Summary: I'd like help maintaining vmdb2, my software for creating virtual machine images with Debian installed.

In 2011 I needed to create six similar Debian virtual machines, differing in Debian release and computer architecture. This was tedious, and so it needed to be automated. I wrote vmdebootstrap, which worked OK for a few years, but was not very flexible. It had a fixed sequence of operations that could only be slightly varied using options. When it worked, it was fine, but increasingly it didn't work. I was facing an ever-growing set of options, some of which would be mutually incompatible. With N options, you need to test N² combinations. That did not appeal.

In 2017 I got tired of the growing complexity and write vmdb2, which didn't have a fixed sequence of operations. Instead, it read an input file that lists the operations to do, and their order. This was much more flexible. Combinatorial explosion averted.

I still maintain vmdb2 but for many years now it has been in a "selfish maintainership" mode, where I only really fix or change anything if it affects me, or I have some other such reason do something. I've done this to protect my free time and my sanity.

Despite this there are a few people using it and I think it's time to make sure vmdb2 has a better future.

The problem, from my point of view, with maintaining vmdb2 is that many people use to build images for systems that are wildly different from what I originally built vmdebootstrap for: Intel architecture virtual machines. Indeed, I do that myself: I built a Debian installer on top of vmdb2 for bare metal PC hardware (https://v-i.liw.fi/).

I am not any kind of deep expert in boot loaders, UEFI, or hardware support, or layers close to these in a Linux operating system. Debugging problems with these is tedious and frustratring. Reviewing changes related to them as well.

I also can't spend a ton more time on vmdb2, as I have an embarrassing plethora of other hobby projects.

Therefore, I'd like help maintaining vmdb2. If you use it, or this area of system software interests you, and you'd like to help, please let me know. If I can do something to make it easier for you to help, let me know.

My contact information is public. Email is preferred.