Fink simplifies the installation of unix applications on Mac OS X. I think the number of unix apps mainstream mac users would or could benefit from are few. If an app is beyond command line complexity the interfaces be it TCL or whatever have you will be other worldly to mac users.

I mean its a nice idea but I think its fairly impractical. Fink makes it about as easy as it will get with what is already out there and thats the real core of this problem. I have a hard time understanding why the author is encouraging new apps to be developed in a more friendly way as a solution to "the promise of thousands of unix apps". I mean - if we are only talking about new software - that kind of kills off the notion of anything legacy which is the core of this problem.

So ... in a word ... fink.

Even in the world of "real" Unix they use package managers - I can think of at least three off the top of my head. It is the standard way of dealing with most of these problems. While it doesn't address the issue of configuration I think tweaking a powerful unix app is part of the fun. I mean its even considerable as an issue separate from getting these thousands of unix apps running. You don't configure it unless it is already running, right? To that end some unix configuration files are a real #$#@$ but I don't think that will change any time soon. I find that to be the real merit of the article - encouragement to simplify configuration. If need be developers can provide a "basic" and "advanced" set of configuration files limiting the work that needs to be done while allowing the fine tuning that more complex unix configuration files tend to offer.

/ramble