PrezKennedy's Soapbox
Sunday, January 09, 2005
The Command Line in 2004
For some of us, buying and using a computer is a chore. It's not something we revel in doing, and if at all possible, we would rather have someone else do it instead. I'm like that with webhosting. I could just do it myself, but it's so much easier and convenient to have someone else do it. The farthest I've been willing to allow myself "into" the computer was to debug an error in one of the scripts I use on my website... I was in and out in less than an hour, which is about the maximum amount of time I would be willing to spend on such an insignificant detail.
There has been a relatively famous essay written named "The Command Line" and it has been circulating on the Internet for more than five years. A new version annotated by a different author has added many points to make it more pertinent to the current situation with the Internet and computers. The Command Line in 2004 is this new annotated version, and it's worth at least glancing through if you're interested in computer technology.
The point that touched me the most was an annotated comment at the end of the essay... here is a quote:
Quote:
You know what I think makes an operating system truly great? Its ability to help me GET MY WORK DONE.
I, too, adventured in the realm of zoomy CPU-meter lights, hacker techno-geek chic, machine-language softswitch twiddling, fuzzy grayscale GIFs of porn stars, and spent endless caffeinated hours diagnosing IRQ and baudrate settings so I could play Duke Nukem with my friend Brent. Then something wonderful happened: I got tired of computing for it's own sake, and started seeking software and hardware that was not an end unto itself, but an efficient means to complete a task.
So I bought a Powerbook with OS X on it. And while an excellent solution, this is certainly not the only solution. A Windows 2000 setup on a Dell Inspiron laptop would be a fine second choice. And though there are many out there who have developed a comfortable Linux system for themselves, I believe that we should all be judged by the truest measure of the value of any personal computer: How much does it help us accomplish our tasks?
I'm not willing to spend the money to buy an Apple machine, but I feel the same way about computers. I just want them to work so that I can do my work, or my play. I don't mind running updates, but I hate tinkering and wasting hours to get an imperceivable boost in performance. This is why I don't enjoy using Gentoo Linux. Spending days compiling and setting up a system to get a minor, if any, speed boost is a waste of time for me. When it comes to the latest and greatest, I tend to be apathetic... a counter to Jonathan's enthusiasm.
I just wanted to remind all techies out there that there are people who don't enjoy doing this stuff for fun. They only do it so they can get to the real work. Please remember that when you're explaining what a wireless LAN is or what 3.2 GHz Pentium 4 actually does. They will appreciate your kindness a great deal. :-) ¶ 2:16 PM 0 comments
For some of us, buying and using a computer is a chore. It's not something we revel in doing, and if at all possible, we would rather have someone else do it instead. I'm like that with webhosting. I could just do it myself, but it's so much easier and convenient to have someone else do it. The farthest I've been willing to allow myself "into" the computer was to debug an error in one of the scripts I use on my website... I was in and out in less than an hour, which is about the maximum amount of time I would be willing to spend on such an insignificant detail.
There has been a relatively famous essay written named "The Command Line" and it has been circulating on the Internet for more than five years. A new version annotated by a different author has added many points to make it more pertinent to the current situation with the Internet and computers. The Command Line in 2004 is this new annotated version, and it's worth at least glancing through if you're interested in computer technology.
The point that touched me the most was an annotated comment at the end of the essay... here is a quote:
Quote:
You know what I think makes an operating system truly great? Its ability to help me GET MY WORK DONE.
I, too, adventured in the realm of zoomy CPU-meter lights, hacker techno-geek chic, machine-language softswitch twiddling, fuzzy grayscale GIFs of porn stars, and spent endless caffeinated hours diagnosing IRQ and baudrate settings so I could play Duke Nukem with my friend Brent. Then something wonderful happened: I got tired of computing for it's own sake, and started seeking software and hardware that was not an end unto itself, but an efficient means to complete a task.
So I bought a Powerbook with OS X on it. And while an excellent solution, this is certainly not the only solution. A Windows 2000 setup on a Dell Inspiron laptop would be a fine second choice. And though there are many out there who have developed a comfortable Linux system for themselves, I believe that we should all be judged by the truest measure of the value of any personal computer: How much does it help us accomplish our tasks?
I'm not willing to spend the money to buy an Apple machine, but I feel the same way about computers. I just want them to work so that I can do my work, or my play. I don't mind running updates, but I hate tinkering and wasting hours to get an imperceivable boost in performance. This is why I don't enjoy using Gentoo Linux. Spending days compiling and setting up a system to get a minor, if any, speed boost is a waste of time for me. When it comes to the latest and greatest, I tend to be apathetic... a counter to Jonathan's enthusiasm.
I just wanted to remind all techies out there that there are people who don't enjoy doing this stuff for fun. They only do it so they can get to the real work. Please remember that when you're explaining what a wireless LAN is or what 3.2 GHz Pentium 4 actually does. They will appreciate your kindness a great deal. :-) ¶ 2:16 PM 0 comments
