Re: Screensaver support for the Hurd console

[Alfred M. Szmidt]

   > You can't even get a list of the options a console plugin takes
   > (console -d vga --help, shows the help for the console client I
   > belive).

   If this is true, it is a bug and should be fixed.

Could someone test this and report back?  I don't have access to a
GNU/Hurd box at the moment.

   > I think it was a major mistake to make the console use
   > command-line arguments to specify the behaviour both for the
   > actual console-client and the console plugins.  It would be like
   > starting Emacs with no .emacs file, and using command line
   > arguments for each behaviour.

   The console is not emacs.

In many ways it is, a user might wish to do things like playing a
specific melody on a bell event, or beep instead of flashing the
screen.  Maybe adding a mode-line that displays information about the
current VC, adding a way to change events without having to restart
the console, etc etc.  The more one thinks about it, the more one
wants to have the console be far more extensible then what it
currently is.  Which means that in the end, it might just start
looking like Emacs, which I would think would be quite cool.

   > In short, the console-client should be changed to use Guile

   I don't think so.  The option to use command line arguments will
   never go away, so "removing all argp crap" is simply not going to
   happen.

Sure it will, I just have to put forth quite convincing arguments for
it. :-)

   So the question is only if the option to use guile should be added,
   which I don't think is a good idea, but at least it is a subject
   that can be debated.  I note however that using guile would do
   nothing about figuring out what the defaults should be, and it
   would add a significant bunch of code to a critical system service.

I have already started playing with it, and it won't add "significant
bunch of code" from the looks.  I'd say that the changes are going to
be minimal.

   > but as a inital goal just removing all argp parsing from the
   > plugins and console-client, and putting all options into a
   > configuration file would make life easier for everyone.

   There is no initial goal like that to begin with.

>From me there is.

Cheers.