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   Date: Mon, 22 Jan 2007 10:50:05 -0500   
   From: CBFalconer    
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   Newsgroups: alt.os.linux.ubuntu   
   Subject: Re: My ubuntu experience   
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   MCR wrote:   
   >    
   .... snip ...   
   >    
   > Speaking as a relative noob I must say I agree with this poster.    
   > I can give a solid example.  I wanted Nvidia drivers and I found   
   > a Ubuntu help page that went into extensive detail on how to get   
   > it up and running. Chaning Init.d or something and starting   
   > without X.. there was Chmod this Sh that and I understood what I   
   > was doing, but the commands and expressions were alien.  The   
   > whole process took me around 30 mins.   
   >    
   > Compare this to a newsgroup posting about Automatix, I added the   
   > repository, updated, installed and was away in five mins.   
   >    
   > People bragging about their CLI prowess and writing complex   
   > scripts alienates and confuses new people and reinforces the view   
   > as an operating system GNU/Linux is confusing and intimidating.   
      
   This is, in part, due to the Unix practice of extreme   
   abbreviation.  It is far too late to do anything about it.  Many   
   systems, in the past, presented all common commands in two forms,   
   one abbreviated, usable interchangeably.  For example, if those   
   commands you listed had been available as Changemode etc. things   
   would be much less confusing.     
      
   There is a means available to do this - it is called alias.  If you   
   have a confusing command, simply alias it to a name that is clear   
   to you (first check that that name is not used for something, with   
   which and whatis).  After a while the abbreviated name will make   
   more sense to you.  Read .bashrc (with less) for instructions on   
   doing this conveniently with a separate .bash_aliases file.   
      
   The command 'alias' will show existing aliases.  You can redirect   
   it to create an initial .bashalises file.   
      
   --    
       
      
    "A man who is right every time is not likely to do very much."   
                              -- Francis Crick, co-discover of DNA   
    "There is nothing more amazing than stupidity in action."   
                                                -- Thomas Matthews   
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