>> Unix software, on the other hand, seems to regard giant text files (all
>> with a completely different format) as the *primary* means of
>> configuration, and a GUI as secondary to that.
> 
> Let me introduce you to YaST....Before I started using it, I didn't like 
> the idea of it, but now that I'm used to it, guess what - I don't have to 
> tweak all these different configuration files, because it handles it for 
> me most of the time.

The problem is, Unix has _always_ been designed around the idea that 
everything is a text file and that's how you configure the entire 
system. Sure, these days we have pretty front ends that atempt to hide 
all the complexity. But as soon as you need to edit something there 
isn't a front-end for, or the text file contains some setting that the 
fancy front-end doesn't comprehend... suddenly you need to know how all 
this stuff works again.

Windows, on the other hand, has always been designed around the idea 
that the user doesn't know anything about computers and needs to be 
shielded from anything more complicated than a lightswitch. Which is 
sometimes quite frustrating, in a different way...

I think XKCD sums it up nicely:

http://www.xkcd.com/619/

Post a reply to this message