Ubuntu Domain Server

[Remco]

Once upon a time, Linux was very hard to use on the desktop. If you
wanted to do anything, you had to read manuals and get flamed on
mailinglists. In recent years this has all been turned around. There
were some detractors that would argue that Linux would become as
insecure as Windows because any fool could now use it, but that didn't
quite happen.

I don't see why this would be different for server administration. An
Apache server is very easy to set up, even now. Just install apache
and you're done. Still, we're not getting complaints that Ubuntu blew
up the Internet.

Regardless of all these arguments, wouldn't it be great if Ubuntu made
it easier for system administrators? A tool that makes it difficult to
make mistakes would be a win for any user, whether they are a skilled
system administrator or not. A system administrator can still make
mistakes, and would benefit from a system that complains when this
happens.

As a computer science student, I know about Internet security. You
need a firewall, updated software, strong passwords, a secure
connection, limited permissions. Yet, I would have a hard time setting
up a mail server. That should not be hard to do for me. I should just
be able to install a package, run a nice configuration tool from the
administration menu, make sure it is sane (and be told if it isn't),
and fire it up. It's not that complicated. Yet, whenever I have to do
something that involves server software, suddenly it's like I travel
back 10 years in time, with endless console sessions, reading man
pages, searching the Internet, and a lot of trial and error.

-- 
Remco