RFC: Call for testing for win32-loader

[Didier 'OdyX' Raboud <didier@raboud.com>]

Hi dear -boot people, 

as you might know, I somehow took over the win32-loader developement for 
some versions now. One major specificity of win32-loader is that it is 
really hard to get tested: it has to be run on many different Windows™ 
versions, potentially breaking their boot.

I fear that major bugs could have slipped in my modifications, even tough I 
tried hard to be conservative and successfully tested it on the machines 
where I could still find a Windows installed. That's why I now intend to 
send out a "Call for testing" to debian-devel (or even debian-devel-announce 
!?), for which I'd like some pieces of advice. That's my draft text:

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Subject: win32-loader: Call for testing on Windows™ hosts

Hi all,

Here is a Call For Testing for the win32-loader package, which would benefit 
from more testing: as it name somehow tells, it's not a package that is run 
from a Debian host, but from Windows: it's has not necessarily been well 
tested.

=== What's that about? ===

The win32-loader package builds a Windows™ executable that is installed on 
the i386 and amd64 installer CDs as "setup.exe". This executable installs 
the d-i initrd and a grub bootloader on the "boot disk" of Windows™. After 
reboot, the install goes on from that image and uses the material on the CD 
for the install.

The win32-loader source package also builds a "standalone" version, that can 
be run directly, without being on a d-i CD. This "flavour" could be 
installed on a website like http://goodbye-microsoft.com (and actually is, 
but for Gnewsense). When run from a Windows™ host, it downloads a d-i initrd 
and vmlinuz, and from there, does the same thing as the CD version.

=== What should work ===

Win32-loader's job is to get the user from a running Windows™ to a d-i 
environment, without breaking the Windows boot. It should uninstall from 
Windows cleanly. There is also a possibility to launch the kfreebsd d-i 
version.

=== What is known not to work ===

The kfreebsd flavour cannot be selected together with the "stable" target; 
for obvious reasons.

=== What type of testing would be needed ===

I would really appreciate if people could try both the CD version (running 
setup.exe from the amd64 and i386 CDs) and the standalone version (the one 
shipped in the win32-loader package, available from [0]), on "any" Windows 
version still out there. Then $ reportbug win32-loader for any problem.

Thanks in advance, cheers,

OdyX

[0] http://alioth.debian.org/~odyx-guest/win32-loader-standalone.exe
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What do you think of it (both the idea and the content)? And to which list?

Thanks in advance, cheers,

OdyX