Linked by John Munsch on Mon 30th Dec 2002 19:05 UTC
Why do it? I am asked this question more often than I expected, even by existing Linux users who I expected to know as well as I the reasons for building a next-generation desktop Linux for the home user. So here are some of my reasons for thinking that we must spend the effort to create a better desktop on Linux than any existing version now has. Editor's Note: Due to a technical glitch, the first segment of this article was ommitted for some readers. If you missed the "why" section, before, you can read it now.
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"Basic system administration tasks should not be made WIZARDISH. That is one of the main reasons why windows is such a sham for sysadmins."
Yes I agree with you, I don't particularly like wizards, but there is a between ground, and not just wizards or text editing of config files.
"The editing of text files is so much simpler. When editing most *nix config files, its usually just a matter of seeing where the gaps are, filling them or commenting/uncommenting lines that are well explained within the file."
Yes I know this method quite well, and I like it a lot. Specifically because I know what has been changed. However, there is no reason to force people to sift thru 9pages of commented out lines looking for the one they really need to uncomment. Futher more the documention included in the file is a brief synopsis at best.
Again, why not implement a UI for configuration that is much easier. Right now it seems to be like this:
Scan thru *.config file, full of lines like this one:
##Uncommenting this will the set the uis to an int value.
#setuis=0
While simultaniously looking at other window of man pages so I can get at least a basic understanding of what setuis is.
What is wrong with have a specific UI tool for setting up a programs options. For instance, have a options menu for selecting/unselecting options that you want. There is no reason why this can't go an parse the .config and make the necessary changes for you. Futhermore you can integrate it with the help system so the you don't have to open multiple apps just to figure out what a specific flag does. Plently of programs in linux do this already - gftp, and lokkit are two off the top of my head.