Public SourceMage Discussion List

[Juuso Alasuutari <iuso AT sourcemage.org>]

On Friday 14 April 2006 15:31, David Kowis wrote:
> I was thinking something about this a bit earlier. Mostly because I find
> it really annoying to make one mistake and have to restart everything
> again.
>
> An API could be developed to seperate the backend from the front end.
> It's not a small task, however. It would require changing the way things
> worked. config_query wouldn't ask the question, but would instead return
> the pieces needed to build the question, the answers, and a short
> description. Then those would be given to the front end, whatever front
> end library we've written, and it would formulate the question. Whether
> the frontend be the same thing we've got now, or a dialog, or a gui.
> Same thing would have to happen for most of the stuff in configure.
>
> It's not a small task, and I've not quite had enough time to think about
> it. Optional_depends really throw the process a bit because they can
> change the dependency tree completely.
>
> Anyways, I think that's more of an ideal solution than simply catering
> to dialog. It also requires the most work....

Highest quality indeed requires the highest sacrifices.

I like this idea, because it would free cast/sorcery from its somewhat 
restricting be-all mentality to be what it's meant for, a steady foundation 
to base better UIs on.

It would also mean that eventually we could be able to simultaneously develop 
a few graphical frontends (dialog/ncurses, GTK, QT) alonside the text-based 
one without having to continuously reinvent the wheel.
What excites me even more is the possibility of efficient cast scripting. 
When 
you could write a frontend that acts on automatic, creating a powerful 
desktop install system based entirely on sources would be possible. I think 
that would be a first in the history of Linux...

Since we are now touching the whole sorcery philosophy of doing things, I 
assume this will also be a philosophical discussion. I'll add my log to the 
fire with my wish that when SMGL 2.0 is out, we'll have a server-client kind 
of sorcery with at least three frontends to choose from, and an installer 
that the World has never seen. :)

Juuso