so whats so difficult about it if it is so easy? i really dont get it..
I did not claim it was easy, just that it was doable, and in my opinion not too challenging (I know a thing or two about user interface design, and implemented a good number by myself).
jason mcmullan when he introduced prnter support for aros wrote quickly a gui for it, without any experience with mui/zune before. arostcp has a working prefs gui, i can set xsurf device on my a4k and it works.. so why an oldskool amiga developer cant write a simple prefs gui?
First thing, it is not a simple GUI.
The TCP/IP stack uses a number of flat file databases, so to speak, e.g. for services, servers, name resolution, routes, hosts and a bit more. The GUI would have to provide for a "database management" front-end for all of these. In total, I think it comes down to writing 10 editors, one for each flat file database.
On top of that you also need to manage the network interfaces. Configuring these is the most complex task that needs to be done, on account of having to pick the right driver, and the proper settings. Roadshow stores network interface configuration files in two separate drawers (one set is activated at system startup time, the other can be activated manually). So that complicates matters further. Add to that the number of network interface options that may be required and you have got quite the package.
If you have all that, then you already have your basic network prefs GUI. But that's not enough, because it still requires special knowledge to set up the network. This is why you also need a simplified setup tool (often called a "wizard", which is the term Microsoft used for this tool). That tool has to be designed to be smart enough to make decisions on what should constitute a robust default setup, while still giving the user enough flexibility to make his own choices (within reason). That tool also has to validate the choices made by the user so that they make sense.
Let's say you have all of this, then you still need to add functionality which performs consistency checks on the data the user entered, both in the prefs editor and the wizard, to avoid common mistakes. For example, you should make sure that you have a default gateway, at least one DNS server, and one interface set up. Either that, or the interface at least ought to be using DHCP. If not, you ought to verify that the network interface's IPv4 address is in the same subnet as the default gateway, or things will get ugly. Some may call this gold-plating, but I call it necessary.
Still with me? Back in 2006 you still needed PPP or PPPoE support in the network drivers for the TCP/IP stack, for modem/ADSL dial-up networking. In addition to the prefs editor and the wizard, Roadshow needed another set of setup tools just for the PPP/PPPoE feature (or integrate it into the regular prefs editor/wizard). So this kind of tool also needed to be written. I doubt it's still necessary today, now that everybody has a gateway router at home to which you can hook up your Amiga via Ethernet.
I don't know how AROS solved the same problems I had to take care of. Writing a decent GUI for the networking infrastructure of an operating system is really hard, as anyone could attest who's seen what even Microsoft and Apple offer (Ubuntu, etc. also have a hard time). It's a lot of work, even if the results have plenty of rough edges. Much of what the network configuration constitutes does not make great sense on first sight, and unlike with other prefs editors, there is no common thread which lends itself to building a GUI that tells something of a story and shows the user cause, effect and consequences of the dials & switches he can play with.
maybe the problem is delegating it to others who actually dont get it done.
A general's only as good as his lieutenants and troops allow him to be...
maybe doing it self is the fastest and most secure of choices. i for my part would expect a tcp stack for twenty bucks to come with a gui even if basic one. im not bashing here, its just my opinion.
I share that opinion, but I just didn't have the time to do it myself, otherwise I would have done so. I already spent plenty of time figuring out how the GUI should work, and how the configuration files should look like so that the GUI could use them more easily. The overall design of Roadshow was strongly influenced by the needs of the GUI that never materialized.
Back in 2003 I was rewriting the Amiga FFS from scratch for OS4, I was heavily involved in OS4 development, I had my own company to take care of, and I was working on my CS degree. There was a lot on my plate, and something had to give. In the end, more gave than I expected it to, and I'm still dealing with the after-effects.
I suffered for my art, now it's your turn
