Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2007 17:06:16 -0700 From: Chad Perrin <perrin@apotheon.com> To: FreeBSD Questions <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org> Subject: Re: Ports with GUI configs Message-ID: <20071117000616.GA82543@demeter.hydra> In-Reply-To: <473DEB7D.3030508@chuckr.org> References: <4738AEBF.4010109@u.washington.edu> <4738C145.2050601@chuckr.org> <20071112214240.5d3b048a@gumby.homeunix.com.> <4738FC8B.5000309@chuckr.org> <20071114230723.GD70122@demeter.hydra> <473CAD52.6060309@chuckr.org> <20071115221638.GC76155@demeter.hydra> <473D14DC.4070104@chuckr.org> <20071116151734.GB80515@demeter.hydra> <473DEB7D.3030508@chuckr.org>
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On Fri, Nov 16, 2007 at 02:11:57PM -0500, Chuck Robey wrote: > > prominently display the actual meaning of the word being set. The only > reason to make the list binary is to force everyone to use the > (basically database technology) tool to manipulate the keywords, thus > stopping folks from misconstruing the meanings. That's my only reason > for that, and there are certainly other ways to go about it, so as long > as whatever is suggested requires folks to see the commonly accepted > definition when they set the list, I don't care how it's done. The list > could as easily be encrypted, I guess, that would also cause the same > work flow, in somewhat the same reasoning as we use for forcing folks to > use "vipw" to change the pasword list. I think "forcing" anyone to anything is a *bad idea*. Period. You're talking about placing arbitrary limits on what the user can see if he or she wants to understand what's going on "under the hood". With that kind of treatment, I would never have learned as much about FreeBSD as I know as quickly as I did. I, for one, would probably refuse to use such a system once I learned enough about the basics to want to know what it's doing. The moment I figured out it was designed specifically to obscure some aspect of its operation from the user, I'd look for something else to use instead. There are very good reasons for this -- reasons like security, curiosity, and just plain good manners. > > Please consider that we'll get another chance to argue this out when I > have the software ready, so we don't need to settle it now. I don't > want this to continue to pollute the -questions list. I'm rapidly running out of enthusiasm for bothering to look at it once it's done. Systems I can't study are systems I don't like, generally. -- CCD CopyWrite Chad Perrin [ http://ccd.apotheon.org ] Ben Franklin: "As we enjoy great Advantages from the Inventions of others we should be glad of an Opportunity to serve others by any Invention of ours, and this we should do freely and generously."
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