Re: Configuration management / proposal
Le Wed, Nov 11, 1998 at 02:13:56PM +0100, Wichert Akkerman écrivait:
> Sorry to say this, but this is complete and utter nonsense. The only
> difference was if you used a virtual database that can consist of
> multiple sources or a single database. How you access that database
> is the same for both ides.
I may have mis-expressed something here but you answered that to Ian's
mail (18 Aug 98 23:05:43 +0100 BST):
----
> (2): (b) makes it hard to overwrite a whole category of data. For
> example, supposing I want to say `discard all local config data for
> the MTA, and fetch it from <machine> instead'. With (b) I have to be
> able to express that in the config file syntax, and then delete it
> from the config file again later. With (a) that becomes an explicit
> operation.
That's a good point.
----
FYI (b) is having a set of db.
> Which adds an extra step to the process that is not necessary imho.
With only one local db, i add an extra step before starting the
installation. With multiple sources, the extra step is added each time
dcfgget is called ! It certainly is not totally true because you may have
a cache mecanism or the information may be found in the first
source, but you see what I mean.
> So you win nothing: either you have a very complicated dcfg program or
> a couple of frontends that use a somewhat complicated library implementing
> the same.
Having only one local database is not intented to simplify the
dcfgget program, it was for other purpose (cf. the top
of the mail).
> We don't want to write scripts unless it's necessary evil. For a *lot* of
> packages the questions are so simple a script is complete overkill..
[...]
> My design also used scripts, so I don't see why this would be more flexible.
So where's the problem ? For simple configuration the script may be used
as a simple text file... like I explained it in the previous post (remember
cat <<EOF | preconfigurator ... EOF).
> ooh.. you just invented recursion. Can you image how many processes there
> will be if someone move forward and back again 50 times?
Really, the design can allow it in a different way... ie.
propose a list of package that have to be preconfigured and
select which one to jump to or which one to preconfigure..
> And I see no reason such a configuration database (or registry if you
> prefer that name) should be limited to Debian..
Me too, but in fact I doubt that other distribution will install/package
this configuration database just for launching some Debian-specific
programs... :)
Cheers,
--
Hertzog Raphaël ¤ 0C4CABF1 ¤ http://www.mygale.org/~hra/
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