[Gllug] Linux workstation admin simpler than OS X

[lesleyb at herlug.org.uk]

On Sat, Aug 01, 2009 at 07:26:00PM +0100, Richard Jones wrote:
> On Sat, Aug 01, 2009 at 10:21:22AM +0100, Tethys wrote:
> > I've never used OS X in anger, so I can't comment. What I *can* say
> > is that sysadmin on Linux[1] is getting harder than it used to be. For
> > example, my latest annoyance is the latest version of Fedora, which
> > doesn't even let you configure a network on install. It seems you're
> > supposed to use the NetworkManager applet when you log in for the first
> > time instead. I'm sure that works well if you're using the machine as a
> > single user workstation with the default settings. But apparently the
> > concept that people might do other things with it doesn't seem to have
> > occurred to anyone. Conform! It's just like being on Windows...
> 
> Don't worry - I work for Red Hat and I loathe NetworkMangler too.  It
> has started to routinely "lose" the ethernet connection on my Fedora
> 11 machine.  Which is something of an achievement given it's a fixed,
> wired network and my DHCP server gives that machine a fixed IP
> assignment every time.  ie. The simplest possible case for network
> management.
I tried Gnome on Ubuntu once and got this hideous NM thing.  At the time, 
I had a simple set of static networks set up. I eventually managed to 
kill it off but even KDE on Debian comes with it now.

> 
> It's also written in python, so it consumes buckets of memory doing
> whatever it is that python does to consume huge amounts of memory for
> any trivial task.  It's using over 100MB of memory on that machine
> right now, to manage a fixed network that doesn't need to be managed.
> Unreliably.
> 
I run DHCP for the lappie and there appear to be advantages to NM 
in that scenario - but in that scenario only. I will be bringing in a static 
network behind my router at some point and I'll want static again there.

I don't mind Network Mangler being there for those that need it - it does
simplify the basic home setup to the point where the average newbie doesn't
have to think about networking at all. That's where a lot of home users prefer
to be or need to be.  They don't have the knowledge and more to the point 
don't want the knowledge.  They just want to use a computer.

I do have a problem when someone comes along and tells me I have to have 
this thing and that there isn't an alternative anymore.  That's not a Linux 
way of doing things IMO.  It might be a Python way but it's not a Linux 
ethos.

We should be able to knock NM out the way easily. 

Regards

L.
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