Hey,
Sorry if this has been asked before, but are there any plans for a CLI version of Netinstall for the M1 MAC?
I find that running Netinstall with wine is very hit-and-miss, but the Linux CLI version is spot on.
Any news would be great.
Kr
Matt

I would also be very interested in a native macOS version of Netinstall.
Would be happy to get rid of additional VMs / Wine.

I used the Linux version (on a headless box controlled from my M2) and it was smooth, easier than the explained process for Windows. A Mac Unix version need only have the same CLI, no GUI, given it is unlikely to be used by people wholly unfamiliar with Terminal, so I might hope such a version would not be too hard to compile.

An alternative I have not tried is the Canadian software VMTek from the Apple Store. It can run Linux to give access to CLI Netinstall and is currently free. It may be a better option than WINE.

Would be happy to get rid of additional VMs / Wine.

@phascogale is right: setting up a Linux VM is far "…easier than the explained process for Windows." Further defense and details.

None of that would change with a native macOS build. It would suck for all the same reasons, and I tell you this as a macOS fan.

VMTek

Without having tried it, I expect it to fail due to their touted "processor-native virtualization - not slow emulation." This means it will not emulate an Intel x86 CPU, which is what you need to run the current netinstall-cli binary.

What will work and is truly free and not a come-on for a $45 in-app fee licence charge is UTM, since it is based on QEMU, thus does offer emulation in addition to virtualization. The only trick there is to select bridged networking, per my guide linked above.

All this having been said, we do still have cause to want ARM32 and ARM64 builds of netinstall-cli, but that's for installation into a container to run on MT routers using those CPUs, for turning the box into a netinstall appliance. The current workaround requires installing QEMU into the container at a cost of ~4 megs, preventing use on the smallest of MT's ARM devices. A native static build would let you do this on a disused hAP ac² even with its paltry 16MB flash, for instance. Each port could be connected to a different container instance, serving different builds of RouterOS, making it a "crash cart" for broken routers.

Bweeeeeeeee! "Clear!" Beep-beep-beep. "You saved him, doctor!" "Aw, shucks, I'm no doctor, just a humble network engineer."