Ainsi parlait Buchan Milne :
> Guillaume Rousse wrote:
> > Ainsi parlait Luca Berra :
> >>what should be done for the distro (a bit late for 9.2, but mandrakesoft
> >>should think about next release) is adding a decent program (i'd call it
> >>mailerdrake) to mcc that is used to configure postfix, amavisd,
> >>spamassassin, cyrus (or courier, or dovecot).
> >
> > Is this really a good idea to add wizards, gui and other newbies-oriented
> > assistant for software as mail servers, DNS, and other real stuff that
>
> have
>
> > an impact on other computer users ?
> >
> > I don't mind if Joe User setup a web server through such a click-o-magic
> > without ever reading a manual, howto or anything related to network
> > computing, cause if he's wrong he will only trash his computer. But i
>
> don't
>
> > want to get spammed just because the same Joe User decided he could
>
> play with
>
> > a new toy he found in mcc and setup an open-relay SMTP...
>
> Hmm, better to leave him to hack on main.cf without knowing anything,
> and deciding to set mynetworks = 0.0.0.0/32 because it's easier?
I think this is not exactly the same situation. He has to download the package
first, find the configuration file, then edit him. Three steps that you don't
have with "oh, look at this new bright icon in the shiny mdk center".
Moreover, i was just speaking about people not realizing what they were doing,
not people volontarily doing something wrong. When you face a long config
files, with a lots of complex options you don't understand, you got far
better chances to realize you're putting your feet in dangereous ground thant
when facing three cool icons in a some wizard.
> No, good config tools make it easy to do the right thing, instead of
> editing config files where it's easy to do anything (right or wrong).
I don't think wizards, such as the one included in mcc, have any educational
value. I'm not speaking about graphical configuration tools in general, but
specificaly for applications targeted to beginners. They tend to confort
people in assisted position, rather than to lead them to autonomy.
> The point of the tool would be to prevent a user making an open-relay by
> cluelessness.
Better provide user-friendly documentation to the beginner, explaining him:
1) he doesn't need such server, unless he know why
2) there are some concepts he has to understand first
What you are proposing here is to distribute guns to everyone, arguing that
the security is set.
--
Guillaume Rousse
If it moves, salute it; if it doesn't move, pick it up; if you can't pick it
up, paint it
-- Murphy's Military Laws n�4
