3. **Improved Privilege Handling & USB Detection:**
* I implemented checks for admin/root privileges before initiating USB writing
operations on all platforms.
* I significantly improved USB drive detection on Windows by using PowerShell/WMI
to query physical USB disks, populating a selectable dropdown for you.
Manual disk ID input is now a fallback.
4. **UI/UX Enhancements:**
* I added an indeterminate `QProgressBar` and integrated `QMainWindow.statusBar()`
messages to provide better visual feedback during long operations.
* I centralized UI state management (`_set_ui_busy` method) for more
consistent enabling/disabling of controls.
* I refactored how I handle completion and errors for cleaner UI updates.
5. **Documentation:**
* I updated `README.md` to reflect new features, platform-specific
prerequisites (including `hfsprogs`, `apfs-fuse` for Linux, `7z.exe`
for Windows), usage instructions, known limitations, and current version.
6. **Code Structure:**
* I introduced `usb_writer_macos.py` and `usb_writer_windows.py`.
* I updated `main_app.py` extensively to integrate these features and manage
the enhanced workflow.
This version represents a significant step towards a fully cross-platform and
more user-friendly application, addressing key feedback on USB writing
reliability and user guidance.
Implements the "Skyscope macOS on PC USB Creator Tool" with core features:
1. **GUI (PyQt6):** For macOS version selection, Docker interaction, image extraction, USB selection, and feedback.
2. **Docker Orchestration:**
* Builds and runs Docker-OSX commands.
* Streams logs to GUI; runs Docker in a separate thread.
* Persists containers with unique names for file access.
3. **Image Extraction:**
* Copies `mac_hdd_ng.img` and `OpenCore.qcow2` from the container.
* Manages container lifecycle (stop/remove).
4. **USB Writing (Linux PoC):**
* `usb_writer_linux.py` handles partitioning, formatting, and image writing.
* Uses `qemu-img`, `parted`, `kpartx`, `rsync`, `mkfs.vfat`, `dd`.
* Includes data erasure warning.
* Known issue: `dd` for main image writes full sparse size; needs change to file-level copy.
5. **iGPU Config Review:** Confirmed Docker-OSX's use of WhateverGreen.
6. **Documentation:** Added `README.md` with overview, prerequisites, usage, known issues, and future work based on your feedback (image sizing, explicit pull, privilege handling).
The application files include `main_app.py`, `utils.py`, `constants.py`, `usb_writer_linux.py`, and `README.md`.
This commit reflects the state after incorporating your feedback regarding visibility of all created files in the repository.
# Share directories, sharing files, shared folder, mount folder
The easiest and most secure way is `sshfs`
```bash
# on Linux/Windows
mkdir ~/mnt/osx
sshfs user@localhost:/ -p 50922 ~/mnt/osx
# wait a few seconds, and ~/mnt/osx will have full rootfs mounted over ssh, and in userspace
# automated: sshpass -p <password> sshfs user@localhost:/ -p 50922 ~/mnt/osx
```
From official MS documentation around `.wslconfig`. Link also has some interesting reading about the `8 second rule` regarding changes not really being made to configs until about 8 seconds after *all* the instance of a distro are shut down. Might be good for some troubleshooting issues with wsl configs not "sticking".
I ran into some issues when I ran software that was trying to lock files under the nfs folder. This was on Catalina and looks like this is a common issue with Mac -> Linux nfs.
After digging into it, for my use case using the `locallocks` NFS option on the Mac client resolved it. The `locallocks` option means that locking is handled by the client. There would be problems if you actually need server side locking.
