Rant: complex config files

Lately, I’ve been looking at some cli linux apps. I just don’t get why they have to make config files overly complex for no good reason.

When it feels like I’m writing code (and in some cases I am), I usually stop using that app because I’m not supposed to be writing code in order to use the app.  Seriously. You prepackage the app for me, I expect the work required to set up your app to be little to none. Yet, it’s unnecessarily difficult

As if that weren’t bad enough, sometimes apps don’t include pre-setup (“change values yourself” type thing) config files, so you have to lookup vague howtos or man pages (I HATE man pages). Or, they include pre-setup values, but they aren’t commented.

This is what I found in my irssi config file :
fe-text” = { actlist_sort = “refnum”; };

What in the hell does that mean?!? No comments. Nothing. Sadly it seems some apps still need some heavy duty work on user friendliness.  *sigh*