On 20/10/09 15:24, Ryan Dwyer wrote: > What are your thoughts on having a server product that competes with > Windows Server? Something which has a GUI, is very easy to manage and > works best with Ubuntu workstations. In light of some of the other comments in this thread, I'd like to make an observation, which may or may not hold true.
I personally prefer the CLI for many, if not most, tasks. The reason that I do is because I have an understanding of what is going on for the tools that I use. The reason that a GUI is nice, is for those times when the understanding is poor. For example, I'm still trying to get my head around how LDAP and Samba work together to make a Domain Controller. I've read lots of documentation on the subject, but the overall picture some how still eludes me. A well built GUI can remove some of the complexity in the implementation and management of such a complex environment. Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about the Windows or KDE approach that everything in the system has a check-box or a menu option. I'm talking about how a GUI can simplify the complexities of such an environment. (This is not intended as a swipe on KDE, just that I've never liked the thundering horde of options it provides - I use a CLI for that.) If all the processes on a server were simple, we wouldn't need system administrators. That's unlikely to ever happen. I think what you are trying to discuss is a way of making server administration less complex. I think that you feel that a GUI will assist in that, and to some degree it will. I think it is admirable that you want Ubuntu to be used by more people, but I'm beginning to wonder if you're asking the right question. What I think you're asking is for a simpler way to manage a complex system - and for me that comes with installing sensible defaults. Perhaps your blueprint might attempt to describe functionality, rather than a GUI. If you're not careful you will be building ebox or webmin all over again. -- Onno Benschop Connected via Bigpond NextG at S31°54'06" - E115°50'39" (Yokine, WA) -- ()/)/)() ..ASCII for Onno.. |>>? ..EBCDIC for Onno.. --- -. -. --- ..Morse for Onno.. ITmaze - ABN: 56 178 057 063 - ph: 04 1219 8888 - o...@itmaze.com.au -- Ubuntu-devel-discuss mailing list Ubuntu-devel-discuss@lists.ubuntu.com Modify settings or unsubscribe at: https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-devel-discuss
