Funicular

Version 0.7. Subject to change in backwards-incompatible ways.

Funicular is a system that semi-automates the creation of computing environments on eclectic architectures.

"Semi-automate" means it automates what it can, and provides repeatable instructions for you to follow for what it can't.

"Computing environment" could mean a "development environment", i.e. a system in which you can build (and perhaps even write) software, populated with interpreters and compilers, debuggers, text editors, and the like. Or it could mean any other environment that could be set up on a computer system.

"Eclectic architectures" is not terribly-well defined, but it includes retrocomputing and esoteric architectures. Basically, if you've got an emulator for it, and installation images for it, you might be able to install and outfit and run a system for it, using Funicular.

TL;DR it's kind of like a Vagrant, but instead of provisioning VMs, it provisions emulators.

It currently supports:

• i386 running NetBSD under QEMU
• i386 running FreeDOS under QEMU
• Amiga 500 (etc) running AmigaDOS under E-UAE
• Commodore 64 with a 1541 floppy drive under VICE
• VIC-20 with a 1541 floppy drive under VICE
• Apple //e running AppleDOS under Linapple

Funicular unifies and replaces the older, discrete, ad-hoc projects NetBSD-Gondola, FreeDOS-Gondola, and Amiga-Gondola, which are now deprecated.

Quick Start

• cd into a directory that has a Funicularfile.
• Run funicular init system.
• Acquire the appropriate install image.
• Run funicular install.
• Run funicular init setup.
• Run funicular setup.
• You now have a configured Funicular. Run funicular start to use it.

Documentation

The reference implementation of the funicular tool is written in Bourne shell. A Funicularfile is also written in Bourne shell, but it mostly contains configuration, not functionality.

You can look at the settings in the example Funicularfiles in eg/ and look them up in the source code in script/ to divine what they mean.

Because the entire thing was recently rewritten (converting it from Lua to Bourne shell), there really isn't any further documentation right now except for this out-of-date set of notes.

License

The contents of this repository are in the public domain. This, of course, applies only to the contents of this repository, and not to the contents of any particular Funicular you build with with this software. See the file UNLICENSE in this directory for more information.