Thanks to Robert Osterlund for
this link.
What Is PIKT?
- An acronym: Problem Informant/Killer Tool. (PIKT
rhymes with “ticket”.) - An innovative new paradigm for administering heterogeneous
networked workstations. PIKT monitors systems, reports
problems, and fixes those problems automatically whenever
possible. - An embedded scripting language. Sporting an especially
clean syntax, the PIKT scripting language shares many elements in
common with other familiar languages. But the PIKT language
breaks new ground, introducing unique features to make your
programming easier. - A sophisticated script preprocessor and control mechanism for
managing your administrative scripts. You can, setting aside
the PIKT language, even use it to version control, install, error
log, and schedule programs written in other languages, as well as
to employ macros, meta-comments, and C-like #if, #ifdef, and
#include directives in Perl, AWK, etc. - Distributed under the GNU General Public License (GPL).
- Available now for Solaris, SunOS, FreeBSD, and GNU/Linux.
(Other ports are anticipated.)
What Is PIKT Not? (Or At Least Not Yet)
- A GUI-enhanced system. (We expect that will follow, but
as an option only. Have you ever tried using X Window to
administer systems from home over a slow modem connection?) - An all-purpose programming language. (You would not want
to use PIKT to compute pi to 1,000,000 decimal places, or write
that hot, new Quake clone.) PIKT is (for now) intended for
systems administration only. - Available for Windows NT. (This, too, is
contemplated.) - The last word in systems monitors. (But maybe it’s
farther back in the dictionary.)