Date: Fri, 14 Feb 1997 00:07:58 -0800 From: Jason Thorpe <thorpej@nas.nasa.gov> To: Michael Smith <msmith@atrad.adelaide.edu.au> Cc: phk@critter.dk.tfs.com (Poul-Henning Kamp), leisner@sdsp.mc.xerox.com, bsdcur@shadows.aeon.net, freebsd-current@freebsd.org, freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org Subject: Re: undocumented kernel options... Message-ID: <199702140807.AAA14402@lestat.nas.nasa.gov>
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> Poul-Henning Kamp stands accused of saying: > > >I have the same opinion...I don't want to have to UTSL. Linux kernel > > >configuration has become much nicer with a tk tool, shouldn't freebsd have > > >one too? [ sorry I missed Poul's original post... ] So, we over at NetBSD have resisted the "GUI kernel config frob" mostly because: - bloat-ware (if you ship a GUI tool, you are basically required to ship X, etc... I'm not about to force X on my users... :-) - maintenance nightmare In our world, config(8) is simply too flexible, and having to update the GUI to deal each time would .. suck. OTOH, this was a win for Linux, because their previous kernel configuration mechansim (a sort of 20,000-questions game) _really_ sucked... _anything_ would have been an improvement :-) Documentation on how to edit a kernel configuration file is loads better IMO than having a rigid GUI (so, you update config to deal with new syntax, and how you have to update the GUI, as well...) (So, if you've ever used HP's SAM, you'll understand just how frustrating using a GUI to configure your kernel can be, if you've previously used "vi CONFIGNAME".) ...plus, the user can insert arbitrary, random options.... major win. On Fri, 14 Feb 1997 17:29:31 +1030 (CST) Michael Smith <msmith@atrad.adelaide.edu.au> wrote: > I have the parser and the data structures and some of the interactive code > written. I have about half of a GUI frontend to 'pw' done as well. I > suspect that Tix will be required for both. This is why I tend to resist "GUI as standard equipment". "Ok, so we have to ship this library now..." Really, if it's going to ship with the OS, make it a curses thing... (Then, you can even run it on a serial console, which is important for server systems and, well, my hp 340 :-) Anyhow, $0.02 from a NetBSD guy... Jason R. Thorpe thorpej@nas.nasa.gov NASA Ames Research Center Home: 408.866.1912 NAS: M/S 258-6 Work: 415.604.0935 Moffett Field, CA 94035 Pager: 415.428.6939
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