I don't think I've ever used as many command lines as I have in the last few days as I have been downloading encoders and taggers and trying them out. I really think this is an attempt on y'alls part to get us to use *nix.

Never! You'll take this GUI from me when you can pry it out of my cold dead carpal-tunneled hands!

heh

Command lines kinda grow on you after a while... soon you'll be complaining about something that's only available with a GUI... Trust me

As MPC and WAV are the same filetype, Windows Explorer can't perform
del *.wav

right-click folder...
select "search"...
type "*.wav"<enter>...
hit ctrl-a...
hit shift-del...
hit enter...
done.

usually takes ~5 seconds.

of-course this includes sub-folders, but you can always sort the list, and select the range...

Thank you for the tip...

Now can I reverse the first and last name of the author for all files without using Excel to make a batch file ?

Pio, I guess you don't know about Windows Basic,
a language which Windows Scripting Host uses...

Then drop a shortcut to the script into 'Send to' menu.

At work, I'm working with Dos 6.20 / Windows 3.11 for workgroups !

Heh, so just use DOS. (or install cygwin)

CMD lines are really a lot faster than GUIs, when performing mass operations.
Also, note that the mayority of people here has some expierence with computers and feel comfortable with CLI.

I Love CLIs since I started using computers with plain DOS and only moved when Windows 2000 was out.

(Unrelated comment: DOS never, ever, crashed on me)

I sign under this with both hands!

CLIs are faster even for single operation... the only thing they're not so good at
is file management (esp. moving a large number of groups of files),
because that can be streamlined in GUI (first - open all needed dirs,
second - select needed files, third - copy files)

CLIs are even faster in graphical environment, since you can open multiple command lines.
(Under Linux you can have virtual consoles avaliable under a key shortcut)

BTW, I was mostly kidding

Huh?
You must have used the command line only
DOS was crashing like 5 times as often as Windows 98, because any stupid program could freeze the PC.


What operations are these?
For command line programs you have to know the switches (or constantly type --help, -?), so their only use is for regular batch processing. But even there a reasonable macro-interface for a GUI program is superior.

I don't want to start a CLI/GUI-war, but I really can't see much use of the former.

If you know what you want to do, know the switches and type fast, it really is faster.
(Especially having things such as virtual consoles and autocomplete)

i mostly use GUI because of faster (way faster) naviagtion between folders.
anyway.
one thing that really pisses me off is that there are so many useful programs that are not scriptable from the command line.
for example: what good is a file-format converter if i have to use some bloody GUI to select files and set options?
no chance to integrate this kind of programs into a batch-conversion job or any other form of automisation without having to do crap like postmessage orgies.
and sometimes no way at all! argh!

bye,
--hustbaer

To each his or her own.

I use the CLI to navigate folders because I can navigate faster with what I'm used to.

Actually, I use a mix. The right tool for the job and all that.

I just find "cd \pr*tab*\hu*tab*\co*tab*\8*tab*\e*tab**cr*start .*cr*" (something I type often to get a GUI open at a specific directory) at the CLI is faster (for me) than "*parent**parent**parent**parent* *mouse-hunt**peck* *mouse-hunt**peck* *mouse-hunt**peck* *mouse-hunt**peck* *mouse-hunt**peck*"

You don't need to use a DOS Box to do dir changes like that. Try it in the explorer window. It works as well (just with out the "cd").

I don't question the usefulness of keyboard navigation. It is clearly superior for text oriented input.

But what are the programs where this pays off? Either you use the program seldom, then it would be difficult to remember all parameters, or you use it regulary, in which case I would assume that a script program would be more suitable.

But even if you often use the same program and only change certain switches, wouldn't a GUI be faster as well? Clicking a checkbox or choosing a value from a dropdown list, certainly seems faster to me. Or let's say you want to pass a filename with path to a program: When you are not absolutely sure about the path you can easily find it with the file-selection dialog, while with CLI you have to write dir/ls/etc. first to find it.

Typing at 120 CPS I type that fast) it certainly is faster
than selecting 20 checkboxes in different tabs.
And you have access to many options not covered in GUI.

Of course in certain thing GUI (even text) is very useful,
eg. Integrated Development Environments, browsers,
file management.
<edit>
And of course graphics editors.
</edit>

Tell me, what is faster:
typing lame --alt-preset standard (<TAB> writing part of a path and wildcard
- repeat as many times as you need) or looking for an icon of lame frontend,
then selecting multiple files in different directories.

CPS? Characters per second or minute? (I'll assume the later )


That, of course, depends on the GUI. I believe you can place more options in a GUI than you could possibly remember.


There are certainly instances, where using a command line is faster. But yes, I think dragging files to a list via GUI is more convenient for me. Usually I don't know exactly what files I plan to encode, so I am dependent on a file list/view, which is easier and faster in a graphical environment.

And wildcards are not an inherent advantage against GUIs. There are possible in a graphical context as well.

Anyway, even if I would be faster with CLI in this example, I would still have to open a prompt for it, as comparable operations constitute less than 5% of my total computer time. (Most is taken by playing freecell B))