Re: tlug: advice needed: choosing a distribution

["Stephen J. Turnbull" <turnbull@example.com>]

>>>>> "Chris" == Chris Sekiya <chris@example.com> writes:

    Chris> Once 4.0 (_not_ 3.9 -- the current aim is to get 3.9 out
    Chris> the door, wait a couple of months, then release 4.0) is
    Chris> released you'll discover that the config file format has
    Chris> been drastically changed.

Ah, who gives a **** about backwards compatibility, anyway?

    Chris> Back to the drawing board, distribution guys.

Boys!  Boys!  Be nice!

Anyway, if the design of the tools is sufficiently modular, there's no
particular reason why they won't be able to adapt their tools pretty
quickly.  No drawing board necessary, go stright to coding.  Any
moronic backend can write a free-form text file, after all (I assume
XF86 is _not_ going to go to a "indentation matters" format, or a
binary "registry" ;-).  Cf. the Custom library distributed with modern
GNU Emacsen.

This allows you to hide the changes in config file format from the
user, and give them the same glitzy front-end.  Preferably with gobs
and gobs of help, possibly in a language the original implementers
didn't bother to provide.

I suspect this isn't true of many distributions' tools, unfortunately.

I do think that displaying the config file to the user ought to be the 
default, especially if it's well-commented like the XF86 samples and
those generated by xf86config are.  What about it, Scott?

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