[konaexpress]

So if the terminal commands are just a bunch of scripts, why not make it easier on new users and program them into a basic language command. Make the terminal wide screen like a Quake terminal and list alternating commands on the right side of the screen.

Use commands like:

change user

read cdrom

run file "X"

copy file "X" to der /home

make der "wallpapers" in /home/usr/stupid nube/download

[Dragynn]

So if the terminal commands are just a bunch of scripts, why not make it easier on new users and program them into a basic language command. Make the terminal wide screen like a Quake terminal and list alternating commands on the right side of the screen.

Use commands like:

change user

read cdrom

run file "X"

copy file "X" to der /home

make der "wallpapers" in /home/usr/stupid nube/download

How many people you know actually used the terminal in Windows? Most Windows refugees think twice about trying Linux precisely because they are afraid of having to use the terminal....

There are iso's out there that do what you describe already, Hootieandtheblowfish over on the main forum has an entire iso that's nothing but command line cr*p if you're into that sort of thing.

Gnome terminal is pretty customizable, you can probably change some of the .ui files in /usr/share/gnome-terminal and make the command list appear that you want every time you open terminal. Knowing some Bash too will help you do what you want.

[konaexpress]

I never said "I Want To Use The Terminal" but unless you want to reinstall the OS, you will probably have to use it sooner or later. Linux people seem to love that damm thing.

[ongoto]

The gconftool is a gui app that is supposed to give us access to all the Gnome configurations. It is supposed to take the place of all the CLI terminal business. We should be able to set or change any kind of behavior we want with it. But...when you run it and start digging around you get these messages like "this feature is not implemented yet". About 90% of it is not functional in fact.

So....it turns out to be just another teaser. We're stuck with the command line and the lovely French bombshell.

[konaexpress]

The gconftool is a gui app that is supposed to give us access to all the Gnome configurations. It is supposed to take the place of all the CLI terminal business. We should be able to set or change any kind of behavior we want with it. But...when you run it and start digging around you get these messages like "this feature is not implemented yet". About 90% of it is not functional in fact.

So....it turns out to be just another teaser. We're stuck with the command line and the lovely French bombshell.

Don't get me started, I already have a love/hate thing going with her.

[Dragynn]

The gconftool is a gui app that is supposed to give us access to all the Gnome configurations. It is supposed to take the place of all the CLI terminal business. We should be able to set or change any kind of behavior we want with it. But...when you run it and start digging around you get these messages like "this feature is not implemented yet". About 90% of it is not functional in fact.

So....it turns out to be just another teaser. We're stuck with the command line and the lovely French bombshell.

Don't get me started, I already have a love/hate thing going with her.

sheesh...don't we all...

[melodie]

Hi,

I often deal with people who don't even know that Free software exist, and have sometimes heard about software that they don't have to pay for (free as in free beer). They sometimes didn't even realize that to surf the web they use a browser, or.. even an Operating System ! They think they
have a "Windows computer".

So don't be upset : if I find on the forums someone who looks like he is willing to learn a few things, I'll encourage and try my best to help.

I also tried the gconf-editor recently, surprised to get the expected result after having read Dragynn's instructions about that.

And I do know some terminal commands equivalent with gui apps.
Example, a clue about that here.

PS: to ongoto, after the 100% will be completed, what will you do for a rescue if your graphical driver or X server came to crash ? Mount the distro from a Live cd and repair from a chroot ?
Or boot to init1 to repair as root in a terminal ?

Knowing some basic commands is very handy... even if the Graphical apps are more easy to handle. I wouldn't crop images with the console, I do it with Gimp, but for batch resizing I didn't find any gui tool that does what I want : give me a real choice between size or %age while respecting the quality of pictures.

[123grump]

kona-e : could you explain further ? Are you trying Mac commands ? (provided that exists...

No, I wanted to know terminal commands so I looked on the net but some don't seem to work. Like PCLOS uses the "su" command and others use "sudo". I tried the dev/ cdrom/ mount command and it did not work.

A cheat sheet of commands would be good.

DUDE, you could read over this
http://www.tuxfiles.org/linuxhelp/linuxcommands.html

[konaexpress]

Sweet, I bookmarked it. Thanks!

[ongoto]

HI Melodie

Hi,

PS: to ongoto, after the 100% will be completed, what will you do for a rescue if your graphical driver or X server came to crash ? Mount the distro from a Live cd and repair from a chroot ?
Or boot to init1 to repair as root in a terminal ?

