Virtualmin should use a modified Webmin to appear as one product

Blue Skies
1

All the other cpanels are one product but Virtualmin depends on Webmin, however when you install Virtualmin it installs Webmin for you.

Has the team considered when a user installs virtualmin that a modified version of webmin could be installed with all the modules and other stuff not required for webhosting and related App activity remove. Webmin could also be changed so Virtualmin + Webmin appears as one product but still uses the underlying base of Webmin.

This would bring Virtualmin inline with the other cpanels but not require a full rework of Webmin.

This modified webmin would then allow the virtualmin team to restrict installs to just the A grade platforms and possibly reduce coding overheads.

This change is for virtualmin installations that are used for hosting and related activities.

2

Why on earth would we want to line up with everyone else?

Though, I think, maybe weā€™ll need to make some adjustments when we offer Virtualmin as a SaaS.

2 Likes
3

This depends on how you look at it, as a domain owner virtualmin is a single product (no webmin menu) however as a system administrator both webmin and virtualmin options can be accessed. Most domain owners have more than they need within the virtualmin module but of course the system administrator can add modules to be used by a domain owner. Leading on from this it could be said the administrator should aufait with the product they are using and know where to look for the function they require. But if you want a dumb down version to suit your needs use the authentic themeā€™s css/js/py modules to change it

1 Like
4

Why not? :smile: , I get your point though a little bit convergence would not harm.

So it was not a completely daft thought by me then :smile:

an example

  • If virtualmin uses dovecot and postfix it would not need modules for lets say exim.
  • if you integrate roundcube then snapmail would not need to be available
  • a lot of the unused webmin modules might not be needed eiter so could be rmove/hidden

and so on.

Selling Virtualmin as a single product I think would help deliver the message and itā€™s purpose. When I looked acpanels I really struggles to figure out the arrangement between webmin, virtualmin, usermin and yes, even Filemin.

5

Not sure if you know but you can safely delete them if you donā€™t need them, right?

6

Some people can setup servers from the command line, the rest use Virtualmin :smile:

This is about making the admin experience easier for lesser admins and making the virtulalmin experience streamlined as if it was one product.

7

How could you be confused by ā€œFile Managerā€?

There is nothing called Filemin in Virtualmin or Webmin. We forked and merged the (very good and very cool) Filemin file manager for Webmin into Webmin core, as there were some disagreements about working with Authentic Theme and other things with the original developer. Now itā€™s just File Manager. I donā€™t know if Filemin is still being independently maintained, it doesnā€™t look like it from the Github repo.

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8

That said, Iā€™m all for simplifying, and Iā€™ve tried for years to convince Jamie and Ilia that we should be removing more stuff than we add. We get yelled at every time we take something out, though.

9

I know now, but when I started I did not. :smile:

10

Itā€™s been 5+ years since it became File Manager, and we all stopped saying ā€œFileminā€. Become unburdened by what has been.

11

Please quantify this, are you saying most system admins have no idea on what they are doing or something else ?

12

I think they mean admins that have been delegated limited authority, and arenā€™t expected to know about or have responsibility for the whole system.

13

So for sure you donā€™t delegate to someone who has no idea on what they are doing or am I missing something ?

14

This sounds like a solution looking for a problem. Nothing to keep you from NOT clicking on the Webmin tab if you donā€™t need/want it. Problem solved. I mean if they renamed the Webmin tab, System, then you would consider it ā€˜integratedā€™?

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15

cPanel has got WHM, so thatā€™s two systems as well if you want to see it that way and actually more annoying to switch between the twoā€¦

16

When is Purley aimed at web hosting, webmin akin to cockpit and aimed at overall server management.

17

WHM/cPanel functionality are both provided by Virtualmin. Webmin is not comparable to either of those.

Weā€™ve had a lot of folks arrive thinking Webmin is similar to WHM and Virtualmin is similar to cPanel, but thatā€™s just going to confuse you. Everything you do in WHM and everything domain owners do in cPanel is done in Virtualmin. Webmin is for system administration and the cPanel folks do not provide a product or notable functionality in that category.

18

Iā€™m well aware, was just pointing out that ā€œthe other panelā€ has two parts as well, even if both parts are actually done by virtualmin.

Also try and do something slightly out of the ordinary on there and youā€™ll soon give up, but I digress

19

I disagree with this. Some functionality is provided by Virtualmin and some is provided by Webmin. Some simple examples are:

  • Apache Web server configuration
    • Webmin
    • WHM Easy Apache
  • Email server configuration
    • Webmin + Postfix
    • WHM + Exim

WHM is aimed purley at managing the host for webhosting, Webmin I agree is aimed at general server management.

20

Excellent convergence of ideas to enhance our preferred Panel Control System.

LET ME GO ON TO SUGGEST THAT EACH VM SHOULD HAVE ITS OWN DASHBOARD.

That the administrators correctly configure each VM so that the users of each one could view, check and suggest improvements to each oneā€™s work.