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Xref: sserve comp.os.386bsd.misc:2166 comp.os.linux.misc:12143 Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!yeshua.marcam.com!usc!howland.reston.ans.net!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!news.ysu.edu!malgudi.oar.net!chemabs!sun1.is.battelle.org!dst!ihz.compuserve.com!csi.compuserve.com!not-for-mail From: dneedham@csi.compuserve.com (Douglas Wade Needham) Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.misc,comp.os.linux.misc Subject: Re: Impressions: FreeBSD vs Linux Message-ID: <2n9t4o$eps@dneedham.inhouse.compuserve.com> Date: 29 Mar 94 18:47:52 GMT References: <Cn6txK.IDp@boulder.parcplace.com> <2n1l3n$821@clarknet.clark.net> <2n26uu$ae6@fw.novatel.ca> Organization: CompuServe Incorporated Lines: 57 NNTP-Posting-Host: dneedham.inhouse.compuserve.com >*BSD is an operating system. kermit is an application. XFree86 is also >an application as is TeX and many other things. Should every conceivable >application be shipped with the operating system? Anyone care to even guess at the size of the distribution (order of magnitude is fine) when every conceivable application is shipped...Let's see...how many GB is on prep.ai.mit.edu... ftp.uu.net..... Now how much of that is duplicated? We may start talking TB here 8)...now how many tapes is that??? >: says, "Perhaps someone should tell us what all these options actually >: mean." I thought that's what the *!@# FAQ was for! Actually, with all the different implementations out there, the best FAQ would start with "Read your () manuals", commonly known as RTFM. From there, a hint or two at the commands should do. >: Linux. Linux installed on my system, and I added the users I needed, >: and they had POP accounts immediately, and I could run "DIP" to set > >What if I don't *want* my users to have POP accounts? The reason why UCB and others never created a system admin interface is probably attributable to the "you can please some of the people some of the time" philosophy. Can you imagine an interface that would be perfect (or even close) for every site using the OS? I cannot, having been a SA in several different groups. While some sites use POP, NFS, BIND, or other application/protocol packages, others have no need or use for them. Add the fact that most sites who originally ran BSD were universities who could throw students at a problem (remember that a student is someone who pays to work and learn at the same time 8) ) to do the tasks or possibly develop an interface to do it, and it was by definition tailored to their site, a common SA interface never really developed. And then you have SVRx with sysadm, HP/UX with sam, AIX with smit, and all the other variants. Those were developed by the vendor to try to solve the problem for the sites where "Tag!!! You are the SA!" was the name of the game. The problem with those programs was that longer you used them, the more likely you would want to do something that was impossible unless you played something resembling "Twister" at best. Two prime examples are trying to use sam on an IBM 3151 terminal, or trying to use smit to put two partitions on a disk, one on the inner edge and the other at the outer edge. Both of these were a "no can do". (I could do the smit problem by hand though...) If you want an SA tool, I would suggest writing a few shell scripts or C programs, possibly place them inside a menuing system (TCL/TK may fit the bill), and keep expanding it as you find tasks which you repeat from time to time. Not ideal, but can you think of a way you get something approching your level of satisfaction? - doug ******************************************************************************* My options are my own. Since I do not want them, why should my employer? 8) Douglas Wade Needham BSD kernel programmer Email: dneedham@csi.compuserve.com -or- dneedham@oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu USnail: Compuserve 216 S. Burgess Ave. 5000 Arlington Centre Blvd. Columbus OH 43204 Columbus, OH 43220 Voice: (614)457-8600 (614)274-0769