pppd crashes, was: kde-freebsd] Question about KPPP on FreeBSD

[Ian Smith]

On Thu, 8 Feb 2007, Michael Nottebrock wrote:
 > On Thursday, 8. February 2007 08:38, Ian Smith wrote:
 > > On Wed, 7 Feb 2007, Michael Nottebrock wrote:
 > >  > On Wednesday, 7. February 2007 18:45, Joe Vender wrote:
 > >  > > On Wednesday 07 February 2007 01:59, Michael Nottebrock wrote:
 > >  > > ...
 > >  > >
 > >  > > > There is https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=55785 on record, your
 > >  > > > description sounds more like you're getting a kernel panic in the
 > >  > > > background though (KPPP is a frontend for pppd and the in-kernel ppp
 > >  > > > driver).
 > >  > >
 > >  > > If I want to use KPPP in FreeBSD, do I need to first manually edit any
 > >  > > config files for pppd, and if so, please elaborate, or does creating
 > >  > > the settings in the "Configure" sections of KPPP take care of
 > >  > > everything needed?
 > >  > >
 > >  > > I found this bug report which sounds just like the problem I'm having
 > >  > > with FreeBSD and KPPP.
 > >  >
 > >  > http://www.freebsd.org/cgi/query-pr.cgi?pr=i386/98154
 > >  >
 > >  > I agree, that sounds similar. I've changed the CC to stable@, since that
 > >  > is a better place for pppd/kernel ppp related issues.
 > >  >
 > >  > > Is there any intention to address it?
 > >  >
 > >  > I call on the community (especially those with modems) to take it on. To
 > >  > that end, I've left your motivational speech below intact for everyone's
 > >  > benefit.
 > >
 > > Perhaps we should rather be calling upon the KDE developer community to
 > > provide such a frontend interface to configure and invoke FreeBSD's ppp,
 > > for those who find a little manual configuration, as you describe below,
 > > beyond them?
 > 
 > You mean the FreeBSD-using KDE developer community, which is neither very big 
 > nor very prolific. I am convinced that remaining compatible with common Linux 
 > solutions will always be the better strategy as far as the desktop is 
 > concerned.

Well perhaps there's a pppd hacker who shares your conviction out there
somewhere?  As Kris emphasised, pppd's fallen into disrepair because
nobody cares for it, whereas I've watched ongoing quality work on and
support of ppp over the last 9 years by very cluey FreeBSD developers.

I made my own choice back then, and have long omitted ppp from kernels
as a waste of space, and have very rarely even seen pppd mentioned.
KPPP doesn't fail here, but finding no ppp interface, has nothing to do.

Since once trying (and failing) to debug or even comprehend a spaghetti
of scripts and configs behind a dialout-only linux pppd setup some years
ago, compared to the much more straightforward ppp with mgetty setup for
both dialout and some dialin modem lines I'd built pretty much from the
FreeBSD Handbook even at 2.2.6 with nary a problem, regressing for sake
of 'compatibility' with a linux-based sub-application seems silly.

I agree with you about this not being a KPPP bug (though searching KDE
bugs for 'kppp' provides no shortage of hits!) and appreciate that KDE
people have no interest in catering for user ppp, since it's not linux,
despite or perhaps because of its obvious superiority to FreeBSD people.

Maybe at least the KPPP 'documentation', such as it is, could at least
mention that it doesn't support FreeBSD's ppp over tun devices, to avoid
the expectation that it should work that gave rise to this thread.

And yes, if pppd is broken and won't be fixed, it should disappear.

Over and out, Ian