I wrote an automatic installer back in 2005 that automated adding new sites in a multi-domain environment (http://drupal.org/node/33581). I never updated it beyond 4.7 but people keep downloading it.
Has someone made it work on 6.x?
I stopped using Drupal a bit over 2 years ago because it was a maintenance nightmare.
Every 6 months or so a new version would come out that was not backwards compatible and requires redoing all of the work you have done since you started using Drupal. After the upgrade to 4.7 and then the change to the file naming that made automatic module upgrading stop working. Then with 4.7 not even stable (most modules not finished porting) they announced that 5.0 was imminent. I vowed "nevermore".
Well, here we are in 2009 and I am contemplating using Drupal again. It looks like nothing has changed. Version 6 is not fully supported yet and they are preparing to release version 7. At least I am hoping that now as there are thousands of sites, many big budget ones where the old Drupal ways would cost each site owner thousands of dollars totalling millions of dollars that they will no longer play fast and loose with the API so it will be safe to give Drupal another try.
Comments
backwards compatibility
I understand the quandary this puts people in, but it makes sense considering how much trouble backwards compatibility has caused Microsoft and its users. Maybe the BD will consider continuing security updates longer than just 2 versions back (I think that is the rule).
I've also complained about Drupal 7 being released when Drupal 6 isn't mature, but it looks like 7 will have some important improvements in it so it might be worth it.
Actually, Microsoft is a bad example now
Actually, Microsoft is a bad example. I suspect a few Drupal developers infiltrated Microsoft and that's why Vista has such a bad reputation -- they broke backwards compatibility with almost all existing Windows software. As a result, Vista has cost the world millions if not billions of dollars.
Could you imagine if Microsoft released Windows versions as frequently as Drupal does? Nobody would risk using Windows by now.
Breaking backwards compatibility is a good thing.
Breaking backwards compatibility is a good thing. Expecting otherwise is the same thinking that makes people turn off UAC, or share the root directory. Thinking that convenience is more important than security is the at the root of every mistake in IT I can think of. We can see that from not checking the TCP header back in the 80's to running users under the admin account. In security terms, Vista is a blessing that goes against the grain that Windows established back in 199x.
Remember the WMF problem a few years ago and how XP was affected by a mistake in legacy code for a file format that hasn't been used since Windows3.1?
Windows does frequently come out with new versions, the second Tuesday of every month. By not calling changes to a versions minor number a new version, they have mess up an already understood definition in the IT world. They did the same thing by calling a bug a feature or the button to stop a machine the "start" button.
Could you imagine if Drupal tried to improve peoples "experience" (sic) by pushing things like WMP's DRM and 'genuine advantage' on its users? Nobody would risk using Drupal by now.
Still a disaster. Few if any
Still a disaster. Few if any developers really care about stability or compatibility. It is all about trying to implement their latest "great" idea that 99% of users could not care less about, but it would mess up their systems. Acquia declared the intent to fix things, but the progress is very slow and the old habits die hard.
There is still value in the functionality but be prepared to sort through lots of garbage.
I don't know about the code u
I don't know about the code u wrote but I was looking for something similar and found these two modules
http://drupal.org/project/multisite_manager
http://groups.drupal.org/aegir-hosting-system (Drupal 5)