winbind should be installed by default

[amichair]

I've installed Kubuntu 6.06 on my home network, which is set up as a Windows workgroup, to test it as an alternative to Windows. It took me several hours to get LAN host name resolution to work on Kubuntu so that it can access the other workgroup computers by name rather than by IP (the Windows computers could access the Kubuntu box automatically). The solution was quite simple, though it took a lot of googling to figure out: install winbind (and update /etc/nsswitch.conf appropriately).

As a viable replacement for Windows, workgroup host name resolution should work out-of-the-box. From the little I read about winbind, it seems to support a few other capabilities which are necessary for integration into any existing Windows domain/workgroup environment, and complement samba nicely. adding winbind to the core distribution would make it possible for a k/ubuntu machine to be dropped into a Windows environment with much less effort, possibly with a system settings dialog if appropriate, to configure things without ever opening a console. I believe it's these types of issues that make the transition much harder for Windows users, and many quit along the way and decide to wait a few more years for the alternatives to become more 'mature'... why not make that now? :-)

[Brian Murray (brian-murray)]

Thanks for your suggestion. The changes you are requesting require more discussion, which should be done on an appropriate mailing list or forum. http://www.ubuntu.com/community/forums/ might be a good start.