SEUL: Linux command-line focus

[Josef Lowder <joe@whidbey.net>]

Thanks for your response, Pete. 

I have been working almost exclusively from the unix command line 
for about 15 years as I find it much faster and vastly more efficient 
than any gui-windows-type interface.  As I am now migrating into 
Linux, I find that much is the same, or nearly so, but there are 
numerous variances, also.  So, I would like to be able to interface 
with others who might have a similar interest in further developing 
capabilities based on primarily command-line based operations. 

For example, I recently built a new system with a cd-rw and spent 
several weeks (actually almost three months) trying to figure out 
how to burn a cd-rom from a command-line command, rather than having 
to use a gui-interface.  Some people told me it couldn't be done, 
some told me the gui-windows interfaces were faster and "better," 
and many gave me conflicting advice on how to do it.  Once I finally 
solved it, it turned out to be a single line of syntax about 40-
characters long which I put in a script called 'makecdr' and now 
I can make a complete backup of my entire system in about 20-minutes 
by typing that command without having to gobble up 200+ megabyte 
of hd space and about 50-meg of ram with a space/memory wasting 
gui interface. 

This is just one example.  I find that I can do almost anything 
from the command-line about 10-times faster than a similar task 
can be done via a gui-windows-type interface. 

So, that is why I would like to find fell command-line enthusiasts 
with whom to share and compare notes and ideas. 

I might be interested in helping to host a web-site and/or a user-
mail-list, if such a thing does not already exist, but I have no 
experience in that area, yet, so I would no doubt need a lot of 
guidance. 

It is a mystery to me that most people seem to lean toward the gui-
interface for Linux. 

You wrote: 
> (Be forewarned, though, that many of these lists are long, so
> it helps to have set a long scrollback buffer in your terminal
> window (if you are using an Xterm or a telnet client)

The above is an example of why I prefer working from the command line. 
Rather than having to bother with "setting a scrollback buffer in 
a terminal window" ... I capture all such references as an ASCII 
text file (or convert them to ascii if I have to flush out html 
codes) and then with a little utility I built, I can quickly and 
efficiently search within or scroll back and foward through or print 
or selectively extract and/or export and/or print any portions of 
the subject reference with a single hot-key keystroke from a simple 
command-line prompt. 

You wrote:
> - newsgroups: I can't point you to specific news groups right
>   off the top of my head, but I could suggest that you use
>   something like dejanews ( http://www.dejanews.com ) 

I'll give this a try, though I have already tried a search through 
altavista, without finding any such groups. 

You wrote:
> That said, if you wanted to put together a web page that would help
> explain some of the common linux commands, I'm sure you would find a
> fair bit of help from the folks on this list, as well as potentially a
> place to host it.

By copy of this note to the "cc" you provided, I hope to drum up some 
interest and response. 

Thanks again, Pete, for your response. 

Josef Lowder		joe@whidbey.net		360-629-9598 (voice/fax)
Camano Paradise, Washington USA