Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!yee
From: yee@aix01.aix.rpi.edu (Crimson Avenger)
Subject: Re: (Sigh) Here we go again...
Message-ID: <qa_h3+_@rpi.edu>
Nntp-Posting-Host: aix01srv.aix.rpi.edu
Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY
References: <3.8g.ra@rpi.edu> <1991May9.161302.9489@watson.ibm.com>
Date: 14 May 91 14:55:52 GMT
Lines: 45

In article <1991May9.161302.9489@watson.ibm.com> (Larry Salomon) writes:
>
>Agreed.  Unix's availability on many different platforms is one of the
>reasons it is so popular.
>
>Yeah right.  Tell that to Mr. Joe Executive who is in charge of 300
>people and DOESN'T HAVE TIME TO LEARN.

I can think of one example in my instances that learning command in is 
important.  I have my computer at home, and I call a system over a modem
and I don't have GUI capabilities.  It's fine to use GUI if your connected
within a network, but over a phone line, I have been told that it's not 
possible to have X-windows over a modem, because something about the band-width
that won't allow it.  (I heard that it might be possible with SLIP, but I 
really haven't look into it).  I think it's also important that Mr. Joe
Executive learns what his employees does so he/she can't understant what
is going on in the company.  You think it's like you bark an order and something
gets done.  You don't know HOW it's done, you know that it's done.  Is
that what you are refering to?
  
>Oh boy.  This is a gem.  Tell me then why a programmer who is new to Unix
>takes so long to learn how to program for it?  I was a Unix neophyte once
>(and kinda still am) and you don't know HOW FRUSTRATING it is to want to
>do something in my program and not knowing the system call and then
>having to spend 30 minutes looking through 'man' pages trying to find the
>right function.  Oh sure, 'popen' (:sarcasm.) OBVIOUSLY (:esarcasm.)
>means to shell to another process and create a pipe between the two.
>
Most people programming on UNIX uses C, so programming in C is simple.  It 
may take time, but you can learn it.  I learned my C on the PC, and then 
move up to workstations (UNIX).  The frustration with the system calls is
that there are so many to do different things, and you want to find the one
that does the best for you.  I don't know about going through "man" pages
trying to find the system calls, that is one way.  Generally, you should be
able to find it faster in a well-documented programmer's system call book OR 
you can buy one off a book in Dalton's Bookstore that is better written.
I'm not sure if man pages were meant for system call lookups, I generally
use it only for UNIX commands which I try to get the parameters for.



-- 
-- Robert aka Crimson Avenger      (yee@rpi.edu or crimson_avenger@mts.rpi.edu)
   Once a hacker, always a hacker. (usere3jp@rpitsmts.bitnet)

