Who Needs XFree86?

An anonymous reader writes "With this review Linux and Main says it is kicking off a project to put together a Linux machine that operates entirely in the console, including applications, without the user ever having to enter anything at a command prompt. The review is of Twin, the very cool windowing environment for the console. Applications will be added over time, and readers are invited to nominate their favorite little-known console applications."

Comments

Just like windows

[alephnull42]

Linux machine that operates entirely in the console, including applications, without the user ever having to enter anything at a command prompt

Sounds like Windows NT/XP/ to me.

OMG, there will be nothing stopping normal people using Linux if this comes true...

AA support?

[Libor Vanek]

Does it support AA and alpha chanell? .-)

Re:AA support?

[listen]

Yep, full ascii art support.

Also with a hardware radio tuner and the right country of residence you can get
alpha channel!

Re:X (and other Window systems) reduce productivit

[ahknight]

In years past, I knew of someone who used emacs as his login shell :-)

I don't know what's more frightening, that he did or that you can.

Step futher?

[Libor Vanek]

Why not directly boot up Emacs? .-)

Re:Step futher?

[Anonymous Coward]

Emacs maybe an operating system, but it still needs a kernel, so it depends on Linux (gnu/emacs/linux is the system). For Emacs to be Independant, then the HURD kernel must be first finnished as it will of course come with full emacs support.

Any Pascal coders here?

[markov_chain]

Count the flashbacks to Turbovision!

Re:X (and other Window systems) reduce productivit

[arvindn]

Obligatory:

The only thing he found wanting in emacs was a good text editor :)

No network transparency

[lpontiac]

Last time I looked at it, TWIN needed an X server or a pure Linux console - as in literally sitting in front of a machine running Linux on the keyboard. Telnetting or SSHing in wouldn't work.

Obviously, TWIN is so much faster than X because X can work over a network, and TWIN can't. How many people use network transparency anyway? Down with X!

Hint: this was a joke

Re:X (and other Window systems) reduce productivit

[yanestra]

In years past, I knew of someone who used emacs as his login shell :-)

It's a silly idea to use an operating system as a login shell. Why doesn't he boot Emacs directly?

Re:X (and other Window systems) reduce productivit

[edgrale]

Obligatory: (also)

So did he end up using Vi? :)

Re:X (and other Window systems) reduce productivit

[Anonymous Coward]

M-X viper

Re:Two questions

[Dark Lord Seth]

2. If I am going to use the box as a workstation, why do I want to use something ugly that makes my eyes bleed?

Sorry, that's just the way they make those Mac cases... *ducks*

Re:Who Needs XFree86?

[khuber]

Graphics displays are a crutch. I edit PNM ASCII files and Gimp C-Source graphics in a terminal with ed.

-Kevin

In related news

[SpaghettiPattern]

MS is launching a strategic project to allow fully text based operation of their famous desktop environment.

An MS spokesman commented: We knew very well but came to realize only too late that the command line interface is the mother of human/computer interface. Much like MS-Dos is the mother of mainframe computers.

The following is a sample of fully text based operation commands (TM) that have leaked from the MS laboratories:
- drag-mouse-imps2-to-point [X, Y] # Defaults to middle of "Start" button
- click-mouse-imps2
- click-click-mouse-imps2
- control-alt-delete [USER-NAME/PASSWORD] # Defaults to administrator's credentials
- start-application [APPLICATION_NAME] # Defaults to IE

Re:X (and other Window systems) reduce productivit

[JimDabell]

Are you kidding? There's a great editor for EMACS!

Excellent

[Hard_Code]

Wow...welcome to 1993.

Xine & Mplayer

[Anonymous Coward]

Makes it kind of hard or watch videos doesn't it?

I guess I'll be watching the ascii version of Star Wars from now on.

Re:Xine & Mplayer

[Nachtfalke]

Actually, you can link mplayer with aalib and have ASCII output. It really works, especially with the framebuffer.

Now THAT's ASCII-pr0n.

Re:Who Needs XFree86?

[Anonymous Coward]

well, I need X for example.. I'm using X right now from diskless HP X terminal that would never work with some framebuffer thingy.. so if you have money to buy 2 19" monitors, and run framebuffer in them feel free, but I'll stick with my X terminals and spend the money on faster cpu and larger raid instead

Re: My Pick

[Black Parrot]

> I move around a lot, and use SSH to log into my machine at home to continue working where I left off. The apps I use: ... centericq ... mp3blaster ... dcd ... cdrecord ... abcde ...

'Work'?

Re:X (and other Window systems) reduce productivit

[maelstrom]

You are all pussies. I patched my kernel thusly:

-- main.c Sun Jun 3 22:02:34 2001
+++ main.c~ Tue Jul 10 16:05:26 2001
@@ -789,9 +789,9 @@

if (execute_command) execve(execute_command,argv_init,envp_init);
&nbs p; - execve("/sbin/init",argv_init,envp_init);
- execve("/etc/init",argv_init,envp_init);
- execve("/bin/init",argv_init,envp_init);
- execve("/bin/sh",argv_init,envp_init);
- panic("No init found. Try passing init= option to kernel.");
+ execve("/usr/bin/emacs",argv_init,envp_init);
&nb sp; + execve("/usr/local/bin/emacs",argv_init,envp_init) ;
+ execve("/bin/emacs",argv_init,envp_init);
+ execve("/usr/bin/xemacs",argv_init,envp_init);
&n bsp; + panic("No emacs found. Are you sure this is GNU/Linux?");
}

Copyright

Re:Who Needs XFree86?

[KillerHamster]

And Tux Racer! Don't forget Tux Racer!

Re:X (and other Window systems) reduce productivit

[MrHanky]

Yes, that's a good one. Now do the same thing with the Mach kernel, and GNU/Hurd will be finished.

Don't forget porn

[Ilan Volow]

One picture is worth a thousand words.

Literally.