With a GUI, the only operations you can perform are those the designer built into the interface (i.e., through pulldown menus). The CLI, together with pipes and output redirection, enable you to string together multiple commands or filters to effectively create your own novel operations.
Say you want to know the number of current users logged on, but you know of no such command. You can take the `who` command, which prints out all the users currently on the system, and `wc` command, which counts words (or lines/characters), and combine them;
$ who | wc -l
the output of `who` is "piped" to the word count utility, which counts the lines and prints out the total. The power of the command line comes, in part, from being able to "pipe" together strings of commands to create a filter effect.
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Um, Vista.
I for one welcome our new bright flash overlords.
Darl McBride receives a Renault Vel Satis from anonymous donor.
I wonder what kind of deals are being offered right now for him to turn in friends and information?
Not to mention the job offers from Microsoft for when he gets out of prison.
With a GUI, the only operations you can perform are those the designer built into the interface (i.e., through pulldown menus). The CLI, together with pipes and output redirection, enable you to string together multiple commands or filters to effectively create your own novel operations.
Say you want to know the number of current users logged on, but you know of no such command. You can take the `who` command, which prints out all the users currently on the system, and `wc` command, which counts words (or lines/characters), and combine them;
$ who | wc -l
the output of `who` is "piped" to the word count utility, which counts the lines and prints out the total. The power of the command line comes, in part, from being able to "pipe" together strings of commands to create a filter effect.
I couldn't agree more, and the Zebra F-301 ain't too shabby either.