Directadmin - Falling behind?

demz said:
But it lacks the backup function, and then i mean the restore system ofcourse...

What if an server crashes and you have only the system backup..
GOOD LUCK :)
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You shouldn't be using the System Backup unless you're an experienced System Administrator. Even then you may not want to use it. It backs up everything you need but it doesn't restore automatically. That said, if you're restoring to the same OS Distribution level just copying over the files/directories should work.
Better they first fix the ultimate restore option..
Like hdd broke? replace hdd, plain install os, restore system backup and its running again..
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Which is how the Admin Reseller Backup works.
Now it will take hours to restore an server..
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Why aren't you using the Admin Reseller Backup?

Jeff
 
Hey Jeff,

I always thought that a good looking interface cause a better impression.
The integrates skins of DA are not the best.
Enhanced is the best one, but to much simple, lack of images.
Default skin is a little dumb and confused.
An both are not what a server manager want to see. The skin must reflect a robust system.

DirectAdmin is a great control panel. Better than cPanel/Ensim/Plesk (in my opinion) and if it had a good skin it will be awesome.
Surely there will be many people who see the panel and do not choose it because they don`t like the skin and feels it is not good panel.

I tell you this, not because i want a new skin, because I think that DA can be better only with a new skin, and can have more sale as well.
 
See my post immediately prior to this one to see how I feel about skins.

http://www.directadmin.com/forum/showthread.php?p=156776#post156776

I'd love a skin with Ajax. But otherwise, a skin just for the sake of a skin? Not really for me.

For example, I recently took over some clients from a small hosting company that were running on Marina. I've moved them over to the official DirectAdmin enhanced skin. Not one of them has complained.

Jeff
 
Between us... Mariana is not a nice skin. It is too infantile for me (as well as Default)
I prefer a skin like Ensim skin, which is more serios/tecnical.

As i said before, a good looking skin is the cover of the control panel. Do not influences on the behavior of the system but it is an attractive option for when choosing a CP to buy. If I don't know DirectAdmin I couldn't imagine how good it is by looking it with the default skin.

About AJAX, I can't see the advantage. When I talk about a better skin I don't mean AJAX. I read some people post who request for a skin with AJAX and CSS, no tables, etc etc. I think that those people don't realy know whick is the best for a control panel. They only want modern stuff, which by the by are not appropriated in all cases.

By the way, are you the author of Default and Enhanced skin?
 
About the original subject
Directadmin is a great panel. It work very good. I have a lot of servers width Directadmin and almost never a problem or complaint.
But... it's "Falling behind"
With this i mean, it's basic. For example:
-It dosen't have integration with other popular software (like SimpleDNS, hmailserver, mssql etc).
-Custombuild only have Apache and exim. What about Posfix, Sendmail, lighttpd, litespeed, zeus, ruby, pgsql, tomcat, Dspam, clamav, APF (or any other AV), etc.
-It doesn't support farming, line DotNetPanel, Helm, LxAdmin, and others.
It doesn't have a stable anti-spam with a configuration interface.

I think that there is a lot to do to make DA the best panel ever.

Guys, John, jeff, you can beat the competition. You can be the best. You have the tools.
 
I think that the advantage of DirectAdmin is that it doesn't have those options.

Almost everything can be modified and scripted. It's a control panel for skilled administrators and everything can be achieved with it if you know what you are doing.

If you integrate all the software you mentioned, it will be just like the other control panels: bloated, slow, bugfilled, unscalable and if you try to modify it just a bit everything falls down.

Don't get me wrong, I think that some features could be useful... but just as scripting or plugins features, and to be integrated very slowly, just as they did with the backup system, the customapache/custombuild systems, the awstats system etc.
It's the only way to keep it stable and fast.

Every other panel I tested has a developing team that tend to rush things, make them easy and fast for the user just to sell more.
It's like Windows or MacOSX versus a linux distribution: you can't build an easy operating system and pretend it to be fast, bugless and most important thing easy to hack.

I love how the DA developing team do things and I hope they never change.
 
That is true. but i don-t agree with the less options as an advantage.
For example, DA stuff can make an API to integrate hMailServer or SimpleDNS, this is no difficult at all. Then you will be responsible to use it o keep external software safe.
Some softwate can be integrated with plugins, like tomcat, but other ones no, like hMailServer, SimpleDNS, lighttpd.

I have 2 servers without control panel and LiteSpeed http server. It is extraordinarily faster that apache.
But this server doesn-t have control panel, because DA does not support this http server.
 
If you know which API functions it may require and are able to script the rest, you can ask to add them and forge your own plugin :) there already is a small set of API functions and the ability to script almost everything within DA, maybe it is already possible to integrate hMailServer, SimpleDNS, lighttpd...

If think that the best solution is not to ask DA devs to add an optional X program integration, but to ask DA devs to make that integration possible via APIs/scripts/plugins.
I'm not for "less options", just "less limitations" :) if you can integrate lighttpd manually, then you can integrate any webserver you like.
 
tillo said:
If you know which API functions it may require and are able to script the rest, you can ask to add them and forge your own plugin :) there already is a small set of API functions and the ability to script almost everything within DA, maybe it is already possible to integrate hMailServer, SimpleDNS, lighttpd...

