From: will@linus (Michael Will) Subject: Re: CFC/CFI: XSysadmin Date: 7 Oct 1993 15:30:04 GMT
Michael A. Irons (mirons@icarus.ci.net) wrote:
: I have been thinking about just this thing. I would use OB/OI
: as it seems fairly easy to use and it would be good to show some
: support for the product.
Exactly my intent - besides creating a nice tool and lerning a lot
about ObjectorientedProgramming(tm).
: Each of the sections could be written and then merged into a
: main utility. If it's designed carfully, if should be extendable as
: well. As for the compile time stuff. Once the gui is set, it could be
: compiled into a *.o files and then linked with the code for
: maintaining the files.
Yes, but there is still one major problem. We have to separate the
functionality from the user-interface, because we cannot use X alone.
To many users do not use X because of lack of memory - these are most
likely to be happy to use such a tool like we want to write.
I think we have to provide a curses-interface as well - how this can
be done we should discuss.
My thinking is like: use virtual-functions (late binding) to have the objects
communicate with the user with the apropriate methods for the selected
user-interface.
ParcPlace have done this with Motif/Openlook - why
should we not add a curses-layer?
But we have to avoid blowing up our task to unsolvable complexity, this
is what makes me uneasy :)
: I think it would be good to have it very flexable. For
: example, with UUCP automatically figuring out which type of config
: files you are using and offering a conversion option to one of the
: others. That way the user is offered a list of systems, they pick a
: system (or add a new one) and get options to either clear/delete it,
: or edit it's 'capabilities'.
Yes, this is what I wanted to do with the usermaintanement-stuff which
should use shadow-passwd-files and add the gui-fields if shadow is
detected - but as well work without and not bother about shadow-features.
Maybe we should create a mail-channel for this topic? If enough users
and developers are interested...
Please let me know...
Cheers, Michael Will