Linux-Advocacy Digest #640, Volume #32 Sun, 4 Mar 01 16:13:04 EST
Contents:
Re: Sometimes, when I run Windows... ("ono")
Re: NT vs *nix performance ("Mart van de Wege")
Re: Sometimes, when I run Windows... ("Edward Rosten")
Re: Crimosoft will get off scot-free (Tim Hanson)
Re: NT vs *nix performance (Norman D. Megill)
Re: It's here! IBM's new Linux ad! (J Sloan)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "ono" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: Sometimes, when I run Windows...
Date: Sun, 4 Mar 2001 21:39:41 +0100
> OK, everyone knows this one. It's not a command shell. I'm speaking of
> a full-featured command-line shell with filename completion, complete
They actually have completion (files. Just type cmd /? and read. As a linux
gui you
should be able to read.
As I'm sure that you have no access to w2k default shell. I'm doing a
>help cmd > con for you:
I'm truly surprised they added so many features in the last few years. Must
be because all
those ex unix guys are demanding stuff like that.
========================
Starts a new instance of the Windows 2000 command interpreter
CMD [/A | /U] [/Q] [/D] [/E:ON | /E:OFF] [/F:ON | /F:OFF] [/V:ON | /V:OFF]
[[/S] [/C | /K] string]
/C Carries out the command specified by string and then terminates
/K Carries out the command specified by string but remains
/S Modifies the treatment of string after /C or /K (see below)
/Q Turns echo off
/D Disable execution of AutoRun commands from registry (see below)
/A Causes the output of internal commands to a pipe or file to be ANSI
/U Causes the output of internal commands to a pipe or file to be
Unicode
/T:fg Sets the foreground/background colors (see COLOR /? for more info)
/E:ON Enable command extensions (see below)
/E:OFF Disable command extensions (see below)
/F:ON Enable file and directory name completion characters (see below)
/F:OFF Disable file and directory name completion characters (see below)
/V:ON Enable delayed environment variable expansion using c as the
delimiter. For example, /V:ON would allow !var! to expand the
variable var at execution time. The var syntax expands variables
at input time, which is quite a different thing when inside of a FOR
loop.
/V:OFF Disable delayed environment expansion.
Note that multiple commands separated by the command separator '&&'
are accepted for string if surrounded by quotes. Also, for compatibility
reasons, /X is the same as /E:ON, /Y is the same as /E:OFF and /R is the
same as /C. Any other switches are ignored.
If /C or /K is specified, then the remainder of the command line after
the switch is processed as a command line, where the following logic is
used to process quote (") characters:
1. If all of the following conditions are met, then quote characters
on the command line are preserved:
- no /S switch
- exactly two quote characters
- no special characters between the two quote characters,
where special is one of: &<>()@^|
- there are one or more whitespace characters between the
the two quote characters
- the string between the two quote characters is the name
of an executable file.
2. Otherwise, old behavior is to see if the first character is
a quote character and if so, strip the leading character and
remove the last quote character on the command line, preserving
any text after the last quote character.
If /D was NOT specified on the command line, then when CMD.EXE starts, it
looks for the following REG_SZ/REG_EXPAND_SZ registry variables, and if
either or both are present, they are executed first.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor\AutoRun
and/or
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor\AutoRun
Command Extensions are enabled by default. You may also disable
extensions for a particular invocation by using the /E:OFF switch. You
can enable or disable extensions for all invocations of CMD.EXE on a
machine and/or user logon session by setting either or both of the
following REG_DWORD values in the registry using REGEDT32.EXE:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor\EnableExtensions
and/or
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor\EnableExtensions
to either 0x1 or 0x0. The user specific setting takes precedence over
the machine setting. The command line switches take precedence over the
registry settings.
The command extensions involve changes and/or additions to the following
commands:
DEL or ERASE
COLOR
CD or CHDIR
MD or MKDIR
PROMPT
PUSHD
POPD
SET
SETLOCAL
ENDLOCAL
IF
FOR
CALL
SHIFT
GOTO
START (also includes changes to external command invocation)
ASSOC
FTYPE
To get specific details, type commandname /? to view the specifics.
