[lug] GUI interfaces and system configuration

[D. Stimits]

"J. Wayde Allen" wrote:
> 
> On Wed, 20 Jun 2001, D. Stimits wrote:
> 
> > I wasn't thinking of dumbing down linuxconf, so much as making an
> > extension tool for man pages.
> 
> Sorry, poor typing on my part.  I understood what you meant, and agreed
> with you.
> 
> My "dumbed down" comment was intended to apply to the way most GUI
> interfaces are designed where they try to minimize the possibilities to
> make the click path more or less obvious.  In other words
> oversimplification for the sake of making a cleaner looking GUI is a
> problem that gets you back to the problem of "you can't get there from
> here" syndrome that plagues many of the commercial OS's.  I think your
> suggestion might be a way around this.
> 
> > Think of it as a specialized man page indexing system with a
> > suggestion and editing extension. The goal would not be to dumb down
> > any interface, but to provide something to prod the manual file editor
> > along...making it more organized for the person that wants to
> > configure by hand, but doesn't know exactly all of the details.
> 
> Yes, that sounds interesting to me.  I like the idea of keeping all the
> cards on the table so-to-speak.  I also like the idea of indicating what
> files need/will be changed.  In particular, I like the idea of an
> organizational tool such as this that wouldn't modify the underlying /etc
> config file structure.  It should read these files just as the programs
> that they were designed for would read them.  There shouldn't be any
> pre-defined states that this tool would use other than the states set in
> the config files.  That way, you could edit the config files with vi or
> this tool without worrying that it would somehow modify your vi tweaks.

Imagine that man pages have an XML import utility as an aid to actually
doing this. But then we extend it by creating extension tags to tags
that mark files, and that extension is for editable files. Further
extend editable files have associated a syntax (frameworks could be
created to make syntax definitions easier, for example, comment styles,
and delimiter styles). Although I am going to describe more detail as if
it is a gui, this isn't necessary; I assume any underlying logic is
separate from the interface. Pretend that an editable file, when clicked
on, activates that file in some selected editor. Should there also be a
syntax or wizard engine for the particular file, it would superimpose on
the editor (maybe being as simple as syntax highlighting and basic
syntax validation). Should the author of the wizard portion choose to do
so, an extension window could also be launched that is read-only, and it
does a live read of the edited file, giving a summary of file lines and
comments about what those lines mean; further it could offer other
hints. Maybe a "what-if" window could also be available, where a line
could be entered and it would be validated without modifying the real
file...simultaneously highlighting the man page in places that apply to
that particular syntax. Or something along those lines.

The idea being to make a logical XML breakdown of a man page that allows
interactive nudging of the person doing edits, along with plugin wizards
(even if they are only for syntax validation).

D. Stimits, stimits at idcomm.com

> 
> OK, while we're at it I'd also like to have my cake and eat it too
> <smirk>.

You forgot the closing tag...it should be:
<smirk>Ok, while...eat it too</smirk>

> 
> - Wayde
>   (wallen at lug.boulder.co.us)
> 
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