From owner-freebsd-current@FreeBSD.ORG Fri Apr 29 09:09:43 2005 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-current@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 0D24516A4CE for ; Fri, 29 Apr 2005 09:09:43 +0000 (GMT) Received: from orb.pobox.com (orb.pobox.com [207.8.226.5]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 82B0A43D41 for ; Fri, 29 Apr 2005 09:09:42 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from discussion-lists@linnet.org) Received: from orb (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by orb.pobox.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id EBD6D890; Fri, 29 Apr 2005 05:09:38 -0400 (EDT) Received: from thinkdog.local.linnet.org (host217-40-157-153.in-addr.btopenworld.com [217.40.157.153]) (using TLSv1 with cipher DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA (256/256 bits)) (No client certificate requested) by orb.sasl.smtp.pobox.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id 853C08F; Fri, 29 Apr 2005 05:09:36 -0400 (EDT) Received: from lists by thinkdog.local.linnet.org with local (Exim 4.43 (FreeBSD)) id 1DRRUt-000Nzq-Cn; Fri, 29 Apr 2005 10:09:19 +0100 Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 10:09:19 +0100 From: Brian Candler To: /dev/null Message-ID: <20050429090919.GA92159@uk.tiscali.com> References: <57436.216.177.243.42.1114582155.localmail@webmail.dnswatch.com> <6.1.0.6.2.20050426233321.084e9210@cobalt.antimatter.net> <51899.216.177.243.42.1114584317.localmail@webmail.dnswatch.com> <6.1.0.6.2.20050427001118.0327cd50@cobalt.antimatter.net> <52515.216.177.243.42.1114586501.localmail@webmail.dnswatch.com> <61359.216.177.243.35.1114722481.localmail@webmail.dnswatch.com> <55682.216.177.243.35.1114763695.localmail@webmail.dnswatch.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <55682.216.177.243.35.1114763695.localmail@webmail.dnswatch.com> User-Agent: Mutt/1.4.2.1i cc: freebsd-current@freebsd.org cc: John Sconiers Subject: Re: boot banner project X-BeenThere: freebsd-current@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list List-Id: Discussions about the use of FreeBSD-current List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 09:09:43 -0000 On Fri, Apr 29, 2005 at 01:34:55AM -0700, /dev/null wrote: > > 2. Total rewrite of sysinstall to be like Red Hat's Anaconda (graphical) > For ppl that have never installed FBSD b4 I think a GUI installer is a > must. But personally, the *only* thing I would change in the current > installer is better cursor handling. OK maybe I would also add a refresh > button - I hate it when the screen gets trashed from some console message. Have you looked at http://www.bsdinstaller.org/ ? I've only looked at the web site, haven't tried it. But it looks like a cool idea: separating out the installer functionality from the user interface, so that you can easily plug in new interfaces (they have a CGI frontend already). It might save re-inventing the wheel. > > 3. FreeBSD Update (ala Red hat update / Windows update) > It's already available in the 5x series (and late 4?). It's called > portaudit and is the *BEST* implimentation for any OS I have ever used. > A "must have" for any FBSD user. Look in the ports/security section of > your local installation. According to pkg-descr: "portaudit provides a system to check if installed ports are listed in a database of published security vulnerabilities. After installation it will update this security database automatically and include its reports in the output of the daily security run." This doesn't sound like an updater of any sort. There's "portupgrade", but of course that only handles software in the ports collection, not the O/S itself. I would like to be able to do a safe binary-only upgrade of the base FreeBSD O/S. For it to be safe, it has to be able to *remove* things which were in the old distribution but not in the new one. The current upgrade process just untars the new distribution on top of whatever you have, and usually leaves a mess behind to clean up. This works with RPM-based O/Ses because each part of the O/S is itself a package, and thus the package database records which files it contians. Making the whole FreeBSD base system consist of 'packages' rather than just plain tarballs might be one approach. It would also usefully record which distribution sets you chose to install originally, which is information that is also lost currently. Oh, and I want the 'mergemaster' functionality to be available in a binary upgrade too. > > 4. GUI Kernel configurator That wouldn't add any value for me. I moved from Linux to FreeBSD several years ago, and one of the things I prefer about FreeBSD is that the kernel configuration and build process is *so* straightforward. Single text file to edit; that's it. > > 5. GUI port manager (add / delete ports) > There are a few incarnations of this(ese) already available depending of > your windowmanager/ console choice. As I'm sure you know, sysinstall has this functionality already. sysinstall isn't pretty, but it kind-of works. The biggest problem I find when newbie FreeBSD users are trying it is having to remember to hit "Tab" to get to the right places. Especially screens like this: [_X_] Selection 1 [ X ] Selection 2 [ ] Selection 3 [ OK ] [ Cancel ] People think they can just hit Enter to select 'OK', but actually it toggles Selection 1 off. Maybe that's the same point you made about "improved cursor handling". > > 6. Other Small System enhancements > > > > If you want maybe we could create a group who's purpose is to create > > system enhancements......let's come up with some projects work on them > > and see if they are willing to commit them ........ think about it. I remember reading an article by Jordan Hubbard a couple of years ago explaining the deficiencies of the current installation/upgrade system, and suggesting what features a next generation system should have. Anybody remember where it was? Regards, Brian.