Re: [gentoo-dev] Replacing fdisk with cfdisk in

[Stewart Honsberger <blkdeath@gentoo.org>]

Luke-Jr wrote:
> I think the point is, the docs only explain how to do with fdisk what can also 
> be done with cfdisk and cfdisk is easier to use. Might as well explain cfdisk 
> and if someone wants to use fdisk, they should already know how anyway.

I'm noticing the start of a slippery slope, here.

Gentoo's installation is great because it is simple, elegant, and
powerful. It's not cluttered with every "user-friendly" (read: attempt
at idiot-proof) tool known to man.

Gentoo sets a bar at a certain height, and expects users to acheive that
height in order to get their system off the ground. How many times are
we going to lower the bar? As with every "user-friendly" system,
eventually along comes a better idiot.

fdisk is a simple, standard, powerful partition table editor. I've used
Linux's fdisk to repair botched tables more times than I can count.
Instructions for use can be very simple.

The last patch of the slope is the Vi(M) discussion. "Vi is hard" seems
like a bit of a cop-out to me. Vi can be summed-up in half a dozen lines;

vi <filename> - Load file for editing
/<keyword>  - search
:w - Write file to disk
:q - Quit
Commands can be combined, eg; :wq - Write file to disk and Quit

Five lines and users have all the knowledge they need to create / edit
their base system files. A few more short lines and you can explain
(global) search/replace to give them more advanced functionality.

I've been seeing a lot of talk, even since the day I first wandered into
Gentoo's user support areas (IRC, forums, mailing lists) about
'graphical installation front-ends', install scripts, etc.

Gentoo has always been a great tool for getting users accustomed to
their system from the inside out. Do we want to remain that way, or do
we want to become "Just Another (Half-Assed) User-Friendly Linux
Distro"? The likes of RedHat, Mandrake, and SuSE have fully graphical
installation utilities that make the Windows install look complicated;
five clicks and an hour later you're staring at your gorgeous KDE
desktop. If we're going to aim towards user-friendlines on installation,
we're already several years behind right out of the starting gate. Can
we possibly compete with that? (Not to mention their respective
corporate funding)

I'm of the opinion that we have to set barriers; lines in the sand, if
you will. "This is how friendly we will become" and stick to those
boundaries. This would, of course, also help with the consistency issues
that are raised weekly on this list. ;>

-- 
Stewart Honsberger
http://blackdeath.snerk.org/
"Capitalists, by nature, organize to protect themselves.
-- Geeks, by nature, resist organizaion."


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