Re: Re: GUI for configuring Apache httpd by editing httpd.conf (Apache Users)

Hi,

Apache is not for web server admins. what about developers? What about home servers? What about users that needs a certain web application on their intranet? do they need to be web server admins to use Apache? certainly not.

Most of the posts here suggests that people here are Apache admins and they think that such a tool is useless because they can use a text editor to configure Apache because they are Apache admins.How about if you are not an Apache admin? I do not think you are going to hack a text file for adding a virtual host or an alias without a certain tool that can display information about such directives and validate that for you.

I think I need to clear some points here before this discussion goes on a different direction.

1. This tool in its final form will do everything you can do with a text editor to configure Apache. However it will not be a replacement for a the text editor because the tool will handle Apache and the modules that comes with it.

2. Do not worry about GUI complexities. These can be solved easily.

3. Apache is not for admins only. It is used by developers, home servers, local intranets. You do not need to be a web server admin to use Apache.

4. I wanted to make this tool because I am a developer and have a home server. I want to configure Apache to suit my needs without the need to hack a text editor and read the documentation of a certain feature of Apache.

5. This tool can be extended later to include useful tools. As I said before the aim is a complete Apache admin tool the first step is a GUI for httpd.conf.

6. I think I will start building the tool and at least let the community test the tool and get a feedback whether this tool will be useful or not.

Regards

On Mon, Feb 16, 2009 at 9:44 PM, Krist van Besien <krist.vanbesien@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Mon, Feb 16, 2009 at 6:26 PM, Peter Schober
<peter.schober@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> It's certainly not for me. But other than stating the reasons why I
> think this is not practical and helpful in the real world, why should
> I try to convice others to /not/ write duch a thing? Because "some
> things should not be easy"?

Thinks should be easy. That is the point. Given the aim of the apache
webserver, and its intended audience the current way of configuring
apache is by far the easiest.

Apache is a tool for webserver admins, not for average computer users.
With apache if I need to explain to one of our operators how to deploy
a change to all our webservers all I need to know is if said person
has basic unix knowledge (which is the case, or we wouldn't let them
near our servers) and all I need to provide in my workorder is "copy
atached file to /etc/apache2/sites_available and then execute
apache2ctl graceful.
With a gui I either need to know if the target of my workorder is
familiar whith the gui, and if I'm not sure I have no other option of
writing a complete walk through, with screenshots. That I consider a
waste of my time.
So my preference for the command line and text files has nothing to do
with elitism or nostalgia. It has everything to do with two things
that are very important in a production environment: Simplicity and
repeatability.

Krist

--
krist.vanbesien@xxxxxxxxx
krist@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Bremgarten b. Bern, Switzerland
--
A: It reverses the normal flow of conversation.
Q: What's wrong with top-posting?
A: Top-posting.
Q: What's the biggest scourge on plain text email discussions?

---------------------------------------------------------------------

The official User-To-User support forum of the Apache HTTP Server Project.
See <URL:http://httpd.apache.org/userslist.html> for more info.
To unsubscribe, e-mail: users-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
" from the digest: users-digest-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
For additional commands, e-mail: users-help@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx