> Usability means then it should be not only humans but also programs > who are able to interact with the installer. So, since stream editors > know nothing about this seasons' (or Luddite's) line drawing symbols, > and users barely see the information between these on another terminal > capability controlled device, just and only:
A DSL. > ask: What is your hostname? > type: text > store: name > ask: What is your quest? > choices: 1="To seek the Holy Grail" 2="umm" > store: quest > ask: Would you like to change the default partition layout? > choose: yes-no > if-yes: !disklabel -E $disk A DSL is easy to both read and write, for both machines and humans. It can provide escape hatches to "real" languages when such need arises. It decouples the model from the presentation, so that a more trendy frontend can be swapped in later with minimal effort. Of course none of that is necessary when a tool "just does" the job. We don't need xterm, or a framebuffer console either for that matter - the teletype works just fine. (Not in favor of graphical or "curses" installers BTW) K.
