Re: Don't implement config functionality

Hi all,

On Sun, 11 Jan 2004 08:56 pm, C. Gatzemeier wrote:
> Concerning the messages about the prospecive kde-debian System Tool. How it 
> should look like, integrate, best language etc. And how it is not fun to 
> maintain tools for every package one wants to configure:
>
> IMHO the only real solution is a frontend that does not need a new module 
for 
> each new thing that one wants to configure. So that no time needs to be used 
> hardcoding any package specifics.

The problem with this approach is that as far as usability is concerned, it 
only gets you as far as a "windows style" registry editor. Which is to say, 
not very far at all and certainly not very usable. Now, perhaps for a lot of 
config files a registry editor is a useful tool to have. Great, go for it. 
But as a way of producing high quality and usable system tools it will just 
never work. Auto-generating GUIs from config file schemas alway produces poor 
interfaces.

I've seen this idea many times in the past, and many people have tried, all 
have failed. Sorry.

cheers,

-- 
Simon Edwards             | Guarddog Firewall
[email protected]       | http://www.simonzone.com/software/
Nijmegen, The Netherlands | "ZooTV? You made the right choice."