New Pi-hole Installation Method And Sneak Peak At Front End Feature
In an effort the make it easier to install the Pi-hole, I have revamped the automated install command (in a separate branch of the project). It’s not official yet as I am hoping some of you will be willing to test it out before I push/merge the changes.
Easier-to-remember Install Command
The first change is an installation command that can be entered via memory. The current install command is long and ugly and requires you to either type or paste a long URL. To that end, you can install any new Pi-hole with this command:
curl -L install.pi-hole.net | bash
Automated Installer Beta: Installation Command
The new installer is streamlined and pretty. Another nice feature is that it will help you set up a static IP address so you do not need to do this manually before running the installer. If you want to try out the new installer (still in beta), install a fresh image of Raspbian Jessie and then run this command (notice the installation branch in the URL):
curl -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jacobsalmela/pi-hole/installation/automated%20install/basic-install.sh | bash
The installer will walk you though the setup and is pretty straightforward. I also designed it so the user only needs to be around at the beginning of the installer and once the progress bar starts, no more human intervention is needed. That is one thing that always bugged me about installers: they would start a progress bar and then stop halfway through to ask you another question.
Take a look at some of the screenshots below to visualize the experience.
One cosmetic bug is when running the installer over ssh is when the device reboots at the end, it mangles the dialog a little bit so the user might not actually recognize right away that the device restarted. But once they do, you can just log back into the Pi at the new IP address.
Fun Front-end Feature (Sneak Peak)
Three weeks ago, I hinted at a “pong-like” front-end feature for the Pi-hole. It is still in the works, but here is something more concrete. You can view ads blocked in real-time using Logstalgia. Just take a look at how many queries get blocked at Hulu.com.