"Jose M. Sanchez" wrote:
snip
> As a result, we, the "more experienced" users are left to pour thru
> scripts, code & newsgroup messages for several months, fighting to
> become accustomed to the new changes.
>
> Eventually we learn how to track such problems as you've had down...
>
> Then the next release rolls along... And we start the cycle all over
> again.
>
> This is one of my personal pet peeves with Mandrake/Redhat, as much as I
> do like it.
>
> I was getting quite used to all of the idiosyncrasies of Linuxconf, to
> the point that it became my preferred way of managing & setting up
> systems. This after Mandrake seemed to be incorporating it into their
> grand scheme of things in 7.0+...
>
> Well of course, now in 8.0 they appear to be moving away from it again.
>
Well said, I have spent more hours than I would care to admit screwing
around with config files (mind you I do enjoy the challenge!!!). It was
particularly embarrasing the other day when I was trying to introduce
linux into my workplace I started out using Mdk Control Centre to
configure the network etc with nil luck, went to Linuxconf and tried
there and ended up with two network cards when I only had one. I
finally ended up in the /etc/sysconfig with vi. I'm not having a go here
because I know that to keep Madrake successful it needs to be attractive
to the user and clunky looking tool like Linuxconf doesn't quite provide
the necessary glitz but it's important I think to realise what users
will remember a nightmare configuration (it took me three days to get my
work machine into a satisfactory state) or a rather clunky looking
config tool.
I think we all know the answer to this one!!!!
I would be very glad to contribute some time to testing these config
tools because they are some of the most crucial pieces of software on
the system no good having all the wonderful desktops if you can't print
to the printer. How about a test group devoted to config tools with it's
own list. I'd be the first to join.
Yours Constructively
Colin Close
