Adam Treat wrote:
> On Monday 04 November 2002 03:58 am, Kurt Pfeifle wrote:
> 
>>Kurt Pfeifle wrote:
>>---------------
>>
>>I think there are two distinct models to solve tasks like that, and I think
>>KDE needs solutions for both:
>>
>># 1 #
>>-----
>>Thin or very thin clients. No program runs natively on the client (apart
>>from just the X server) -- all applications run on one or more centralized
>>servers, which also store the user "profiles",  probably in a database or
>>in an LDAP directory.
>>
>># 2 #
>>-----
>>"Fat" clients. A complete set of all programs are installed on the clients.
>>"Profiles" and home directories are on central file servers. The profile is
>>retrieved if the user logs in and decides about the subset of programs the
>>user is allowed to start and use.
>>
> 
> Ok, so you've narrowed it down to thin clients and workstations.  Does this 
> GUI app work only with Linux or must it work with the *BSD's?

The current request or interest is concentrating on Linux only. I am not aware
of any potential "customer" wanting to massivly change a large client base to
*BSD or investigating the options to do so.

> Is it 
> responsible for the actual deployment and configuration of the non-KDE OS ie, 
> does it need to configure X, kernel, printing system, network shares, ssh, 
> mail server, etc, etc. 

No. Obviously this would be a nice add-on to have (if it works reliably and
is handled easily). But most people imagine to install the basic system
by other means.

The request is for a initial configuration (when the base system is installed)
and the continued maintainance/repair/re-configuration etc.

> If so, then we are talking about a _huge_ parameter 
> space.  IMHO, the only way an app such as this could be successful is to 
> narrow the scope considerably OR make choices for the system admin thereby 
> limiting the situations where the tool could be used.  I'm really trying to 
> understand what you are looking for ... ?
> 
> I like the idea, but I fail to see how it could be executed successfully.
> 
> 
>>----------------
>>
>>Of course, this is not just concerning KDE applications. It is to be
>>applied to all programs. (After all KDE is an environment friendly enough
>>to let GNOME, OpenOffice.org, Netscape, Mozilla or whatever applications
>>run on its desktop...)
>>
>>The argument for the creation of a GUI program is not just "to do a favor
>>to all these ex-NT administrators" whom we want to enable to administer a
>>large environment of KDE desktops in an enterprise. It is also doing a
>>favor to all Unix/Linux people who like GUIs too. After all, KDE is about
>>GUIs, by and large... Or am I missing something?   ;-)
>>
>>Cheers,
>>Kurt
>>
> 
>