Although this is really a broader issue than just linux or debian I thought I would present it to you guys and girls first.
One of the major problems with unix is that, for new users, it is a bear to configure. I was thinking about this this afternoon an an idea struck me on a great way to solve this problem: A standard confutation system. Part of the problem with this is that every program has their own format for the configuration files. This idea would solve that problem for ever. It would consist of these parts: - A server back end which would manage the master and users registry of configuration - A server/watchdog that will manage the translation of the registry to the old fashion configuration files. It will also watch the configuration files for changes and update the registry appropriately - An easy to use API in C, C++, Perl, Java, Sh, and just about another other language that a unix program or script can be written in. - A command line based front end to manage the registry - A ncurses based front end to manage the registry - A X based front end to manage the registry The actual data will be store in a binary format that is specific to the server. However the server will be able to export and import configurations in a standard text based format. The layout of the registry will be similar to Microsoft's windows registry however it will be far more powerful. Configurations will be stored with key/value pairs which will then be stored under a sub category which will be stored under another sub category etc.... There will also be a template data file which will contain information about how the configuration should look like such as: what keys are valid under a subcategory, what subcategories are under a certain subcategory, and what format the key's value should look like. The template data will also contain a detailed description of what exactly a certain subcatagory is and what each of the key/value pairs under it do. It will also contain information that will warn the user if he/she is modifying something which should really be modified by some other utility. Also, the template data file will contain event information. These events will tell the server what else it has to doing the event that data was modified. Events can include information such as: - restarted a demean - updating the old fashion configuration file - running a program to modify system resources based on the new configuration (such as mounted drives, etc.) So what do you think of this idea? If people think it is worthwhile of pursing I will work on a formal draft standard which will lay things out in more detail than this. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]