Re: ANNOUNCE: Helix Setup Tools

[Sean Middleditch <sean middleditch iname com>]

Rodd Clarkson wrote:

> > > Helix is proud to introduce the Helix Setup Tools, a set of tools
> > > that are aimed at providing an easy to use user interface for system
> > > configuration in Linux/Unix.
> > >
> >
> > I had thought it was decided that the Control Center should NOT have system
> > configuration controls in it?  But, if we're heading that way, which I think is
> > good (less places to look for information), I won't complain.  ~,^
>
> It would be better to have these tools in a seperate package.  Putting
> them into the Control Center would make it very easy for people to
> 'bust' their system.
>
> That said, it looks like all the setup tools should be in a single
> package, just a different package than control center.  Control Center
> should remain a tool for adjusting UI settings, but shouldn't allow the
> user to get to 'lower level' config files that are more likely to break
> their system.
>
> Rodd Clarkson
>
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> http://www.sportingpulse.com.au
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HEre's an idea:  The Control Center is a great piece of software, very well put
together and laid out.  It'd be a sinch to just take the Control Center, modify a
few parts (i.e. Change every occurance of 'Control Center' to 'System Center' or
some-such), and there ya go!  You wouldn't even have to worry about maintaining the
tool, just perhaps make the changes as compile time options.  Then a single package
control-system (or some such) could build both the control center and setup tools.
Less source, possibly less disk usage of binaries (if you can get one binary to
handle both cases, which would be really nice and probably not all that difficult at
all), and no 'extra' maintenance for the most part.  Plus it'll make more
consistancy in the tools people use (which I'd love).

Oh, by the way, as a suggestion for the system tools... could there be a 'module' (I
think in terms of Linux-conf, my all-time favorite system config program) for
displaying and/or modifying the X information?  I still find myself going to the KDE
config tool to check which version of X I'm running, something I do when upgrading
(making sure things work OK, etc.) and whatnot, without having to go to the
commandline.  Not that I don't like the command line, I spend 90% of my time on a
computer at a commandline, but it'd be a nice feature none-the-less.  I'll quit
babbling now.

Sean Middleditch