SWAT in Samba4

[simo]

On Tue, 2007-09-11 at 23:31 +1000, Andrew Bartlett wrote:
> On Tue, 2007-09-11 at 08:23 -0500, Gerald (Jerry) Carter wrote:
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> > Hash: SHA1
> > 
> > Andrew Bartlett wrote:
> > 
> > > Samba4 continues to have SWAT, being the version from 
> > > before TP3.  This version is simple, and primarily serves to
> > > show the install and provision panes.  I expect to do some more
> > > cleanup of SWAT before the next alpha - possibly even adding
> > > some tests to ensure we don't break it.
> > > 
> > > If there is sufficient interest in AJAX style programming and
> > > maintenance in future, then the alpha1 code can be revived. 
> > > 
> > > I hope to have a configuration file for phpldapadmin 
> > > generated by the provision script, and work to have this
> > > editor work well as a primary LDB editor for Samba4 into
> > > the future.
> > 
> > For what it's worth, IMO SWAT is a waste of your effort.  Your
> > energy would be better spent on DC functionality.  Your decision
> > though.
> 
> That's why I'm trying to cut it back, so I don't waste valuable
> pre-release cycles fixing bugs in it.  It is the only component that
> consistently had bugs in it before most of the TP releases.  It is also
> the only component without any testsuite.  I don't see this as a
> coincidence. 
> 
> The other option is to, as you suggest, remove it completely.  
> 
> I do very much appreciate your views on this. 

If we can't find enough time to do it properly I think we should simply
dump SWAT completely.
I never liked the samba3 one and never liked the pre-AJAX one in samba4.
I like the AJAX one as it had potential to actually be usable, but seem
there is no energy to work on it.
Well then, remove SWAT completely.
Let's write a good configuration API that we can write tests against
(this will make samba much better, not SWAT), it can even be in the form
of an XML-RPC API if we like.
People that care about GUIs will then be able to use that API and make
some very good work, while we can test our API/ABI works and doesn't
break thanks to regular tests being run against it.

Simo.

-- 
Simo Sorce
Samba Team GPL Compliance Officer
email: idra at samba.org
http://samba.org