What is 'expect'

[Dan Bernstein]

No technical content.

In article <108721 at convex.convex.com> tchrist at convex.COM (Tom Christiansen) writes:
> In article <7316:Nov1408:33:0390 at kramden.acf.nyu.edu> 
> brnstnd at kramden.acf.nyu.edu (Dan Bernstein) writes, quoting Randal:
> >And if you just want to stick to sh for the automation, do so. Why learn
> >a different language---whether TCL or Perl---if you don't have to?
> Because, Dan, when we're too old to learn something new, we're already
> dead and someone might as well just shoot us so the rest of the world can
> get on with life.

Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?

> TCL and Perl offer significant control advantages that are not simply
> expressible in that ancient and tired tool, the shell.

Obviously they are more powerful. That doesn't mean that they're
necessary for solving real-world problems. As I said, if you just want
to stick to sh for the automation, do so. Sometimes I find it easier to
use sh and special-purpose tools; sometimes I find it easier to use
general-purpose tools. It's just a personal decision, and I see no
reason not to inform readers of the alternatives.

> Please stop disparaging other people's work,

Oh, grow up. Proposing alternatives is not ``disparaging'' anything.
When Don posts an expect script or Larry posts a Perl script and I post
an equivalent version in sh plus tools, I'm offering readers a choice.
That's a lot more productive than posting a whining article like yours.
Why don't you contribute something to the network before you disparage
other people's contributions?

---Dan