Linux distributions have come a long way in easing the tasks of system administrators. From software installation to hardware configuration, Linux is moving away from making you manually edit text configuration files by providing you with elegant GUI tools to make system administration easier. In this article, LinuxOrbit takes a look at some of the latest GUI tools you can use to help configure and administrate your GNU/Linux system.
Cool GUI Tools for Configuring your GNU/Linux System
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
Follow me on Twitter @EugeniaLoli
Any serious system administrator worth their salt should not need a GUI tool to maintain their system(s).
A server with a GUI is not a server IMHO. If an admin needs a “GUI”, use a curses based tools…works great for kernel config mods.
Once you add a GUI to a server, you take system resources away from the server to run the GUI and end up in a situation no better than Windows from a resource perspective. Perhaps if Linux/BSD had something more efficient than XFree running a GUI wouldn’t be such a resource hog.
Very true, but for a lot of “sysadmins” out there (read: geeks with a server running off their spare computer), resources aren’t that intensive, at least until they get /.’ed
. And X can be shut down and restarted quickly and easily. I agree that a real sysadmin is probably plenty happy with curses, but every little bit is nice. Can the Windows GUI be shut down on a server? Much less on a desktop version of Windows? I know I read an article recently about a guy who set up a Mac server, and said the main thing he’d like to see change is the ability to shut down the GUI, cuz it takes up resources a server could better use elsewhere. At least in Linux, a simple Ctrl+Alt+BckSpcs takes care of X.
Or you could just run the config app as an X-client and run it remotelly, that is the beauty of the X-window system. You do not need ot run the server on the actual server, therefore the client is just a normal app, with not that much of an overhead. But most *nix machines can be configured via text files anyways…
He previewed some RedHat 7.3 panels, but left Suse’s 8.1 YaST2 completley untouched… IMHO, it is the best Linux config tool out there. Nicely organized, well designed, and logically layed out… I recommend any linux newbie pick up Suse 8.1
I am surprised to see no mention of webmin in the article.
To take a slightly different approach from the previous posters there is Webmin. Webmin is backed by SCO and released under a BSD style license. Webmin is sort of a gui, it’s actually a personal webserver running on port 10000 requiring an SSL capable web browser. It’s a tad slow, but it works fairly well.
http://www.webmin.com
WTF??
http://pro.linuxorbit.com/graphics/lopro0103/cooltoolI.jpg
What is the D1, D2, D3 etc??
Damn that developer has no clue how to design the UI of his app.
Real programmers use COPY CON PROGNAME.EXE.
> WTF??
> http://pro.linuxorbit.com/graphics/lopro0103/cooltoolI.jpg
In these sorts of instances, I’d think that if the developer doesn’t have time to really design a good UI, it shouldn’t be too much trouble to provide a “help” button along with the ok/apply/cancel buttons that pops up a modal dialog box containing some explanatory text.
Damn I hate these usability apologists. Doesn’t have time? What on earth makes you think that? You obviously don’t know the developer, or what made them do it, but assume usability knowledge where there demonstratably isn’t.
That’s an awful bit of software. This article is a joke.
> Doesn’t have time? What on earth makes you think that?
`Cause people are busy. [shrug] Just a guess though. You’re correct, I don’t know the developer (or even who he/she is).
Either way, with that poor UI, those KDE devs should really stop charging us so much for kpackage!
By the way Matt, as I’m sure you know, a major idea with GPL’d software is that someone else who has better UI design skills (but perhaps isn’t as good at starting up an app like kpackage from scratch) can come along and pick up where the original author left off.
Making the interface should be an integral part of designing the program, it’s no use creating a program, then just throwing an interface on top of it.
Typ wrote…
Making the interface should be an integral part of designing the program, it’s no use creating a program, then just throwing an interface on top of it.
Actually, the latest paradigm is a separation of function and interface using stuff like XML etc. This allows programmers to write code and designers to design the interface.
Eugenia: sure, that guy may have no idea about usability.
On the other hand, you seem to have no idea about programming. On the third hand, that guy without idea of usability could produce a useful, working program, while the main output of your usability knowledge seems to be insulting people.
Me, I know what I prefer having and what I can do without.
>you seem to have no idea about programming.
Oh? You know what they say, right? Assumption is the mother of all f*ckups.
Bottomline is, his UI is bad. And you can’t change that fact, no matter how much you might try to defame me.
After reading this site for some time now and taking notice of the direction in which eugenias comments are always directed. I have to agree with Roberto.
However the UI is bad on that one screen shot reguardless of the lack of eugenias non-constructive critisism. However IMHO the rest does not look to bad.
don’t take this as an attempt to “defame” eugenia.
Eugenia, if you do have a clue about programming, then at least you are not sharing any of your code, so it matters little to me.
As for defaming you, I am not the one defaming you, your words do a better job than I could possibly do. Your every post or comment is patronizing, shril, and generally insulting to anyone who doesn´t do things the way you prefer.
