>My thoughts on the Mac side question:
>
>I think a Mac-side application would be best.

I am on the opposite side of things. What I want to see is a minimal booter
that can mount an Apple HFS, load a kernel, and run from it.

As I see it:
1) Partition the HD with some existing software. Apple does not follow the
standards and we don't need to re-invent their wheels.
2) Use any of the standard Mac utilities to obtain and place certain files
in a folder on the Mac partition. (Probably use a SEA for the core and .tgz
for the body)
3) Use standard Mac editors to pre-adjust the configuration files as
needed.(KISS)
4) Double-click the "booter" to get up and running.
5) Run a shell script to set up the basic system ala FreeBSD/Linux -- using
NetBSD utilities to format ufs partitions.
6) Run standard shell scripts to port in the rest of the world from any of
the various media available.

I am of the opinion that those who expect fancy Mac look and feel programs
for installers will never be happy with NetBSD/Mac. A good shell script
that leads you through the list of questions should make users happy. After
all, what do you think that you will have once you get it installed?