[TriLUG] Promotions for Installfests

[al johson]

Uh, I don't think I ever said I didn't want to master the "command line". Au
contraire, I believe I said that since I have used batch files (which I
loved) in the past, I did want to master it. It's a matter of getting the
right approach to learning the command line. The way we learned batch files
(which if you're too young to know what I'm talking about consisted of
small text files containing DOS and small DOS programs to do useful
things--you could create them so sophisticated that you could just walk up
to a computer push one key and have your MSDOS machine do a hundred things
without any other action on your part). We had books (primarily from QUE)
which slowly and gently taught you how to write these things, though it took
time before you could write one which could do the things you wanted to do.
Useful ones were collected, books were written that had the scripts, and by
studying them you were able OVER TIME to do some amazing things. For
example, it's amazing to me that the word processor WORD does not have any
way that I know of to accomplish a word processing action which people do
almost every day (sort ASCII strings alphabetically). Word Perfect used to
have it, but WORD to my knowledge never has. But a simple little DOS program
will do this task in a heartbeat, although it's limited in the size lists it
can sort--the program was called "sort" and it had lots of switches. Then
people got tired of not being to sort very large lists so "sort-f" was
created.
     So, Yes, I do want to master the "command line", but all the tutorials
on it usually leave me in the dust after the first chapter. What's needed is
a simple "command line cookbook"--Mix up these ingredients and it will do
this. Want to burn a disk? Here's the recipe---
Want to play a DVD?? Here's the recipe--- Want to format a floppy? Here's
the recipe--
etc., etc. etc. All I'm saying is you gotta crawl before you can walk, much
less run. And you gotta share your recipes too!! And these recipes should be
collected, published and shared.
-----------------------------------------
Hint: this could be another way for Tri-lug to make some money for pizza!!
Tri-lug's favorite command line recipes published and sold!! --Peace,  Al
Johnson.

----- Original Message -----
From: Jon Carnes <jonc at nc.rr.com>
To: <trilug at trilug.org>
Sent: Thursday, May 16, 2002 4:16 PM
Subject: Re: [TriLUG] Promotions for Installfests


> ----- Original Message -----
> >     While I'm at it, I want to speak on the topic of "laziness" vs.
"lack
> of
> > knowledge" vs. "finding a needle in a haystack". Whenever I attempt to
try
> > and find something in one of those "Man" files I always feel like I'm
> > searching for the proverbial "needle in a haystack".
>
> man -k <keyword> |grep <another_keyword>
>
> http://www.google.com
>
>
> > It's sort of like DROWNING IN INFORMATION, none of which seems to answer
> the
> > specific question which I'm trying to answer. I'm not the only one who
> feels
> > this way since I've read that there is now a group attempting to improve
> > some of them.
> >
> >  I still don't know as much as I'd like to know about Linux, but I've
> > already read a lot of books, some of which made sense. I still have yet
to
> > find a manual which gives beginners the information they need most
without
> > burying them in a lot of  command line UNIX.
>
> http://www.mandrakecampus.com/
>
> http://www.tldp.org/
>
> ======
>
> As an old fart who has been using Linux since the first Slackware hit the
> shelves, I gravitate to the command line.  If you ask me "How do *you* do
> ...." I'm more than happy to tell you - and I will certainly tell you the
> way *I* would do it.
>
> If you don't want to learn the Command line, that is fine with me.  Just
> smile say thanks and move on. There are always a hundred ways to do
anything
> in Linux (and in Unix). Certainly the GUI is faster and easier.  Once you
> find out how to do it that way, be sure to come back and tell me how to do
> it via the GUI.  I'll smile and say thanks, before I move on...
>
>
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