Delayed environment variable expansion is NOT enabled by default. You
can enable or disable delayed environment variable expansion for a
particular invocation of CMD.EXE with the /V:ON or /V:OFF switch. You
can enable or disable completion for all invocations of CMD.EXE on a
machine and/or user logon session by setting either or both of the
following REG_DWORD values in the registry using REGEDT32.EXE:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor\DelayedExpansion
and/or
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor\DelayedExpansion
to either 0x1 or 0x0. The user specific setting takes precedence over
the machine setting. The command line switches take precedence over the
registry settings.
If delayed environment variable expansion is enabled, then the exclamation
character can be used to substitute the value of an environment variable
at execution time.
File and Directory name completion is NOT enabled by default. You can
enable or disable file name completion for a particular invocation of
CMD.EXE with the /F:ON or /F:OFF switch. You can enable or disable
completion for all invocations of CMD.EXE on a machine and/or user logon
session by setting either or both of the following REG_DWORD values in
the registry using REGEDT32.EXE:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor\CompletionChar
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Command
Processor\PathCompletionChar
and/or
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor\CompletionChar
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Command
Processor\PathCompletionChar
with the hex value of a control character to use for a particular
function (e.g. 0x4 is Ctrl-D and 0x6 is Ctrl-F). The user specific
settings take precedence over the machine settings. The command line
switches take precedence over the registry settings.
If completion is enabled with the /F:ON switch, the two control
characters used are Ctrl-D for directory name completion and Ctrl-F for
file name completion. To disable a particular completion character in
the registry, use the value for space (0x20) as it is not a valid
control character.
Completion is invoked when you type either of the two control
characters. The completion function takes the path string to the left
of the cursor appends a wild card character to it if none is already
present and builds up a list of paths that match. It then displays the
first matching path. If no paths match, it just beeps and leaves the
display alone. Thereafter, repeated pressing of the same control
character will cycle through the list of matching paths. Pressing the
Shift key with the control character will move through the list
backwards. If you edit the line in any way and press the control
character again, the saved list of matching paths is discarded and a new
one generated. The same occurs if you switch between file and directory
name completion. The only difference between the two control characters
is the file completion character matches both file and directory names,
while the directory completion character only matches directory names.
If file completion is used on any of the built in directory commands
(CD, MD or RD) then directory completion is assumed.
The completion code deals correctly with file names that contain spaces
or other special characters by placing quotes around the matching path.
Also, if you back up, then invoke completion from within a line, the
text to the right of the cursor at the point completion was invoked is
discarded.
------------------------------
From: "Mart van de Wege" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: NT vs *nix performance
Date: Sun, 04 Mar 2001 21:46:53 +0100
Crossposted-To:
alt.destroy.microsoft,alt.linux.sux,comp.os.ms-windows.advocacy,comp.os.ms-windows.nt.advocacy
In article <3a9c78e8$0$64200$[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Jan Johanson"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> "J Sloan" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
> news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]...
>> Jan Johanson wrote:
>>
>> > "Aaron Kulkis" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
>> > news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]...
>> > > > > Exactly - microsoft's "bet the farm", "benchmark buster"
>> > > > > configuration with the special web cache in front of iis is
>> > > > > badly outperformed by AIX, and can't even match the performance
>> > > > > of the free Red Hat Linux system.
>> > > >
>> > > > Special cache? You mean some software anyone can buy and run
>> > > > outta
> the
>> > box?
>> > >
>> > > If it's not part of the base OS, nor part of the web server, then
>> > > yes, it is a "special cache"....
>> >
>> > You mean like tux?
>>
>> Nope, wrong again - Tux is not a cache, it's a web server.
>>
>> Can you spot the difference?
>
> I sure can. but, so what. Tux is a custom benchmark busting web server.
> SWC is a web cache, a retail product available to anyone. It improves
> the performance of any IIS server it's put in front of. I hardly
> consider that
> "custom"
>
>
Mr. Johanson,
I may not know a lot about Web servers, but it appears that you know even
less about open source software. There is no such thing as a custom
application in published open source software, it may be custom written,
but as soon as it is published it is available to everyone, not just the
people willing to shell out big $$$ to either Microsoft or some
consultant who preys on their ignorance.
Mart.
--
You have a reputation for being thoroughly reliable and trustworthy.
A pity that it's totally undeserved.
------------------------------
From: "Edward Rosten" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: Sometimes, when I run Windows...
