Re: One-Stop Debian Box Config Tool: Call for Collaborators!

On Sep 13, 2013 4:37 AM, "Jarrod O'Flaherty" <jofsama@yahoo.com> wrote:

Greetings All!

This is a call to Debian programmers who would be interested in spending a couple hours
a month working with me on developing a "One-Stop Debian Box Config Tool" -- a tool intended to
become the central and all-encompassing place to go to configure any and every aspect of your
Debian system.

CONCEPT OUTLINE
=================

The tool will (subject to the approval of the collaborators ;) :

1. Drastically reduce the need to:
   a) Google every time you want to tweak feature X of package Y.

   b) Post to message boards when Googling fails to deliver the goods.

2. Provide users with an (ever-growing!) common repository of step-by-step "recipes" by which
they can tweak / fix / customize / build / repair / upgrade their systems.

3. Present each step of a recipe in the form of a regular shell command, so it can be
    easily checked, easily modified, and -- most importantly! -- easily applied.

4. Eliminate the need to copy and paste said shell commands by providing a special terminal

    window as part of the interface.

5. Reduce or altogether eliminate the need to edit the shell commands by intelligently substituting
    installation-specific pathnames, module names, version numbers, etc. into the commands

    as appropriate.

6. Allow you to search the recipes using a goal-based syntax similar to the following:
   PATTERN) "I want to: VERB + OBJECT [ + to + VALUE ]"
   EXAMPLE) "I want to: change the default GTK font size to 18pt"

7. Facilitate the sending of feedback to report successes and failures using a given
recipe, automatically collecting and attaching to it relevant information on the system setup
as well as any (error) messages that were output during the process.

8. Play The Imperial March every time you report using a recipe successfully.
(Hmmmm. Then again, there could be some licensing problems there.)

All frivolity aside, let's start talking about how to automate the system configuration and
administration process the same way the rest of the *NIX world is automated!

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

====================

Those interested should email me ( jofsama@yahoo.com ) with their:

* Name
* Languages Spoken/Written
* Timezone of Residence

* Linux Background and Proficiency
* Linux Flavors Used
* Programming Experience

* Ways You Would Like to Help

Anyone and everyone who enjoys using Linux is welcome to join.

And if you would like to participate but are unsure as to how to do so, let me suggest
that collaborators can, initially at least, be of greatest assistance in:

* Setting up a project homepage.
* Setting up a mailing list or equivalent by which collaborators can communicate.
* Helping to flesh out the project scope and requirements.
* Drafting up a design document and work plan.
* Creating a document & code repository on Github or similar.

Come and join me in collaborating on a tool that's going to be the biggest revolution in
Linux-box interaction since .inputrc got "history-search-backward"!

Look forward to hearing from you!

Yours Sincerely,
Jarrod O'Flaherty.

Cool idea but takes all the fun out of Debian. :-)

On a more serious note though, having had the unfortunate pleasure of working with the family of *BSD's and Solaris' -- Debian is by far the easiest to administer and work with. I think the other issue you will have, as have been stated, is that there are so many configurations and variations of configuration options out there, that it would be very difficult to make something as all encompassing that would please a majority.