I had my first real introduction to Unix in 1983, shortly after I was first
introduced to the Mac (and also after another Unix-like command line
product). [Note: Yes, I know the Mac was announced in 1984. It's
predecessor, the Lisa, came out in 1983, and I had pre-training on it in
late 1982.]
The Unix Philosophy is a powerful concept, which can change your attitude
toward a multitude of projects:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix_philosophy
http://www.faqs.org/docs/artu/ch01s06.html
Some basics include breaking a project into small enough pieces that each
can be managed by itself, and building a tool to do one thing very well.
Unix (command-line) tools are designed to be snapped together, so that a new
tool can be constructed from a collection of standard, smaller, simpler
tools.
Whether you actually try out the command line (though I think it would be
helpful as a learning experience), the ideas described can help in any part
of life.
One of my favorite principles: Worse is Better
--Don Ellis
On Tue, Dec 22, 2009 at 1:18 AM, Scott Granneman <[email protected]>wrote:
> Nah - it's pretty nerdy stuff. If you look in Applications >
> Utilities, you'll see a program there called Terminal, which lets you
> use the command line on your Mac. But most Mac users don't ever need
> to use it. I do all the time, and so Don Ellis, for example (another
> Mac user), but we're both UNIX nerds. zsh is just another way of using
> the command line on your Mac (which is a UNIX machine, remember), and
> as such, it's pretty esoteric for many people.
>
> Note #1: the default on the Mac - as on most UNIX machines - when
> using the terminal isn't zsh; it's bash.
>
> Note #2: the command line is a wonderfully useful thing - see my book
> Linux Phrasebook, which is almost completely applicable to the Mac's
> command line as well - but it's not for your average user. Some on
> this list will argue it should be, and sometimes I feel that way, but
> I also understand there's a time and a place for everything. :)
>
> Hope that helps, Jason.
>
> Scott
> --
> Scott Granneman
> [email protected]
>
> On Mon, Dec 21, 2009 at 4:49 PM, Jason Pearson <[email protected]>
> wrote:
> > Professor Granneman,
> >
> > I realize how busy you are so please excuse my rather ignorant
> question.
> >
> > Would this (zsh) be of any use for me and my wife? I use my Mac
> mainly
> > for school use and some small business applications. My wife uses her
> Mac
> > to run her blog. I ask this because I am willing to try any program that
> > would make our lives that much easier.
> >
> > As always Thank You for your time,
> >
> > Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
> >
> > Jason
> >
> > On Sun, Dec 20, 2009 at 3:25 PM, Scott Granneman <[email protected]>
> > wrote:
> >>
> >> http://www.strcat.de/zsh/
> >>
> >> For those of you interested in zsh, this seems like a great resource.
> >>
> >> Scott
> >> --
> >> R. Scott Granneman
> >> [email protected] ~ www.granneman.com
> >> Full list of publications @ http://www.granneman.com/publications
> >> My new book: Google Apps Deciphered @ http://www.granneman.com/books
> >>
> >> "Disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is man's
> >> original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made,
> >> through disobedience and through rebellion."
> >> ---Oscar Wilde
>
...
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