[Registry] Re: LinuxRegistry in Freedesktop & KDE

[George]

On Mon, Apr 19, 2004 at 04:27:49PM -0300, Avi Alkalay wrote:
> >   About current knowledge, we must admit that any kind of user which is
> > able to read and change XF86Config by hand would have not a single
> > problem in going to /etc/registry/whatever/key/ and edit the keys
> > inside. The current knowledge is not lost, since currently any admin has
> > lots more knowledge than necessary to edit a file. Also, take into
> > account that we could use command line tools to do that, apart from
> > other UI-oriented utilities we might have (curses-based, KDE-based,
> > GNOME-based, whatever). A simple key editing tool is as good editing
> > XFree's configuration as editing the Apache configuration.
> 
> Actually, you won't edit the files by hand. Only in emergency situations.
> The everyday usage is something like:
> 
> bash# rg set /system/sw/XFree/current/Screen0/resolution "1024x768"

That's most definately not everyday for me.  Every day, I have absolutely no
clue how XFree stores it's keys.  If I remembered all that my head would
explode and my brain would stain the carpet pissing off my wife.  The way I
usually try to edit config is that I lurk in /etc for a good sounding
directory/file (same I would do with LR) and then once found I edit the file
and hope that it is a nice (linear not registry style where I ought to open
every key to get help) read that I will be able to figure out how to change
it.  The way LR looks it would be far harder to just read the whole thing in
a linear fashion (my brain functions linearly as I suspect most people do).

If you are able to remember what keys are named, you are a better man then I
am.  I am not able to remember my birthday sometimes and yet I manage to
admin my own two computers and a webserver with no problem.  Do I even
remember the apache configuration file config format?  No way, I never needed
to.  I don't even remember what keys sound like.  But because of all the
comments I was always able to do whatever I needed with very little trouble.
And the trouble I had was with semantics of the keys and NOT with the format
of the file.  LR would not help in my case at all.

I also used to manage a server through webmin and never looked at the config
file.  Note that webmin does not use LR and still manages to do this.

> >   I agree with Avi. Linux still have no good software installer for
> > applications, probably due to the heterogeneity of system
> > configurations. Asking the user to "please, set permission to xxxx", and
> > also asking for pathnames to locate things is not what I would define as
> > "usability" and "user-friendlyness".
> 
> I hate these "documented post-installation instructions".

And how does LR help here?

Most arguments for LR tend to go along the lines of the Chewbacca defense.

Some installer on some system sucks.  Linux Registry would solve this problem
because, ladies and gentleman of the jury, this is Chewbacca and he lives on
Endor.  Also there aren't very good high level UI tools on Linux for
configuring stuff, but ladies and gentleman, Chewbacca living on Endor
does not make sense, that is why you should switch to Linux Registry.  If
Chewbacca lives on Endor, you must use Linux Registry.

> Yes. We have to think in a practical way.

Yes, a practical way.  Reinventing the wheel that solves a different problem
then the one you claim is the real problem is generally not considered
practical.

George

-- 
George <jirka at 5z.com>
   If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him.
                       -- Voltaire