TINU: The bootable macOS installer creation tool - Mac app

[ITzTravelInTime]

Hi guys, this thread is to show you a new and open source app, created by me, that I called TINU:

 

The name means: TINU Is Not #####, the U refers to a popular software that is used to create macOS hackintosh installers (that for good reasons is banned on this forum), but the aim of the name is to explain that this app is a totally different thing from that software and works in a totally different way.

 

This software is intended to be used to create a bootable macOS installer for computers capable of running Apple's macOS, this app, amoung other things is also a GUI for the createinstallmedia executable that could be found in any macOS installer app from Mavericks up to the latest versions.

 

Allows you to create easily a macOS install media without messing around with command line stuff and without using disk utility, and also detects and prevents the most common errors with the creation of bootable vanilla macOS installers.

 

# Features:
- No need for guides or instructions! Just follow the very simple on-screen indications to very easily start the bootable macOS installer creation process.
- Fully open: You can see how this programs works and you can freely contribute to it! (See the `Repository rules` and the `Note that` sections of this page)
- Support for multiple languages (currently just italian and english, but more will be added with future updates once the system which allows it gets improoved)
- Can work with every macOS installer app that has the `createinstallmedia` executable inside its internal resources folder (including also beta and newly released installers).
- 100% clean using the official apple's method: The bootable macOS installers created with this tool are made using the official apple's `createinstallmedia` method, just as if you created them using the command line, this ensures the best and the cleanest results avoiding all the problems that modded installers have.
- Does not require any special preparations. Just open the program, make sure you have a big enought USB drive plugged in (see the `Requirements` section) and have a macOS installer app on your disk.
- No need to use Disk Utility first. TINU can format your drive or partition for you, if it's necessary.
- Integrated downloads from Apple for lots of macOS/OS X installer apps (to access them open the app, go to the menu bar, and then `Tools->Download a macOS installer`).
- Integrated EFI partition mounter tool.
- Automatic Clover and OpenCore EFI folder installer.
- Tested to work on all the latest macOS releases.
- Makes use of the latest Swift 5 language and the latest Xcode releases.

 (To suggest a new feature please contact us)

 

# Requirements:
- A computer that runs Mac OS X Yosemite or a more recent version (Mac OS X El Capitan is required to use TINU inside a macOS Recovery/Installer OS).
- A drive or a free partition of least 8 GB (9+ for Catalina, 12+ for Big Sur and newer versions) that you want to turn into a macOS/Mac OS X installer (NOTE: partitions are usable only if they belong to a drive which uses the GUID partition format).
- A copy of a macOS/Mac OS X installer app (Maveriks or newer versions are supported), it's reccommended to have the app placed into the /Applications folder or in the root of a volume connected to your computer (excepted the drive/volume you want to turn into your macOS install media).

 

# Download:
- You can download the pre-made executable of the app here: https://github.com/ITzTravelInTime/TINU/releases

 

# Building/Compiling requirements:
- To compile a copy this app using the source code provvided in this repo, Xcode 12.x or newer is required and so a machine running at least Catalina is needed.

 

# Frequently asked questions
https://github.com/ITzTravelInTime/TINU/wiki/FAQs

 

# Useful links and contacts:
Thread (english) on insanelymac.com:
- http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/326959-tinu-the-macos-installer-creator-app-mac-app/

Thread (italian) on insanelymac.com:
- https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/333261-tinu-app-per-creare-chiavette-di-installazione-di-macos-thread-in-italiano/

Thread (english-german) on hackintosh-forum.de:
- https://www.hackintosh-forum.de/index.php/Thread/33630-TINU/

Contact the project creator (ITzTravelInTime aka Pietro):
- Reddit profile:          
    https://www.reddit.com/user/ITzTravelInTime
- email:                  
    piecaruso97@gmail.com
    
# Swift packages used:

- https://github.com/ITzTravelInTime/Command
- https://github.com/ITzTravelInTime/CommandSudo
- https://github.com/ITzTravelInTime/SwiftCPUDetect
- https://github.com/ITzTravelInTime/SwiftLoggedPrint
- https://github.com/ITzTravelInTime/TINUNotifications
- https://github.com/ITzTravelInTime/TINURecovery

