% PLINTH(1) Version 0.1 | Plinth User Manual % % February 2011
plinth - a web front end for administering every aspect of a Freedom Box.
plinth.py
The Freedom Box is a net appliance conceived by Eben Moglen. It contains free software and is designed to allow you to interface with the rest of the net under conditions of protected privacy and data security.
The Plinth front end is a web interface to administer the functions of the Freedom Box. For example, the Freedom Box is a wireless router, and the front end is where you can adjust its settings.
The front end is an extensible web platform for forms and menus. It allows authenticated users to fill out forms. The interface saves the form data and from them generates configuration files for the various services running on the box.
The interface is pluggable. Drop modules into place to add new capabilities to Plinth and your Freedom Box. Replace existing modules to get newer, better shinier functions. The modules will automatically integrate into the existing menu system so you can control all of the box's parts from one central location.
The interface will eventually have a 'basic' and an 'expert' mode. In basic mode, much of Plinth's configuration and capability are hidden. Sane defaults are chosen whenever possible. In expert mode, you can get down into the details and configure things the average user never thinks about. For example, experts can turn off ntp or switch ntp servers. Basic users should never even know those options exist.
See the INSTALL file for additional details. Run:
$ makeOnce make finishes, run Plinth on the local system with:
$ bash start.sh