[ec2-beta] Some suggestions

[Peter Hollands]

On Wednesday 21 January 2009 10:28:11 Eric Hammond wrote:
> The prompt seems useful the first couple times, but when starting dozens
> of instances over months do you think you'd still want this required
> step if the same functionality were also available by typing a command
> when you needed it?

I agree. Having the same functionality availble by typing a command would be 
so much better.

I would expect that automacitc remote scripting and control of Ubuntu AMI 
images is the main use case for ubuntu on EC2.  The  the current 
firstlogin.sh on Ubuntu AMI is annoying for writers of controlling scripts.

a) The user interface is for humans not scripts. To exit out you have to send 
a tab and then a carriage return - and it's very difficult with a script to 
know quite where the cursor is at the time of sending characters because it's 
a screen rather than line based interface.

b) A soon as you exit out of the first login.sh script, the script cut's your 
connection with the server. So now the controlling remote script that is 
setting up the AMI's has to also deal with an exception "End of File" / 
Connnection closed error, and the re-establish contact.

Could the system not invite the first user to run firstlogin.sh rather than 
mandating it ?



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