Date: Sat, 02 May 1998 07:11:17 -0700 From: Don Wilde <dwilde1@ibm.net> To: bjc23@hermes.cam.ac.uk Cc: advocacy@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: A GUI greyscale interface by default Message-ID: <354B2984.CC161BAB@ibm.net> References: <Pine.BSF.3.96.980501174142.238B-100000@bjc23.trin.cam.ac.uk>
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Ben Cohen wrote: > > Hi! > > > Sh*t, I even _use_ GUI's myself (sometimes). I just don't want to get > > STUCK with using them to accomplish things. That's all. We aleady have > > /stand/sysinstall, [snip] > [Assuming that the -current /stand/sysinstall is the same as the 2.2.5 > version] I am not personally keen on the dialog interface---I prefer the > interface in the sysadmsh utility under SCO UNIX V r4 (the one before the > current Open Server, though I'm not sure what the exact name was). This > seemed to cover everything including kernel config (which, admittedly > is different for FreeBSD), users, devices, packages and printers, etc. > It was also customisable to a certain extent. > > (It has since been replaced in OpenServer by scoadmin, which isn't quite > as nice but means that the same program is available in X using SCO's > TCL.) > > The source for /stand/sysinstall says that the next version will be a > complete rewrite. What is/will the interface be like for the new version? > > Ben. Haven't seen either. I did see some HP-UX admin screens briefly, but haven't done admin work with it so I can't comment. I just want to keep the GUI-to-script separation absolute, because I don't want to lose any of the command-line text-file configuration interface. I'm afraid that GUI will eventually lead to binary config files, and then we've lost the access to mass config changes. I'm speaking specifically of user changes in passwd, but there are other places where I want to use scripts to make config changes. Before I get flamed, I realize that GUI doesn't imply lack of access, I just want to keep it on the sane path from the start. I'm starting to dig through the ports install scripts and such with some tips from Jordan. I think our problem needs to be addressed at a deeper level first, before we even begin to talk GUI. For example, while installing printing, I discovered that /stand/sysinstall is completely blind to the /usr/ports/print branch of the ports tree. This means it can't find ghostscript, freetype, etc., and therefore crashes. We need to clear up these inconsistencies first, so the tools we have _work_. These are the things that frustrate a new user, especially one who doesn't know that disk 3 has some stuff and disk 4 has more. All he sees is CRASH! error 1 error 1... I know how to look for these things, and I _still_ can't find apsfilter on 2.2.6! Sure, if I'd been smart enough to config my modem first, it would have gone out and fetched these packages, but that's beside the point. I'm sure the ports-maintainer goes nuts before each release trying to keep up with all of this, and we need to work on it so it's automatically more consistent. That's what computers are for. I will say right up front that I am still a UN*X newbie, but I've bought _lots_ of O'Reilly books and I'm slowly working my way through them. The more I read, the more I see that FreeBSD is a rough-cut gem that just needs a little TLC because it's really a perfect blue-white. It just takes a few judicious taps and we'll have a brilliant-cut diamond flashing in the Sun! To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-advocacy" in the body of the message
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