shell architecture (to glob or not to glob)

[Jerry Gitomer]

jmaynard at thesis1.hsch.utexas.edu (Jay Maynard) writes:

JM>I've avoided this discussion (which is drifting from comp.arch's charter
JM>again) so far, but this is one of my hot buttons. Followups redirected to
JM>a more appropriate group.

JM>In article <365 at bria> mike at bria.UUCP (Michael Stefanik) writes:
ms>The real challenge is to provide an end-user interface that is simple to
ms>use, and covers most of the bases.  However, a fundamental deviation from
ms>the philosphy of "power to the programmer" would be a major mistake, in my
ms>mind anyhow.

JM>Unix is at the far end of the scale: it's actively user-hostile. Power to
JM>the programmer means incomprehensibility to the user. I wouldn't even
JM>consider handing a user a raw $ or % prompt, X terminal or not. It's simply
JM>too daunting. Unix' terseness is a win for a programmer, but a major loss
JM>for a user. It took me two years of running a Unix system at home before I
JM>got comfortable with it, and I'm a systems programmer by trade. How long
JM>does it take a user?

ms>technoignorami (tek'no-ig'no-ram`i) a group of individuals that are constantly
ms>found to be saying things like "Well, it works on my DOS machine ..."

JM>The difference is, as another said, that Unix types are generally programmers,
JM>while DOS users are getting real work done. Someone who says something like
JM>that deserves support, not contempt. I hope you don't display that attitude
JM>to _your_ users.

End users (IMHO) should not be exposed to command languages! 

For my UNIX end users I provide shell script menus that
enable them to get work done.

For the System Administrators I provide detailed step-by-step 
written procedures (something like 45 at last count) for each 
task that an SA has to perform to take care of an operational system.

-- 
Jerry Gitomer at National Political Resources Inc, Alexandria, VA USA
I am apolitical, have no resources, and speak only for myself.
Ma Bell (703)683-9090      (UUCP:  ...{uupsi,vrdxhq}!pbs!npri6!jerry