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	Thu, 15 May 1997 08:54:35 -0500 (CDT)
Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 08:54:35 -0500 (CDT)
From: "M. L. Dodson" <bdodson@beowulf.utmb.edu>
Message-Id: <199705151354.IAA03690@beowulf.utmb.edu>
To: dmaddox@scsn.net, kevin_eliuk@sunshine.net
Subject: Re: FreeBSD 2.1.7 and COMPAT_43 -Reply
Cc: ben@narcissus.ml.org, questions@FreeBSD.ORG
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> 
> I tried to stop myself but I have to say it (as a new user).
> 
> As far as I can tell, If someone cannot open 3 terminals, One for the
> handbook, one for LINT, and one to cp GENERIC whatever and edit
> whatever, I think a refer all to LINT or Handbook or man *(*) is
> probably appropriate. I disagree that you have to change the OS for
> new users, you have to change new users for the OS.
> 
> The only idea that seemed possible in reading this (plus the other)
> string was something like `vikernel' that could use an editor which
> would use a configuration database that would check the configuration
> for missing required `options' as well as typographical errors, a
> spell checker of sorts, as part of the write command.
> 

Now that is a really excellent idea!  

Some of us "traditionalists" (Boy, it feels good to be referred to 
like that!) don't mind change, we just don't want the changes to turn 
configuring *BSD (kernel and/or user environment) _into_ NT, with all 
its mind numbing restrictions and undocumented "features".  We _like_ 
flexibility, even it it steepens the learning curve.  I have FreeBSD 
boxes doing things Microsoft hasn't even dreamed about, much less put 
into NT.

That said, vipw is a _dramatic_ improvement over bare editing of
the password files.  Something like that would be great, IMHO.
(But implementing it is would be nontrivial, methinks, and likely
version-specific, at least in the early incarnations, until the
proper options to be dealt with are identified and abstracted.)

Bud Dodson

--
M. L. Dodson                                bdodson@scms.utmb.edu
409-772-2178                                FAX: 409-772-1790