I hate it when I get myself in that much trouble. If the X server fails then the command line is OK because I use it all the time anyway.

But a noob is not going to be that comfortable with it. If there is a gui alternative to get them out of trouble, I would recommend that first. The terminal should be a last resort.

For example: Dropping to a terminal and becoming root and using the mount command works fine. But running usermount from the run dialog makes me feel sexy.

[melodie]

But a noob is not going to be that comfortable with it. If there is a gui alternative to get them out of trouble, I would recommend that first. The terminal should be a last resort.

This is just a matter of belief. If you keep repeating this, the beginners will believe you. I usually tell them that the console is a tool like other tools, but more powerful, so "be careful when you are root in the console". Then it is also a pretext to bring them to understand the scheme of the file system, the rights and permissions... And what about tweaking the console to make it look fancy ? (With little flower pots above the screen ;D )

For example: Dropping to a terminal and becoming root and using the mount command works fine. But running usermount from the run dialog makes me feel sexy.

What, F4 ? Do you mean that little window in which you can launch commands ? If this is so, it's not sexy imho : it's cutting hair in 4 !

I don't find that "sexy" at all !

[ongoto]

You're just jealous of my little window, aren't you...
neener neener

[Dragynn]

But a noob is not going to be that comfortable with it. If there is a gui alternative to get them out of trouble, I would recommend that first. The terminal should be a last resort.

This is just a matter of belief. If you keep repeating this, the beginners will believe you.

It's not a matter of repeating it or not, it's a pure undiluted fact Mel, ask any 100 Windows users, and chances are they don't even know what "command prompt" is or does on their computer, I haven't met more than two (that didn't do IT for living) in a couple decades.

Most that I have ever met, oooh and aahhh like i'm performing magic when I use the run dialog box to pull up msconfig or regedit or whatever.

Human nature being what it is, you will always win more people over with the phrase " Hey, come try something new that's easy to use with the point-and-click methods you already know", than you will with "Hey come try something new that's going to require you to learn some geek skills first".

[melodie]

Hey, come learn a few tricks that will make you gain time and that's easy to do ! Oh sorry, I didn't see you didn't know where the keys are on your keyboard ! What about playing a little Tuxtype first ?

I do that once a while. It's fun and the people see that they need to learn the basic use for their machine in order to become efficient. If they don't learn how to use the keyboard, they will not go very far with their computer anyhow, then no point in teaching console...

I have installed one PCLinuxOS to a friend's, girl using Windows since 10 years. I have shown her "ls", "cp", "cd" and to start an app with a file as argument. Then I have changed the colors of her console to the pinkish/purple colors she likes, and then she was happy to know all that. (And started viewing her favorite movies with VLC, as she used to do in Windows).

It was just the start for knowledge she might want to use later. Some persons don't need more than a start at one moment.

Else : the "geeks" have repeated during many years that the console is a matter of specialist, and I had words with the moderator/admin of a forum where I started and he sayd "a newbie does not stumble upon a console ! It's for experts !". I told him how do the experts know how to use it if they didn't start one day ? He stopped questioning and gave me the commands I needed to perform what I wanted to do.

Then on their forum I started to learn how to tweak the menu.lst (how it works, what are the different parts related to... to get a dual-boot Mandrake/Mandrake. (I wanted to have one to tests the unknown mysterious gui tools in the Control Center, section security, and when I did that I broke it at once : no more X server working correctly... all black. )

Believe me Dragynn ! It's a matter of belief. I know I will never know all the commands because there are too many, and worse about the options, and each one can learn from 3 to 10 as a basis to start with : it's not more difficult than learning how to save a document and back it up. And it can help them one day to have a few basics, if asking help on a forum they have commands to type to solve a problem. They will type the commands correctly, for a start, and not with spaces where spaces must not be used and so on...

Have a nice day,
Mélodie

[ongoto]

Hi Melodie

The gui tools came about, not by accident, but to simplify the endless configurations needed in linux. Those tools are the main attraction for PCLOS users in general and also the reason for PCLOS being based on Mandriva instead of some other. They may not be perfect but they are the best out there. IMHO

I would truly love to see your "Command Line Tutorial" when you get it published. Start a sticky thread or something that we can all benefit from when we have time to study.

P.S. Would you like me to walk you through setting up an NFS share by hand while you're struggling with the fonts in Gedit?