If think that the best solution is not to ask DA devs to add an optional X program integration, but to ask DA devs to make that integration possible via APIs/scripts/plugins.
I'm not for "less options", just "less limitations" :) if you can integrate lighttpd manually, then you can integrate any webserver you like.
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I don-t need any of those programas. Just following the subject. There area another thread for features request.

smtalk said:
http://litespeedtech.com/support/wiki/doku.php?id=litespeed_wiki:apache:da
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Not a default.
 
smtalk said:
Because LiteSpeed is not free.
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Standard edition is free. Enterprise is not, but not every people uses only free software. Like directadmin, which by the by is not free.

Besides, it not need to be free to be integrated in a crontrol panel.
 
walo said:
Standard edition is free. Enterprise is not, but not every people uses only free software. Like directadmin, which by the by is not free.

Besides, it not need to be free to be integrated in a crontrol panel.
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The free version is pretty much impossible to use with web hosting due to the limitations. Also, it's nice to know that all the programs custombuild builds are free. Throwing in a bunch of trialware or limited software is like giving someone one of those CDs full of software you get with a new computer. Nobody wants it.

For Litespeed specifically, you're paying out the ass for their software and support. With all the money you're probably gonna throw at them, they should fly out to the data center and install it for you manually.
 
walo said:
About AJAX, I can't see the advantage. When I talk about a better skin I don't mean AJAX. I read some people post who request for a skin with AJAX and CSS, no tables, etc etc. I think that those people don't realy know whick is the best for a control panel. They only want modern stuff, which by the by are not appropriated in all cases.
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There are two reasons why I like AJAX... one is that my customers like instant updates, and I do, too.

The other is that our blind clients complain that blind-readers can get lost with tables.

Since some of our clients include branch offices of the NFB, that's important to us.
By the way, are you the author of Default and Enhanced skin?
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Presuming you mean me, the answer is no.

I use the enhanced skin, because my company, NoBaloney, has become almost synonymous with DirectAdmin support, so I like to show that :).

Personally I like the power skin better, but I use the enhanced skin because otherwise I won't be as familiar with it when I have to do things for my clients.

With the power skin it's not about looks, but about speed.

Jeff
 
walo said:
It dosen't have integration with other popular software (like SimpleDNS, hmailserver, mssql etc).
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I'm more than a bit confused; how and why would you expect DirectAdmin to be integrated with MS Windows solutions?
Custombuild only have Apache and exim. What about Posfix, Sendmail
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Postfix and Sendmail use completely different methods for managing email than does Exim; offering the choice would require a complete restructuring of how email is managed, stored, etc., into a virtual system with lots of links, or require DirectAdmin be rebuilt into a virtual system with separate modules to manage each subsystem. You certainly won't see it in the current version of DirectAdmin.

Just what are the clear advantages of switching mailservers?
lighttpd, litespeed, zeus, ruby, pgsql, tomcat, Dspam, clamav, APF (or any other AV), etc.
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Lots of us use many of these with DirectAdmin. I agree that DirectAdmin doesn't manage these; again see my notes about separate modules. This would, in my opinion, require a rewrite from the ground up.
It doesn't support farming, line DotNetPanel, Helm, LxAdmin, and others.
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Why all this concentration all of a sudden on Windows hosting?
It doesn't have a stable anti-spam with a configuration interface.
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I agree that DirectAdmin could use an interface to SpamBlocker, but stable anti-spam? I don't believe any anti-spam solution could possibly be called stable and still work.
Guys, John, jeff, you can beat the competition.
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I'm sorry if you have the impression that I'm an employee of DirectAdmin. I have no more control over the software than you do.

Jeff
 
I'm going to give my 2 cents (I know I know its cheap)

First of all we should keep 2 things in mind before thinking of changing directadmin.

What do the users (clients) want.
What do the admins (owners) want.

The clients
What the clients want is quite simple. They don't want features, Plugins, and all other ****. They just want to be able to modify their host easy and simple. A good interface that is intuitive that is what they want. being able to change their site fast.

The owners
We all know that owners want a stable system that doesn't need a lot of editing and maintenance. They like new features but stability > features we all know that. A good visual interface is also what they would like so that they can edit the application fast.

In my opinion a good interface is still needed. Features don't really matter.

I'm offering my services to code the application in ajax and xhtml. If someone or some people could make a nice simple and user friendly design that would be great.

We don't have to wait for directadmin staff to do it. I'm sure we have enough knowlenge as community to do it ourselfes.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by walo
It dosen't have integration with other popular software (like SimpleDNS, hmailserver, mssql etc).

I'm more than a bit confused; how and why would you expect DirectAdmin to be integrated with MS Windows solutions?
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With APIs. Obviously you will need a windows server. (like farming)
Quote:
It doesn't support farming, line DotNetPanel, Helm, LxAdmin, and others.
Why all this concentration all of a sudden on Windows hosting?
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LxAdmin is for linux. Think how easy will be. For example, with mysql, they only need to put a da_hostname variable ib mysql.conf so you can change the connection setting to another host/mysql server.
With email is a bit more complex, but not impossible.
 
That, if done, would put DirectAdmin more into the market currently filled by H-Sphere and others you've mentioned. It would probably require a complete rewrite of DirectAdmin. I'd expect the price would go up because it's a lot more work to support and to develop.

If you're interested in this, then you might want to contact DirectAdmin Sales and point Mark and John to this thread so they may join in the discussion.

Jeff
 
Please no H-Sphere path, that's going way off in the wrong direction.

A fresh look would be a marketing help to all of us, and a mail control panel would amuse a ton of customers I can think off off the top of my head.
 
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