Re: Some news

[JF Martinez <jfm2@club-internet.fr>]

> 
> On Tue, 18 May 1999, JF Martinez wrote:
> 
> > a maniac on this), automatic config of the LILO keyboard, homestation
> > category of install and dropping people using workstation or
> > homestation installs to level 2 instead of level 3 (less servers).
> 
> I don't think this is such a great idea. Firstly, this means that if the
> user installs some kind of server ( apache, squid, newscache ) , it won't
> come up. 
> 

Perhaps you are right.  In the other hand I ever felt it was
ridiculous when the isolated user finds dozens of servers sitting
there wasting memory and being potential security holes (the only
really secure program is the one who is never started).  Of course we
could take the option: "if they are installed that means they are
wanted so they must run" and content us with a thorough revision in
the canned installs (workstation and server).

> Secondly, if the user decides they want run level 5, they get all the
> servers. 
> 

I have thought on it and I am unhappy.

> A better solution would be to just turn everything off ( in inetd ) by
> default. I think you can choose at install time which inetd services are
> swtiched on. Making them all off by default is a good move. Turning off
> inetd services + not installing any servers in workstation/homestation
> installs is IMO a better answer. 
> 

You cannot.  In the install you are prompted for servers, not for
inted services.  You are not prompted at all in workstation installs.

> > directory. For the install I must say I tend to strongly disagree with
> > what RH thinks is the more suitable software who must be installed by
> > default when you select categories without going down into individual
> > packages.  That means we will _really_ have to hack at the comps file.
> 
> Yep. I had a look at the "comps" for the "workstation" and it looks more
> like a "hackerstation" or a "geekstation". 
> 

Yes this is also a point but I was thinking in what happens when you
select by categories like "Network management" then only what RH
thinks are the most useful apps are selected and I disagree with them.

> > About the things I noticed: 
> 
> I don't know if you noticed this but reportedly, binary compatiblity with
> old apps ( esp commercial ) is badly broken. Ho hum.
> 

AFAIK Star Division used undocumented (thus test only) features in
glibc 2.0 who didn't survive in 2.1 (at least in that form) but I
don't have heard of broken properly written programs.  Source was not
RedHat but a neutral.

Same old thing than in Windows only that there MS was first to use
undocumented features (verified) and choose to break those used by
competitors (strong rumors).  However you could think Star Division
had learned the lesson.  No, they hadn't..


> > If the user chooses to run AnotherLevel then he is dropped on FVWM: I
> > really prefer dropping it on WindowMaker or AfterStep in afct I would
> > like to default him to the Night theme due to its Wow effect but on
> > 8bpp displays it will really suck and I don't know a simple solution
> > to detect X is in 8bpp mode (short of writing an app for this)
> 
> very easy to do if you are starting via {x,k,g}dm because you can save the
> STDERR from the X server.

Are you sure?  You will go through xinit and lose control on what
happens later.  A simpler solution would be to use an "xdpyinfo |
grep" unless there is a variable set by X telling in what mode it is.

> 
> I guess one way we could do it is have *dm save the output of X to a file,
> and also, modify the startx script so that it copies STDERR to a file.(?)
> 
> > They ship LinuxConf 0.14 (or is it 14?) and we could go to 0.15.
> > Newer is better.
> 
> speaking of which, it might be worth including the latest version
> of gnome-libs. 
> 

Of course.

Now of my old manias: Do we ship a gimp 1.1 or do we stick with an
"enriched" GIMP 1.0 (ie ship the unofficial plugins)?

-- 
			Jean Francois Martinez

Project Independence: Linux for the Masses
http://www.independence.seul.org