Comments on: The Power of Linux Console http://polishlinux.org All About GNU/Linux and BSD - reviews, comparisons, articles Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:18:28 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: benvn http://polishlinux.org/why-linux/the-power-of-console/#comment-126312 benvn Sat, 15 Nov 2008 05:02:40 +0000 http://polishlinux.org/why-linux/the-power-of-console/#comment-126312 All here is about benefit of linux command line over windows GUI, but what about linux command line over Windows command line. Is windows command line not fast enough, stable enough or not scriptable? All here is about benefit of linux command line over windows GUI, but what about linux command line over Windows command line. Is windows command line not fast enough, stable enough or not scriptable?

]]> By: Mark Lane http://polishlinux.org/why-linux/the-power-of-console/#comment-125242 Mark Lane Fri, 17 Oct 2008 12:44:11 +0000 http://polishlinux.org/why-linux/the-power-of-console/#comment-125242 >> I’m here because I’d like an OS that works, and all I’m being offered is Windows ... or Linux ... Or OSX ? >> I’m here because I’d like an OS that works, and all I’m being offered is Windows … or Linux …

Or OSX ?

]]> By: Madman http://polishlinux.org/why-linux/the-power-of-console/#comment-121724 Madman Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:00:25 +0000 http://polishlinux.org/why-linux/the-power-of-console/#comment-121724 You've never used the man command, have you? man apt-get man sudo man vlc etc. Also, you don't absolutely HAVE to use the command line (sorry, terminal). When the experts want to help, though, it's easier to copy-past a command into the terminal then tell the user exactly what to click, which menus to search under etc. You’ve never used the man command, have you?
man apt-get
man sudo
man vlc

etc.
Also, you don’t absolutely HAVE to use the command line (sorry, terminal). When the experts want to help, though, it’s easier to copy-past a command into the terminal then tell the user exactly what to click, which menus to search under etc.

]]> By: Joel Bennett http://polishlinux.org/why-linux/the-power-of-console/#comment-121447 Joel Bennett Tue, 20 May 2008 04:01:13 +0000 http://polishlinux.org/why-linux/the-power-of-console/#comment-121447 Just to be clear ... the troll who commented first was just pulling your leg when he said PowerShell costs money and has obscure syntax. It is and has always been free. It's now available as an "update" install for Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and Windows Vista, and it's built-in from Windows Server 2008 on. It also has a simple, predictable syntax, with rules for how commands are named which I think results in a significantly easier to learn shell ... Of couse, if PowerShell isn't your cup of tea, the Windows Services For Unix (which is also free for download) includes korn and C shell, and the usual utilities and scripting capabilities, and Bash etc are available from Cygwin. Everything you mention as pluses for the command-line in Linux applies to the command-line in Windows (particularly with PowerShell) ... except that *until PowerShell* it was difficult to get a better terminal. Now, of course, you should check out PowerShell Plus or Posh Console -- just check out their screenshots... Just to be clear … the troll who commented first was just pulling your leg when he said PowerShell costs money and has obscure syntax.

It is and has always been free. It’s now available as an “update” install for Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and Windows Vista, and it’s built-in from Windows Server 2008 on. It also has a simple, predictable syntax, with rules for how commands are named which I think results in a significantly easier to learn shell … Of couse, if PowerShell isn’t your cup of tea, the Windows Services For Unix (which is also free for download) includes korn and C shell, and the usual utilities and scripting capabilities, and Bash etc are available from Cygwin.

Everything you mention as pluses for the command-line in Linux applies to the command-line in Windows (particularly with PowerShell) … except that *until PowerShell* it was difficult to get a better terminal. Now, of course, you should check out PowerShell Plus or Posh Console — just check out their screenshots…

]]> By: euchrid http://polishlinux.org/why-linux/the-power-of-console/#comment-85455 euchrid Thu, 29 Nov 2007 01:43:29 +0000 http://polishlinux.org/why-linux/the-power-of-console/#comment-85455 Damn. I hit the wrong 'reply to' button. Meant for the next comment down. Sorry! Damn. I hit the wrong ‘reply to’ button. Meant for the next comment down. Sorry!