 

# Note that:
- We (the project creator and othe people involved with active developmment) assume no responsibility for any use of this app and this source code, use them at your own risk!
- We (the project creator and othe people involved with active developmment) do not guarantee support to you, this is only an open source project done in our free time, not a product released by a company!
- This project is born only for educational and demonstrative purposes, it's not intended to be used for commercial purposes.
- This is a no-profit project, born only to let people to create macOS install medias in a more simple way and also to let them learn how to create this kind of apps.
- Changes to the provvided source code are documented using git, so for any info about any changes made please see the commit history here on the repo.

 

# Credits:
- Apple for macOS, system icons and installer apps (and their createinstallmedia executable).
- Special tahnks to:
Francesco Perchiazzi, Nicola Tomarelli, Roberto Sciortino, Raffaele Sonnessa, Ermanno Nicoletti, Tommaso Dimatore, Michele Vitiello Bonaventura, Massimiliano Faralli, Davide Dessì, Giorgio Dall'Aglio, Peter Paul Chato, Antonio De Masi, the Facebook group ["Italian Hackintosh group!!"](https://www.facebook.com/groups/Italia.hackintosh/?fref=ts), the Telegram group ["Hackintosh Italia"](https://t.me/Hackinto{censored}alia) and the commiunity from hackintosh-forum.de .
- Gianmarco Gargiulo for the current app icon and usb drive image.
- Thomas Tempelmann for help with the UI, grammar and the code.
- Pietro Caruso (ITzTravelInTime) project creator, maintainer and main developer.

 

# Legal info:
TINU, the open tool to create bootable macOS installers.
Copyright (C) 2017-2021 Pietro Caruso (ITzTravelInTime)

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
(at your option) any later version.

This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
GNU General Public License for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along
with this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc.,
51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA.

 

 

Here are also some screenshots inside this spoiler tab

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 26, 2021 by ITzTravelInTime
Updated description and title

[Guest ricoc90]

-integrated pre-made clover config tamplets database

I think that will be quite hard for the end-user, because of the {censored}load on different system configurations.

Other than that it looks pretty interesting 

 

As of the language: I'd be happy to provide you a Dutch translation by time

[ITzTravelInTime]

I think that will be quite hard for the end-user, because of the {censored}load on different system configurations.

Other than that it looks pretty interesting 

 

As of the language: I'd be happy to provide you a Dutch translation by time

for that I can simply get a folders with the config.plist collection into the app resources folder, for langue I speak only English and Italian, so that is what I can do by my own, but when I implement support to other languages I can add more easily different languages

[WaldMeister]

The description makes it look like a clone of Pandora before it was released, thumbs up or this one.

[ITzTravelInTime]

The description makes it look like a clone of Pandora before it was released, thumbs up or this one.

yes, but there are some things i don't like in pandora, mainly i don't think that it's design is good, i learned how to develops apps from a special academy of apple and i learned their design philosophy.

And i came up to create my own app that does the same thing but using a more clear and simple design inspired by what i learned at apple and also i am using some of the latest technologies in the sdk with support to all the latest OSes.

 

I am creating this app also as a personal coding challenge because i believe that i can make something better than that {censored} of the {censored} Tonymacx86

Edited September 9, 2017 by ITzTravelInTime
Indeed, we do not support the tonymac's tools, but always remain respectuous, so please do the same for you. Thank you.

[WaldMeister]

First version of pandora was all bash, it was great. I reckon you aim at v2 and up. Was not to fond of it since v1 just worked, no fancy stuff.

 

Great what you are doing, and the forum has some good coders to fight the beast

[ITzTravelInTime]

First version of pandora was all bash, it was great. I reckon you aim at v2 and up. Was not to fond of it since v1 just worked, no ancy stuff.

i am talking abut pandora 2 and 3 and also i think that you can have the best command line tool in the world, but for the general user propose of those tools a well made ui is way better from their point of view, while creating this tool we have to thing abut something that works well and that the noob user can understand easily, because apple is focused to create also products for everyone even the most noob of them, but i agree with you, the command line pandora just works well, but i decided to create my own solution from zero, just because i like to have the full control of it

[WaldMeister]

Well spoken and thanks for clarifying. I wish you the best of luck with this project. 