Date: Sun, 04 Mar 2001 20:52:19 +0000
In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
"pip" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Edward Rosten wrote:
>>
>> I've never had one. I can even kill this process:
>>
>> main{ while(!fork())
>> }
>
>
> The fork bomb :-)
Nope, the self hiding process. If forks a copy, then dies instantly.
Result? it never has the same PID for more than a few milliseconds :-)
>> Could you back this with more than 1 example. The cli tools + piping is
>> one axample of a very elegant design o parts pulling in the same
>> direction.
>
> Elegant? You must be kidding me.
No really.
> So tell me this:
>
> taskA > taskB
Do you mean task a | task b?
> how does taskB communicate the results of its operation to taskA?
Very often, you don't need to communicate the results back. Most of them
are pipeline processors which simple alter data going through them. You
can tie the lot together with something more complicated if you wish.
> Enter CORBA Gnome architecture to fix up broken thinking such as this.
> How was that inspired - guess - M$ Component programming is clearly the
> way to go. Small is beautiful, but only when it is also smart.
>> WinNT is no way as good as UNIX.
>
> For what? As a workstation it may be better but as a server it is not.
> Depends what you value.
I prefer UNIX for a workstation.
>>That's why Micros~1 is trying to make it
>> in to a UNIX.
>
> How?
NT3.5, origionally claimed to be a `Better UNIX than UNIX'
NT4 with resource packs they introduced more useful commandline tools,
such as kill.exe
Win2K, telnet server, more command line tools, symlinks (or so I'm told
:-), remote GUI.
With every iteration, its more like UNIX.
-Ed
--
| Edward Rosten
| u98ejr@
This argument is a beta version. | ecs.ox
| .ac.uk
------------------------------
From: Tim Hanson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Crossposted-To: alt.destroy.microsoft,alt.microsoft.sucks
Subject: Re: Crimosoft will get off scot-free
Date: Sun, 04 Mar 2001 21:00:29 GMT
"Bobby D. Bryant" wrote:
>
> Tim Hanson wrote:
>
> > I don't think that is the "threat" he was addressing. His argument was
> > with taxpayer supported software and the GPL. He was saying, in effect,
> > "Our company pays taxes to support the creation of software we can't
> > fold into our products." This refers to, among others, the Beowolf
> > project, which was developed with the at least in part by NASA, but
> > which Microsoft can't stea^H^H^H^H use because of the license. He was
> > saying that since Microsoft dollars fund NASA through taxes, Microsoft
> > ought to be able to reap the benefits.
>
> FWIW, the Beowulf code would be useless to MS, because it won't run with
> Windows. (Actually, parts of it might, but the kernel hacks definitely won't.)
>
> If they wanted to they could create a me-too that *would* run with Windows,
> because the GPL is a license to the code, and nothing else -- the GPL doesn't
> patent the idea. They would just have to write their own code. (Though I
> suppose it's possible that someone did patent the Beowulf system. Anyone know?)
>
> What has MS upset is that even if they did come out with a Windows-based
> BeoClone, not many people would use it. Who wants to pay for hundreds of W2K
> licenses (plus the extra BeoClone license), and then still have a system that
> runs slower because of W2K's bloat. (Yes, trolls, it's possible to build a
> bloated Linux system too. But what's important here is the ability to build a
> customized non-bloated system, which Linux offers and MS doesn't.)
Allthough I agree with you, I was using Beowolf as an example only.
Incidently, the Microsoft clustering solution goes all the way up to
(brace yourself) 32 nodes, at only $3,000 per node. You work for
government? Want the price on toilet seats?
> I don't know exactly what JA was complaining about, because he and other MS
> execs are apparently prone to shooting their mouths off sans aforethought
> (contrary to popular opinion, not everything spewing out of Redmond is part of
> some master plan designed by some infallible genius). But what's actually
> hurting MS is the fact that GPLware is free (and thus can't be undercut by
> bundling), not associated with a company (and thus can't be bought out or driven
> to bankruptcy), and it yields products that are constantly forking and mutating
> to give more and better products.
Shooting one's mouth off is something that is not done at Microsoft, in
my opinion. I think it is likely that JA is making a play for Congress
to limit the use of GPL in federal projects because it can be done with
little legislation and, for possibly the last time in the next twenty
years, the climate looks good for getting it through.
