Re: syslog.conf format (Re: SoC: Improve syslogd)

[David Holland <dholland-tech%netbsd.org@localhost>]

On Wed, Jun 04, 2008 at 02:51:57AM +0200, Martin Sch?tte wrote:
> For example I do not like this:
> @@(fingerprint="SHA1:E4:E1:A6:1C:D4:31:D7:D4:9B:B8:DC:DF:DD:CE:30:71:46:00:92:C9")server.example.net
> @@(subject="2001:db8::1428:57ab")server.example.net
> @@(subject="server.example.net")2001:db8::1428:57ab
> but would prefer this format:
> @@server.example.net(fingerprint="SHA1:E4:E1:A6:1C:D4:31:D7:D4:9B:B8:DC:DF:DD:CE:30:71:46:00:92:C9")
> @@server.example.net(subject="2001:db8::1428:57ab")
> @@2001:db8::1428:57ab(subject="server.example.net")

Frankly, I don't like either of these in the least. Is there something
wrong with extending the config syntax more broadly? It's not like
the historic syslog.conf syntax is anything to write home about.

I would think something like

   *.info   /var/log/messages
   mail.* {
      host "server.example.net"
      port 1234
      fingerprint "SHA1:e4e1:a61c:d431:d7d4:9bb8:dcdf:ddce:3071:4600:92c9"
   }

would be infinitely preferable.

Suitable parsing code is quite readily written and shouldn't be the
criterion for choosing the syntax - worry about readability/usability
first.

-- 
David A. Holland
dholland%netbsd.org@localhost