[SLUG] Disc and print sharing with XP

[Gavin Baker]

On Thu, 2004-12-02 at 18:08 +0000, Stephen O'Neill wrote:
> > My point is networking is a hugh subject and applies to any OS 
> > not just Linux.
> 
> Setting up p2p networking between 2 machines running windows xp has a
> nice shiny wizard that does it all for you... even my uncle can do it,
> just. Yeah sure you lose a lot of techie control, but that's the point.
> 
> I can't see him getting linux cranked up so easily.

I love reading ESR's stories about "Aunt Tillie". She is becoming pretty
famous, even though she doesn't exist. She is a mythical "average joe
computer user". So, heres my take on the simple case of p2p networking
between 2 machines for Aunt Tillie.

Windows XP and Gnome come with wizards to set up network connections. So
Aunt Tillie plugs in the network cables and runs the wizard. It doesn't
work. 

Her grandson comes around asking for pocket money, and shows her the
correct holes to plug the cables in, the holes with the funny <-> signs
on he says. She writes it down for future reference and puts it in the
bureau with her Mills and Boons.

She runs the wizard again.

"This assistant will help you configure a new network connect". Great
thinks Aunt Tillie, here we go, this Gnome thing isn't so bad, it's
going to help me configure the network. She clicks "Forward"...

"Please, select which type of connection you would like to add."
"Modem (PPP), Ethernet, Wireless, Parallel Line, IR LAN." She phones her
grandson to be sure, then selects Ethernet and Next, as instructed.

"Now, please enter the address that this network device will have."
"Configuration -> Manual / Automatic (DHCP) / Automatic (BOOTP)".

Aunt Tillie tries "Automatic" of course, but of course it doesn't work,
there is no dhcp server. Aunt tillie makes a nice pot of tea.

"Use Manual" says her grandson, "Just put in a static IP address and
leave the subnet mask and gateway address as they are!". She tries.

*Ring ring*.... *Ring ring*...

"Hi, It's grandma here. I tried what you said, but the thing told me '22
main street' isn't a valid address. I know it is, I've been here 52
years now, how can the thing tell me it's not valid? Of course its
blummin' valid. You know I had this problem once with British Gas, it
turned out the electoral role was wrong."

Her grandson explains what an IP address is, and suggests an IP address
to put in. Aunt Tillie clicks finish. Her connection is set up. Life is
good. She goes off to watch corra.

The next day she has to go to the XP machine and do it all again...


Poor Aunt Tillie. If her Linux distribution made use of ifplugd[1] and
autoipd[2], all she would have had to do was plug in the ethernet cable.
Nothing else. Everything would just work(tm).

Ok, my point. You thought I didn't have one? :)

All the pieces are there already. It's up to the distributions to use
them. So this isn't about "linux", this is about the distributions. This
kind of thing is why distributions exist. They take the linux kernel and
some utils and make it into a full operating system. We can't blame
linux when the distribution we use doesn't do a good job of fulfilling
our needs. We can of course, try another...

With the integration into GNOME of the udev[3], and hal/d-bus[4] stack
and the howl[2] libs, I'm sure Aunt Tillie has no problems with usb
cards, firewire drives, digital cameras, cd/dvd reading/writing,
browsing all lan file shares and printers etc, on any modern
distribution. 

But distributions do everything else their way(tm)

Regards,
Gav


[1] http://www.stud.uni-hamburg.de/users/lennart/projects/ifplugd/
[2] http://www.porchdogsoft.com/products/howl/
[3] http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/utils/kernel/hotplug/udev.html
[4] http://www.freedesktop.org