Re: [cobalt-users] Speaking of a new Raq3 GUI being finished?!?

["Brian Curtis" <admin@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Have any of you ever heard of webmin? (www.webmin.com)
>
    <snip>
>
> Like the cobalt GUI, it has to be run on apache running as root. It
> reads/edits configuration files directly, so you may have to modify it
some
> to get it working on a cobalt, but it does have intrinsic support for red
> hat linux.

This is partially true.  Webmin provides it's own mini httpd server
(miniserv.pl), and runs on a user specified port.  It does require root
privileges, but does not run "on" Apache in any way.

> I'm kinda hoping that someone here ventures to try it and is willing to
tell
> all about it :)

Webmin is nice if you run a server w/o a control panel and don't wish to
purchase a (sometimes expensive) commercial solution.  I can't really see
what you can do with Webmin that you couldn't do with the Cobalt GUI that
would make it worth your time to completely trash the Cobalt GUI and make
the conversion to Webmin.

For some reason people don't seem to understand that the GUI is what sells a
Cobalt appliance (along with the size of the enclosures).  If you don't like
the features/functionality of the GUI, don't buy a Cobalt.  For about the
same price as the Raq4, you can buy a 2u rackmount with dual PIIIs and SCSI
hardware, then spend the $4-500 on a commercial control panel and
install/configure all the necessary software.  I can almost guarantee you
that a neophyte to the hosting business couldn't do this successfully (at
least not w/o putting a machine online with several large security holes big
enough for a 747).  That's where Cobalt comes in.

Although Cobalt may f*** up once in a while with their security updates,
they're human like the rest of us.  I'd like for someone to show me a
company that has produced an appliance with Cobalt's simplicity in the same
class/price range.  Something that will give my clients the necessary admin
access over their sites so I'm not handling calls to change a password or
something equally dumb on a constant basis.

I'm waiting to see if the acquisition by Sun will produce a RaqX in a 2u
formfactor that can handle two-three times the accounts of the current 1u
products.

MHO only.

--
Brian Curtis