From: pdc@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Paul Crowley) Subject: Re: Packaging Linux Date: 21 Nov 1992 15:41:02 GMT
Quoting jml12@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Jonathan M Lennox) in article <1992Nov20.184332.4802@news.columbia.edu>:
> Perhaps an X command which stops x, syncs, halts, and prints "it is
>now safe to turn off your computer" would be a good idea, though.
I've always thought that since anyone who can log in at the console can
access the power switch, they should be able to shut down the system
with no special privileges. How about a ``shutdown'' command that can
be run by any user logged in at the console? And an account called
``shutdown'' with no password that runs it, after shutting down X if
it's running? And a nice xshutdown command that provides a pretty front
end to it all, and allows warnings and time-outs and so forth.
Is there any way to keep X running while the rest of the system is ready
to die? If not, any way of doing pretty graphics for the ``click *here*
to abort, click *here* to reboot, you may now power down'' sort of
instructions?
I suspect that, without some sort of NextStep/NewWave Unix hiding
system, Joe User isn't going to buy it just yet. Making Unix easy
enough to *administer* is an even bigger nightmare. Linux ain't hitting
the general desktop just yet.
_____ __
\\ // Paul Crowley pdc@dcs.ed.ac.uk /o \/
\X/ "I'm the boy without a sole" \__/\