Date: Thu, 08 Apr 2010 09:27:25 +0000 From: Kris Moore <kris@pcbsd.org> To: freebsd-geom@freebsd.org Subject: Re: [RFC] Rewriting sade(8) Message-ID: <4BBDA17D.1030502@pcbsd.org> In-Reply-To: <hpkhrc$md8$1@dough.gmane.org> References: <55861270658151@web135.yandex.ru> <l2we277d6c81004071049h21670783ic4a9f419aedca272@mail.gmail.com> <4BBD68DB.7050600@yandex.ru> <201004080727.21020.bruce@cran.org.uk> <4BBD7CDC.2070505@yandex.ru> <20100408103809.13496s9i6ny03ocg@webmail.leidinger.net> <867hoi8gbl.fsf@ds4.des.no> <20100408121500.13995d1eu7b9bt0k@webmail.leidinger.net> <86fx36up9e.fsf@ds4.des.no> <hpkhrc$md8$1@dough.gmane.org>
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On 04/08/2010 12:23, Ivan Voras wrote: > On 04/08/10 14:01, Dag-Erling Smørgrav wrote: > >> Alexander Leidinger<Alexander@Leidinger.net> writes: >> >>> I think this is more complicated than to refactor the interesting part >>> into a backend with an API which both tools can use. This would also >>> allow someone to write a GUI program (e.g. for PC-BSD). >>> >> There have been at least three or four attempts to do this in the past. >> One of them was even fully funded by the FreeBSD Foundation. They all >> failed. >> > Since I was involved in one of them (not the Foundation-funded one, > though; who got that? I don't remember seeing an announcement), I'll > attempt to share some of my experiences. > > One experience is that, unless both components (the backend and the > front-end) are done, nobody will use either. > > The second, that it's apparently a given that the backend must be > written in C to be imported into base - this is a large obstacle for > doing something that, I think, by definition should be scriptable. > Apparently noone was/is interested in a Python backend :( > > Third, I feel that using a RPC-like network protocol - in my case > XML-RPC was/is a good idea but it also received too little comments and > interest. > > Fourth, it's bloody hard doing open-source development unless you have > external funding. > > _______________________________________________ > freebsd-geom@freebsd.org mailing list > http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-geom > To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-geom-unsubscribe@freebsd.org" > FWIW, I think there's nothing wrong with doing a backend in something other than C. On the PC-BSD side we've implemented our own new backend / frontend installer scheme, and its working quite nicely now. The backend is written entirely in "sh", with no requirements on any extra libs / programs. This means we can run it on a 100% pure FreeBSD base, and not need some 3rd party utilities to be included. http://trac.pcbsd.org/browser/pcbsd/trunk/pc-sysinstall Anyway, it now supports ZFS, glabel, geli, gmirror, gpart, GPT, script-able installs, etc and is still under heavy development to improve upon said features. Our C++ front-end is written in QT4, which of course is great for the PC-BSD side. If we could get somebody to write a curses front-end then it may be possible to use it for FreeBSD as well. (It already supports doing Vanilla FreeBSD-only installations) -- Kris Moore PC-BSD Software iXsystems
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