Debian Updates

[Keith Mastin]

> On Wed, 26 Nov 2003, Keith Mastin wrote:
>> So why do you need to learn anything about virtual hosts or really
>> much of anything else if you have a gui that can do it for you?
>
> There is nothing wrong with using a good GUI to configure your system.
> OTOH, many people use a GUI as an excuse not to learn something.  In
> that respect, I can agree with you.

There is nothing wrong to configure an app with a gui if you know 1) that
app, 2) the security implications, 3) what the gui does not configure, and
4) that you can also use the command line to pick up what the gui leaves
out.

>> IMHO anything else is a cheat if you have the capabilities but refuse
>> to learn how to use them.
>
> In your opinion, perhaps.  Some people may beg to differ, because a GUI
> is their security blanket.  It wouldn't matter if the character based
> interface is better, because it intimidates them.  If you don't believe
> me, just look at any library catalogue: much of the work done in the
> 1980's and early 1990's had usability studies backing them.  Then the
> internet came into vogue, and everybody was slapping on clumsy web based
> interfaces.

We are not talking about user interfaces here, we are talking about server
configurations. The 2 are distinct as apples and oranges.

> If these people are intimidated by text with line drawing characters,
> can you imagine how they would respond to pure text?  Now replace the
> immediate response of a simple command driven environment with a text
> editor.  Intimidation grows into sheer terror ...
>
> Now some of those people are dopes.  Others are quite intelligent, but
> simply don't know how to react to something which they consider as
> regressive (just consider how much time the industry has spent trying to
> convince us that the GUI is easier to use, and better).  Could the
> intelligent ones handle a GUI configuration tool and understand what is
> going on?  You bet they can.  Are they going to suffer because of it?
> They won't if the GUI is well designed and they take the time to
> understand what is going on.

I will admit that maybe you have a point if you can show me a gui that can
configure _every_ aspect of a program to the same degree of certainty that
the command line can. Samba has about a thousand or so options. How many
of these are configurable in SWAT or WebMin?

-- 
Keith
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