Date: Tue, 27 Jan 98 20:39:00 PST From: Adam Turoff <AdamT@smginc.com> To: hackers <hackers@FreeBSD.ORG> Subject: Admin GUI tool (was: RE: /usr/src/release/sysinstall needs YOU . :-)) Message-ID: <34CEB621@smginc.com>
next in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
Robert Watson writes: > On Wed, 28 Jan 1998, Joe Shevland wrote: > > > What are peoples' thoughts on a Java administration tool for FreeBSD? One > > instant downside would be you'd need an X Server running for any GUI > > options. Another would be you'd need the Java runtime environment (BTW, > > this is my first posting, so please flame me gently if I'm in the wrong > > discussion!). > > > > Thoughts? > > Better than a web/form-based admin tool. I find both Netscape and BSDI's > administration interfaces using frames/html/forms very frustrating to use > :). I had considered working on a Java-based interface, but currently our > configuration is relatively non-standard for user-management (Kerberos, > non-standard passwd/group distribution with signatures, etc), making such > a tool un-useful for anyone else :). > > The lack of a text-interface is a problem though; if the Java interface > accessed another admin daemon, which then interfaced to scripts to perform > the management activities, this might actually be alright; anyone could > write a front-end for the scripts and retain functionality (and similarly, > people wouldn't have to modify the java management program to make small > admin changes). <soapbox> If you want to start writing a nifty GUI admin tool, then great. The admin tools that come with AIX are supposed to be well worth it. (Not having used AIX I can't confirm/deny this assertion.) If it were MY FreeBSD box and MY GUI admin tool, I'd probably want it written in tcl/tk. It's relatively low overhead, and the source/interpreter are in the public domain. No worrying about getting the proper JDK build statically linked against the proper X libs, etc. It would also be nice if there was a curses-style interface as well. Python might also be a reasonable candidate. Perl/tk would require that tk be installed by default with every FreeBSD perl installation - not something you can realistically expect. As for web based administration, you're right. It has its uses, but unless done very well, it can be very clumsy and insecure. The java approach just seems way too heavyweight for a free OS these days. If it were Slowlaris, where you had amazing Java support in the base OS, that would be a different story. </soapbox> -- Adam.
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?34CEB621>