Guess what Eugenia? KPackage alone is more useful than all your ranting put together. If you actually can code, put up, or shut up. Or if you won´t shut up, at least act like an educated person, adn make comments in a rational, polite manner.
>then at least you are not sharing any of your code
I have done my share on helping BeOS:
http://www.bebits.com/devprofile/1716
And AtheOS:
http://www.kamidake.org/publisher.php?id=32
And ported a few other things to OSX.
As for “my” code, why would I want to share it with people like you?
>On the other hand, you seem to have no idea about programming.
And even if I did’t have an idea about programming(!), that does not STOP ME from having an idea about how things should be represented to the user. At least I did UI designing for a living, so that gives me every right to critisize ANY UI. Especially from the moment that I BUY a distro, and that HORRIBLE application is included in it.
>and make comments in a rational, polite manner.
Like you two did just now?
Look sweethearts, you can APOLOGIZE as much as you want for Linux’s shortcomings. I DON’T. And I have the strength to come forward and talk about these shortcomings. You don’t. You just ATTACKING me when I do so. Because you can’t HANDLE the fact that your beloved platform is terrible from the usability point of view.
Eugenia: telling you the truth can not be an insult, and it can not be irrational. Your posts _are_ shrill, condescending, not constructive and insulting, not to mention unbecoming and angry-sounding.
Now, that *is* the truth, whether you like it or not. I say nothing about you as a person, since I know nothing of you, except your angry rants on every message.
As for why would you want to share my code with me? Well, I can tell you a little story. Once upon a time, I used to write lots of free code. But I met people like you, who got a gift and proceeded to insult the giver. Thus I stopped.
So, if you want not to have ANY free code, you are in the right path. One dev. at a time, it will take you a while, but you may get there in due time.
But anyway: I don´t apologize for nothing. What is created is created, and those who only rant against it are powerless to uncreate it, and, it seems, unwilling to create further, and therefore irrelevant beyond the mild annoyance of angry ranting on semi-obscure websites.
And I can handle anything you can throw at me, darling, and I can do it gracefully. You on the other hand, seem to react to everything with anger adn insults, and, why not mention it, cusswords improper of an educated person in a public forum.
So, grow up, and if things annoy you so much, move on insted of becoming a nuisance, and becoming unhappy.
Eugenia: I really hoe you are not the one who created pages saying, for example, centericq is an “Application by Eugenia Loli-Queru”, since you only did the port to AtheOS.
Are they all ports, or do you have any original work somewhere?
>and if things annoy you so much, move on
I am moved on, I use OSes that make sense in their UIs, like BeOS, OSX and WinXP. Until the Linux fanboys fix their issues though, they will get critisized. Why? Because it is public software. Do you think that the movie directors want to have their movies critisized? No, but they can’t do anything about it. Because people need to know that something can become better. So, if a friend would ask me “Should I buy that Linux distro?”, my answer would be “only if you want to lose a lot of time with it and be ready for stupid interfaces”.
As I told you, I do UIs for a living. That gives me the right to at least have an opinion on things. You can’t tell me “don’t critisize it”, because it is public. It is my “job” as a reviewer on this site, and as a UI designer (and yes, as a programmer too) to show the way to my readers: “It can be better, so go for the better one, until this one is fixed”. It’s the truth, and as a user and reviewer here, it is my “job” to suggest so. This is not a Linux site, so I won’t be suggesting: “hey guys, this thing needs fixing, please contribute some time and code and help the KPackage project”. I see things from far above, I don’t sleep with Linux. We just have different ways on viewing the status of the OSes.
I might have looked harsh with my statement about that programmer’s UI, but after seen such a mess in the Linux GUI world since forever, I have no “polite” words left to be spoken. After so many years, they still haven’t fix their issues. And KPackage is part of KDE, right? At least the folks at the KDE-Usability should have come forward and tell that programmer: “Hey pal, you fix this, this and this, or your app won’t get into the source tree”. Now, that’s management and I would applause something like it. By leaving such issues untouched, and serving them to the people (sometimes for a fee when you buy a distro), now that’s for me, _unthinkable_. I want quality people! And I want the same for my readers. I am not your garbage man. Linux’s apps will get good words from me, when they indeed deserve them to, because as I said, I see Linux from far above, from a distance, as all other OSes. OSNews is not a Linux fansite. It is the mother of all critics for _all_ OSes. Because I want the BEST for everyone. Yes, including myself.
>I really hoe you are not the one who created pages saying
No, I am not.
I did the design of Kamidake (the looks) but not the wording there. And at the end of the day, you can’t write it in a better way in such a web site. If something is a port or not, it will show after you click in the application page (in the description). All online repositories do it this way.
