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Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 16:03:04 -0400
From: "Donald J. Maddox" <root@cola100.scsn.net>
To: questions@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject: Re: FreeBSD 2.1.7 and COMPAT_43 -Reply
References: <199705151354.IAA03690@beowulf.utmb.edu>
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In-Reply-To: <199705151354.IAA03690@beowulf.utmb.edu>; from M. L. Dodson on Thu, May 15, 1997 at 08:54:35AM -0500
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On Thu, May 15, 1997 at 08:54:35AM -0500, M. L. Dodson wrote:
> 
> > 
> > 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.)

Let me make myself perfectly clear:  I *am not* in favor of bastardizing
FreeBSD into an NT clone, or anything even remotely like that.  All of
my posts on this subject simply seek to make the point that if we can
make things easier _without_ changing the nature of FreeBSD (like
making config files friendlier, for example), then we should.  There is
*no* downside that I can see.

And if you are not opposed to change, then you are not one of the
'traditionalists' I refer to.  Reading the above, it sounds very much
like you and I are on the same side here.

-- 


                                            Donald J. Maddox
                                            (dmaddox@scsn.net)