]]> By: euchrid http://polishlinux.org/why-linux/the-power-of-console/#comment-85452 euchrid Thu, 29 Nov 2007 01:42:26 +0000 http://polishlinux.org/why-linux/the-power-of-console/#comment-85452 I'm a novelist too, and I've found Linux far superior to Windows, even on the GUI front. I set up Ubuntu easily, and no longer need to use the command line - but after a year of using Linux, I now prefer it. The latest Ubuntu and Knoppix detect a lot of different hardware. Even if they don't, once it's set up, what do you have to do? Unless you enjoy playing around with your system, there's no real need to have to change stuff again for years... by which time Linux may well have caught up with the latest hardware anyway. I've moved on to 'geek' tools like Lyx and Scribus and Treeline to write with; all these things take time to learn, but in a year, I have found that the learning has paid off. I get more done now because I've learnt to work more efficiently, and not let the GUI slow me down or get in the way. It <em>is</em> a steep learning curve, but it pays off by saving you time in the long run and enabling you to work with any system. The console seems kind of depressing at first go, because, as a new user you feel hopelessly lost, but I guess that's how an aircraft pilot feels the first time they step into a cockpit as a learner. It depends if you need to fly a plane or drive a car (and I don't mean that patronisingly). One is familiar, but you get stuck in jams; the other is complicated and intimidating, but once learnt, you can fly, man, fly! I’m a novelist too, and I’ve found Linux far superior to Windows, even on the GUI front. I set up Ubuntu easily, and no longer need to use the command line - but after a year of using Linux, I now prefer it. The latest Ubuntu and Knoppix detect a lot of different hardware. Even if they don’t, once it’s set up, what do you have to do? Unless you enjoy playing around with your system, there’s no real need to have to change stuff again for years… by which time Linux may well have caught up with the latest hardware anyway.

I’ve moved on to ‘geek’ tools like Lyx and Scribus and Treeline to write with; all these things take time to learn, but in a year, I have found that the learning has paid off. I get more done now because I’ve learnt to work more efficiently, and not let the GUI slow me down or get in the way. It is a steep learning curve, but it pays off by saving you time in the long run and enabling you to work with any system.

The console seems kind of depressing at first go, because, as a new user you feel hopelessly lost, but I guess that’s how an aircraft pilot feels the first time they step into a cockpit as a learner. It depends if you need to fly a plane or drive a car (and I don’t mean that patronisingly). One is familiar, but you get stuck in jams; the other is complicated and intimidating, but once learnt, you can fly, man, fly!

]]> By: trojjer http://polishlinux.org/why-linux/the-power-of-console/#comment-82007 trojjer Tue, 20 Nov 2007 21:55:42 +0000 http://polishlinux.org/why-linux/the-power-of-console/#comment-82007 It's getting better these days, although I have experienced a few similar problems -- namely due to trying to install Sun Java and Adobe Flash, etc, that aren't yet in the Ubuntu repository (please hurry up with OpenJDK/IcedTea! Then again, I'm learning Java a little bit at a time, but I'm still not convinced that it's such a great platform...). And it would be nice if there was an option to install proprietary codecs with the OS by prompting the user, just to let them know that they're not always provided by default in Linux distros because of crazy patent/copyright/"IP" legislation that says that it's somehow illegal for people who have LEGALLY OBTAINED a DVD for to actually watch it on an operating system of their choice. But that's the DMCA, which represents yet another tangent. My experience of VLC has been pretty good so far, but I mainly use it on Windows. But I accept that, when new codecs are needed on Ubuntu, it's usually pretty easy to install them from the Universe repo or whatever. Such is the case with win32codecs, apparently. But that probably doesn't support mangled/encrypted WMA or Real much, if at all. Which is yet another shame, as some websites insist on spouting those horrible files. My OS-agnostic friend keeps switching back and forth in his appraisal of Ubuntu, Vista and Mac OSX, but he seems quite settled on Vista at the moment, funnily enough. He says that it's "just easier" to get things like the Windows Media Center to work, and he's "tried lots of the Linux MCEs to no avail". I need to give LinuxMCE a shot though; the video I've seen on Youtube makes it look like a contender, it's just a shame about the occasional codec problems and closed-source hardware drivers (he couldn't get his two monitors to work because nVidia didn't seem to provide software to handle dual head graphics cards properly). It’s getting better these days, although I have experienced a few similar problems — namely due to trying to install Sun Java and Adobe Flash, etc, that aren’t yet in the Ubuntu repository (please hurry up with OpenJDK/IcedTea! Then again, I’m learning Java a little bit at a time, but I’m still not convinced that it’s such a great platform…). And it would be nice if there was an option to install proprietary codecs with the OS by prompting the user, just to let them know that they’re not always provided by default in Linux distros because of crazy patent/copyright/”IP” legislation that says that it’s somehow illegal for people who have LEGALLY OBTAINED a DVD for to actually watch it on an operating system of their choice. But that’s the DMCA, which represents yet another tangent. My experience of VLC has been pretty good so far, but I mainly use it on Windows. But I accept that, when new codecs are needed on Ubuntu, it’s usually pretty easy to install them from the Universe repo or whatever. Such is the case with win32codecs, apparently. But that probably doesn’t support mangled/encrypted WMA or Real much, if at all. Which is yet another shame, as some websites insist on spouting those horrible files.