[ITzTravelInTime]

thank you for your support

[ITzTravelInTime]

i am posting just to tell you that the version that you will receive will look different from the preview screenshots

[Guest ricoc90]

I am replying just to tell you that maybe you should update the screenshots then 

[PoisonApple666]

this looks interesting...i'd like to give it a try.

[ITzTravelInTime]

Yes, but when I release to you the finished version, now it's in testing with mine closed group of testers

 

I am also working with some friends at European ios developer academy here in Naples, Italy to improve the design and the functionality of the app and also I need to change the license I am using to release the app, I will work very hard to get to you a finished build to start using it

[Gigamaxx]

This will be nice, especially for beta software versions and kernel testing.

[ITzTravelInTime]

Small announcement, TINU will also be able to format for you the drive you selected, so no need to go in disk utility first, and also it's receiving a lot of changes for the Ui thanks to a designer that is giving me some help (just of you are asking UI design is not about make something to look fancy or to look cool, the UI design is to make the interface of a software usable and understandable for the final user, so that's why i am not using special art or graphics or ui, the goal of my app is to work well and be simple and easy to use, without strange and unnecessary things or graphics, just what you need to easily complete the task)

[bkdwt]

I think that will be quite hard for the end-user, because of the {censored}load on different system configurations.

Other than that it looks pretty interesting 

 

As of the language: I'd be happy to provide you a Dutch translation by time

 

 

for that I can simply get a folders with the config.plist collection into the app resources folder, for langue I speak only English and Italian, so that is what I can do by my own, but when I implement support to other languages I can add more easily different languages

I can provide the translation for PT-BR. 

[ITzTravelInTime]

 

I can provide the translation for PT-BR. 

 

 

ok, cool, probably for the multi language stuff i will do it when i have inserted into the app almost all the features i want to add, so when i have the UI almost finished that will not change too much in other updates

[PoisonApple666]

any update on this?

[ITzTravelInTime]

any update on this?

 

The public version is almost ready, I am waiting for the designer to review it, but in the meanwhile I have updated the screenshots, so you can see how the final version will look like

[PoisonApple666]

Thanx for the update...the new screen shots look great.

R.

[ITzTravelInTime]

I have also received some good feedbacks from my testing group, so I am just waiting to receive the ok from the designer, I am also doing some other testing just to see if there is something to be fixed for the public release, after the that release I will start to work on some new features (that I will not introduce in the first public release, because I just want that to run stable)

[ITzTravelInTime]

Just an update, the first public version is almost ready, I have gives it to my group of testers to try to discover some errors and bugs, I also received the ok to procede from my designer, so you will se the public version soon, I am working on optimization and stability, just to let you have a good release to play with

[ITzTravelInTime]

ok, after fighting with some bugs that took a lot of time to figure out how to solve them, I have the final version ready!, but the source code is not so much clear, ordered and also I did not use a lot of comments, but the source code contains a lot of tweaks and features hidden into the public version, like the vibrant design option (I am still working with my designer for that, in the meanwhile the standard design version is ok and it's my way to go).

 

Because of the structure of the app, if you don't trust the pre-compiled version I will distribute, you can use the source to create your own, but there are some rules and license restrictions to respect, like the fact that any version of the app created by anyone must be open source and under the same license I used and also it have to be free, if you use code from my app in any project, that project must be open source, in the repository I say also to public any new version of the app that you create on a new branch on the repository itself, so I can control the third party versions of the app and remove dangerous and unsafe versions, and also don't touch the main branch, I will release there my source code, that will be your point of reference for third party versions. After that I will say are you ready for the first public version? it will be released in the releases version of the GitHub repository, do you prefer some other places for distribution of pre-build binaries?

[ITzTravelInTime]

Guys the app is ready and PUBLISHED! you can download it on GitHub

 

https://github.com/ITzTravelInTime/TINU/releases

[IUTniun]

You have done a great job .