Software installation opinions needed

[Stephen Carter]

I will now put on my flameproof suit....

I come from a background of 20+ years Data Processing (deliberate words)
experience.  In the last 18 months I have had exposure to UN*X, and have
now had installed a **very** effective hardware platform to support the
next wave of growth of DP in my current employment.

Past operating systems I have dealt with (no names, no pack drill) have
been what I think of as mature commercial operating systems.  They have
been able to cope with the rigours and realities of being used and
installed and maintained by ordinary operations staff.  (Not by Nobel
candidates).

UN*X is not like that, and it is about time it was.

I shall give three examples of what I mean.  Two close to the real
thread of this discussion, one a bit to one side.

1.  When the system was delivered I insisted that because it had been
with a third party, that we wipe the discs and reinstall from
manufacturer distribution tapes.  SO far, so good.  The basic process
went OK, but when the system build was going on the manufacturer
engineer had to edit (using vi) the command file.  The file was
basically a parameter list of how many of what type of disc you had -
compilingin the drivers.  The vi edit leaves no backup (.BAK), and,
you've guessed it, he got it wrong.  Other operating systems mask this
process with a user friendly front end that says (eg) howmany  Wizzo
Discs, how many whacko drives, and then 'edits' the parameter file and
gets it right.  

2.  We are having trouble at present with a printer that does not do a
CR after a LF (or vice versa!).  Now we know that the control on this is
buried in getty and termcap, but it is all in terms of bit flags that
then have to be entered as fs:octalnumbers.  (Don't flame me if the
utter detail is wrong, think about the point).  This is insane.  Why not
have parameters like (eg) addcr which would (if needed) do the
calculation.  A few weeks ago the manufacturer's (very good) software
support were on site doing a like job on an already installed line.  He
used his decimal, octal, hex calculator.  HE got it wrong!

3.  (Slight aside).  REAL installations (ie ones where commercial style
work is done - who prints your payslips dear readers) don't just print
onto plain listing paper.  We change paper types, and we need to align
the stationery with a test print.  If lp or lpr do it, I've not found
it.  This is not a marginal need - it is central!

Disclaimer:  These comments do not apply to the machine from which this
is being posted.  It is run by all round good guys.  


Stephen Carter, Systems Manager, The Administration,
The University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9RH, UK
Tel: +44 273 678203  Fax: +44 273 678335     JANET: stevedc at uk.ac.sussex.syma
EARN/BITNET  : stevedc at syma.sussex.ac.uk      UUCP: stevedc at syma.uucp
ARPA/INTERNET: stevedc%syma.sussex.ac.uk at nsfnet-relay.ac.uk