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  • From: Jim Allman <jim AT ibang.com>
  • To: "Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/" <internetworkers AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [internetworkers] Ode to OS X (was: WalMart Sun Linux)
  • Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2004 14:16:17 -0400

On Apr 7, 2004, at 12:24 PM, Steven Champeon wrote:
And I love my Mac OS X powerbook because the GUI is elegant *and* I can cut to the chase with the CLI when I need to do something that the GUI is, and always will be, pathetic at, because GUIs do not allow you to arbitrarily compress multiple actions down into one (without macros, scripting, or other forms of programming).

Agreed. To me, the strengths and difficulties of the CLI are typical of expert tools.

I moved back to the Mac a couple of years ago, mostly to become familiar with what I call "Unix culture." As a developer, I was intrigued by the leverage of the CLI, and the power of combining small, dedicated programs. I've also found that the sensibility (in docs, tools, and general conversation) is just *different* in Unix-land, beckoning you to learn a bit more rather than smoothing over the subtleties.

To me, learning this stuff is a long-term investment. The new techniques are usually a very conscious struggle, and slower in the early days. But I often find that the payoff isn't just in quantitative (more work done in less time), but qualitative (a new approach to the work, with much more leverage, generality, or precision). As a professional, this is the kind of edge I want to have.

Then again, there are days when I'm too tired to climb mountains, and I can lean more heavily on the Mac GUI and direct manipulation. So that's why I really like OS X. It's an accomodating bridge between consumer-GUI and Unix-land. I get to choose the pace, and which tasks I want to try "over there". Nice..

=jimA=





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