My OS-agnostic friend keeps switching back and forth in his appraisal of Ubuntu, Vista and Mac OSX, but he seems quite settled on Vista at the moment, funnily enough. He says that it’s “just easier” to get things like the Windows Media Center to work, and he’s “tried lots of the Linux MCEs to no avail”. I need to give LinuxMCE a shot though; the video I’ve seen on Youtube makes it look like a contender, it’s just a shame about the occasional codec problems and closed-source hardware drivers (he couldn’t get his two monitors to work because nVidia didn’t seem to provide software to handle dual head graphics cards properly).

]]> By: Dr Funfrock http://polishlinux.org/why-linux/the-power-of-console/#comment-81382 Dr Funfrock Mon, 19 Nov 2007 11:08:34 +0000 http://polishlinux.org/why-linux/the-power-of-console/#comment-81382 Well this is great and all, but I have to say that so far my experience of Linux continues to be one of fumbling around in the dark because I've been forced to learn to use an ancient technology instead of just being able to go with a GUI. Yes, GUIs are not necesarily faster, that's fair, and a good argument, but they are very often more intuitive. This isn't an argument for Windows, btw, as I'm aware that their GUI is often slow and confusing. It's more a serious gripe I have with most Linux distros, which is that the GUI is often either underdeveloped or lacking entirely. Take a look at that screenshot above, of the ALSA sound mixer. It's a just a GUI that's been put together in a console, and we're being told this is somehow better? I'm not a tech nerd, I'm a novelist. Now I'm sick and tired of Windows as a productivity platform, and I'd really like to buy into this whole "Linux is a better office OS" idea, but it's just not working. I'm being told Linux is more stable, but it crashes all the time on my machine, whilst Windows XP doesn't even show a blip. I'm being told Linux is faster, but I get nowhere because instead of just learning a user interface I'm having to learn an entire language. It would be nice if I could hear a fix to a problem that didn't just consist of a line of text to type into a terminal (followed by six other people replying with different versions of the fix). It would be nice if I actually could set up my system entirely using graphical interfaces, but I can't. Sooner or later I end having to edit config files or something like that. Hell, it would be nice if I could move a file to a restricted folder and just type my password into a dialogue box, instead of having to SUDO the entire job. Yes, I'm lazy. I'm not here because I believe in this grand and glorious future where everyone is a tech-geek, I'm here because I'd like an OS that works, and all I'm being offered is Windows, which treats me like an idiot, or Linux, which expects me to have a doctorate in comp sci just to use it. Well this is great and all, but I have to say that so far my experience of Linux continues to be one of fumbling around in the dark because I’ve been forced to learn to use an ancient technology instead of just being able to go with a GUI. Yes, GUIs are not necesarily faster, that’s fair, and a good argument, but they are very often more intuitive. This isn’t an argument for Windows, btw, as I’m aware that their GUI is often slow and confusing. It’s more a serious gripe I have with most Linux distros, which is that the GUI is often either underdeveloped or lacking entirely. Take a look at that screenshot above, of the ALSA sound mixer. It’s a just a GUI that’s been put together in a console, and we’re being told this is somehow better?
I’m not a tech nerd, I’m a novelist. Now I’m sick and tired of Windows as a productivity platform, and I’d really like to buy into this whole “Linux is a better office OS” idea, but it’s just not working. I’m being told Linux is more stable, but it crashes all the time on my machine, whilst Windows XP doesn’t even show a blip. I’m being told Linux is faster, but I get nowhere because instead of just learning a user interface I’m having to learn an entire language. It would be nice if I could hear a fix to a problem that didn’t just consist of a line of text to type into a terminal (followed by six other people replying with different versions of the fix). It would be nice if I actually could set up my system entirely using graphical interfaces, but I can’t. Sooner or later I end having to edit config files or something like that. Hell, it would be nice if I could move a file to a restricted folder and just type my password into a dialogue box, instead of having to SUDO the entire job. Yes, I’m lazy. I’m not here because I believe in this grand and glorious future where everyone is a tech-geek, I’m here because I’d like an OS that works, and all I’m being offered is Windows, which treats me like an idiot, or Linux, which expects me to have a doctorate in comp sci just to use it.

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