"Mayayana" on Sat, 21 Mar 2020 08:34:42
-0400 typed in microsoft.public.windowsxp.general the following:
"pyotr filipivich" wrote

| So you know of a means to get to a command line on a MAC?

They have something called AppleScript. And there's
some kind of access to the Unix core. I think it's an
outdated preconception, though, to think that one
only gets to the "real stuff" when the mouse is disabled.
That's the attitude of the oldtimers who make fun of
people who want a GUI. But actually, command line
is very limited and is mostly used to send command line
arguments to executables. The commands are really
simple automations rather than extra functionality. Most
things you can do in console can be done easier in the
GUI. Which, of course, was the whole point of making
a GUI.

Most things, true.

But for me and my purposes, getting to a DOS prompt and running
robocopy (or a batch file which calls it and the parameter list) beats
having to tell Windows "yes overwrite that file, no do not overwrite
that file, yes, yes, no, yes, size eight, yes..."

Which raises an interesting question: What makes a
system accessible? Programming on a Mac requires
using their hardware, with a license and their tools.
At the other extreme, programming on Linux is open
to all and lots of methods are provided. But if you
don't have well designed, intuitive tools and good
docs then you're lost. That's what's always been nice
about Windows: There are numerous levels of expertise
with tools and docs at each level.

Yes.much of my gripping has less to do with the parts which work
"invisibly" as with how the changes in the GUI interfere with the
muscle memory I had from the previous GUI. Its like getting a new car
which has the windshield wiper where the shift lever was on the last
one. Lot of "oops, didn't mean to do that!"


--
pyotr filipivich
Next month's Panel: Graft - Boon or blessing?