> Microsoft's traditional "crush-kill-destroy" strategy won't work against
> GPLware, so now their only recourse is legislation. (Actually, their
> "value-added" recourse is still there, as it always has been, but they
> apparently have religious qualms against relying on it. It's Capitalism's
> greatest shame that a company sitting on a pile of gold the size of MS's has to
> compete by destroying the competition directly, rather than actually generating
> a better product. I suspect I could have rounded up about 1000 associates and
> produced a pretty darn fine suite of products from scratch within a couple of
> years, if I had the money that MS spent on marketing alone last year.)
>
> At any rate, it's certainly in JA's best interest if governments buy MS trash so
> he and his cronies can pocket the money, rather than letting those governments
> use stuff that they get for free (and often even give back in improved form).
I work for government and I can tell you that, except for
military-industrial, a huge gravy federal contract is the kiss of slow
death for an enterprise.
>
> Bobby Bryant
> Austin, Texas
--
Johnson's First Law:
When any mechanical contrivance fails, it will do so at the
most inconvenient possible time.
------------------------------
Crossposted-To:
alt.destroy.microsoft,comp.os.ms-windows.advocacy,comp.os.ms-windows.nt.advocacy
Subject: Re: NT vs *nix performance
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Norman D. Megill)
Date: Sun, 04 Mar 2001 21:06:29 GMT
In article <4Gto6.11825$[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
Chad Myers <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Nowhere in the cites you provided does it say that one can distribute
> the copies one has made of the media.
>
> The law provides for owners of media to make as many copies FOR THEMSELVES
> as needed.
>
> If I had a CD, I could make an MP3 version, a cassette tape version or
> any other copied version I would like as long as I am the one using it.
>
> I cannot, however, make copies and distribute them to my friends. Most
> people do, and it's rather like speeding, it's not a big deal and most
> people (even the RIAA) don't worry about it much. They're much more
> worried about the people who make a business out of selling these
> copies to their friends.
You don't seem to grasp the AHRA. You are thinking in terms of the
general copyright law. The AHRA provides a specific exception to this
law that pertains to audio recordings.
There is no law that forbids you from lending an audio recording to a
friend.
And because of the AHRA, there is no law that forbids your friend from
making a copy of that recording. Or more technically, that AHRA says
your friend cannot be sued for making said copy, provided that it is for
personal, noncommercial use.
The whole point of this is that the government taxes (collects royalties
on) certain blank digital media (DAT tape in particular) and gives the
money to the RIAA. The RIAA, which endorsed this law, were afraid back
in 1992 that blank digital media might be used to make copies of their
companies' recordings, and therefore wanted royalties collected on
*blank* media, just in case someone did record a copyrighted work onto
them. And they were able to get this law passed. So, even if you use
the blank media to make a personal recording of your kid reciting a
nursery rhyme, royalties are unfairly collected on it and distributed to
the recording industry in exchange for --- nothing.
Congress rightfully saw that as unfair, and as a compromise included
AHRA Section 1008, which allows anyone to make any kind of copies they
want (analog or digital) for personal noncommercial use, whether they
own the originals or not. This is because in effect you have pre-paid
the royalties on them via the RIAA tax.
By the way it is interesting to see how the RIAA distorts this law in
its propaganda. From http://www.riaa.com/Copyright-Laws-4.cfm#ahra :
"Multipurpose devices, such as a general computer or a CD-ROM drive, are
not covered by the AHRA. This means that they are not required to pay
royalties or incorporate SCMS protections. It also means, however, that
neither manufacturers of the devices, nor the consumers who use them,
receive immunity from suit for copyright infringement."
Here the RIAA is implying that because certain media aren't taxed, you
can't make copies onto them. This is false, since for example analog
media are not taxed yet the law specifically gives consumers the right
to make analog copies for their own personal use, regardless of whether
they own the originals.
--Norm
------------------------------
From: J Sloan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: It's here! IBM's new Linux ad!
Date: Sun, 04 Mar 2001 21:07:58 GMT
ono wrote:
> > > http://www-1.ibm.com/servers/eserver/linux/passport.swf
> > > --
> > > "Never underestimate the power of a small tactical nuclear weapon."
> >
> > valid URL, but ust black-colored page .. :-(
> >
> You may need to install a proper browser. (like ie5.5 ;-).
i.e. 5.5? hadn't heard that was ported to Linux...
In any event, the page comes up just fine on netscape 4.76.
Note that it uses flash, so you must be flash-enabled to see it.
jjs
------------------------------
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