This page that shows all the apps from a developer, is not where people usually browse to. The app page is the one that people do browse.
a) The usability guys are not management. There is no management. If they somehow said “fix that or you don´t get into the source tree”, what is gained? A source tree without a package manager. Hardly a better outcome.
b) You don´t like Linux and would not recommend it? Fine by me. I like it and I recommend it. Big deal. But you have no more kind words? Does that mean you agree with me that your posts are shrill, condescending and insulting? Then why did you say I defamed you?
c) KDE may leave things untouched, and they may be serving them to the people. What theya re not doing is serving them for a fee, and you know that. SO, if you are arguing from the position of “I gave you money”, argue with the ones you gave money to.
d) Where did I say you not to criticize anything? I only said your criticism is not constructive, shrill, condescending and insulting. That, dear, is meta-criticism, live with it.
Apparently, even my mild criticism of your posts, which probably take you a full 45 seconds to write, incenses you. How do you expect your much harsher ones make the guy who spent a year of weekends giving you something for free feel?
No, I don´t expect you to care. I expect you to understand.
If you don´t, tough cookies for everyone, because your posts are completely negative to the objectives you state, not for what they say, but for how it is said.
Grow up.
Ok, I expect to be flamed real bad for this, but:
Considering credit is the only thing the guy who wrote centericq gets from it, I would suggest that in the main app page (where you say people browse), it shouldn´t say “Developed by Eugenia Loli-Queru”.
http://www.kamidake.org/display_entry.php?id=165
Your name appears in every field where one would expect the author´s name to be, and his is nowhere.
It is also a breach of copyright to do that, as you surely know.
>Does that mean you agree with me that your posts are shrill, condescending and insulting?
No. The fact that I am not all sugars, doesn’t mean that I “hate” stuff and that I am a bad witch. Because I am not.
> I only said your criticism is not constructive, shrill, condescending and insulting.
I have done A LOT of contructive critisism. I have written a zillion comments and stories with NEW MOCKUPS. I have explained in the past why this and that is wrong the way it is now and how it can be done better.
But I won’t do ALL the work for the whole GNU system. That is kinda overwhelming, don’t you think?
>Grow up.
Be careful how you talk to me Mr. I am not your little sister.
“”Or you could just run the config app as an X-client and run it remotelly, that is the beauty of the X-window system. You do not need ot run the server on the actual server, therefore the client is just a normal app, with not that much of an overhead. But most *nix machines can be configured via text files anyways…”
I find a ncurses interface a good compromise. Graphical without the overhead of running an X server. And Linuxconfig does have an ncurses interface. Webmin is also a good compromise as well. Remember a lot of us are doing this over low bandwith links.
For God’s SAKE Roberto! Don’t you think that you are a bit over the top here??? Don’t you understand why?
The developer’s homepage and email address is about me, so the **ATHEOS** users can get in touch with *me* if they find a problem with the PORT. The original author should not be under email fire if there is a problem with the atheos port! That would be my job to fix, not his!
However, the “HOME PAGE” is directly linking to the *original* web page!! This is supposed to be, and this is how Kamidake works! It is not about “me taking credit”. It is about how the Kamidake’s engine WORKS.
All copyright info and readmes are in the .tar.gz file!
And stop showing at me with your finger! I am not the only developer there! There are hundrends more! This is not “about me”. But you are TRYING to make it look like!
THIS is what I do call defame.
“WTF??
http ://pro.linuxorbit.com/graphics/lopro0103/cooltoolI.jpg
What is the D1, D2, D3 etc??
Damn that developer has no clue how to design the UI of his app.”
*shrug*
It should have been set at a default one tab called “Archives:” Then the option of spawning more tabs as needed. The current number should be plenty for most. One nice thing is that you can drag and drop a URL from konqueror to each slot. Sure beats typing a complicated URL.
Eugenia, you said you had coding chops, and posted a reference. I check the reference, and see a long list of programs listed as “Developed by Eugenia Loli-Queru”. If I go the the page of each indicidual program, they all say “Developer: Eugenia Loli-Queru” and the “Developer’s home page” is your site, and so on. There is no reference made at all to any other person who may be involved in the development of such a program, except, yes, that there is ONE link that goes to the page of the original author.
Now, all that is, dear, a fact. Facts are not debatable. Fact is, to someone more naïve than I, he would have checked and said , whoa, Eugenia wrote a lot of software! Silly me for saying she didn’t code!
Thus, if anyone is misrepresenting things here, it’s you.
Also, dear, there is a gulf between “not all sugars” and being, yes, a bad witch. I did see some of your constructive criticism, and it often concerned such stuff as button alignment, which, while nice, is really a pretty low priority. But even the constructive criticism, and the mockups, was shrouded with a layer of attitude, like here you have it fools, you all suck, and this is how it is done.
Which of course misses a whole point, in that that is not how it is done, coding is how it is done. A mockup, while nice, and perhaps thought inspiring, is not the real thing. It is just a drawing.
And finally, dear, yes, this is about you. I posted about you, and am writing about you. I don’t give much attention to sites about software for dead OSs in general. One thing at a time.