Comments on: I’m Afraid It’s Terminal http://www.neozaz.com/i%e2%80%99m-afraid-it%e2%80%99s-terminal.html Biggest Hats on the Inter-web Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:04:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Ian http://www.neozaz.com/i%e2%80%99m-afraid-it%e2%80%99s-terminal.html/comment-page-1#comment-4130 Ian Tue, 21 Jul 2009 02:43:43 +0000 http://www.neozaz.com/?p=899#comment-4130 Hmm... Terminal.app is usable, to be sure, and pretty, but way too quirky for me. When I press PgUp, I want that key to go to my pager, or to my editor, or to `screen`, not to the terminal's scroll bar. That's what Shift-PgUp is for. I can't live with anything besides gnome-terminal. The tabs open with Ctrl-Shift-t, and switch with Ctrl-PgUp/PgDn. And of course on any non-Mac OS, you can bring one terminal window to the front, without bringing *all* of them to the front. Aaaargh! Keeping application windows layered together is not a good idea for general purpose things like terminals and web browsers. And copy-and-paste is really easy on *nix: select text, middle click where you want it. Not that Mac software will ever implement that behavior outside of X11, let alone deal with middle clicks... You can also use Ctrl-Shift-[CV] in gnome-terminal. Quint: Terminal always wraps the output of commands. The command you are using probably detects the terminal width and chops long lines. Pipe the command to `less -S` to fix this. --Ian Hmm… Terminal.app is usable, to be sure, and pretty, but way too quirky for me. When I press PgUp, I want that key to go to my pager, or to my editor, or to `screen`, not to the terminal’s scroll bar. That’s what Shift-PgUp is for.

I can’t live with anything besides gnome-terminal. The tabs open with Ctrl-Shift-t, and switch with Ctrl-PgUp/PgDn. And of course on any non-Mac OS, you can bring one terminal window to the front, without bringing *all* of them to the front. Aaaargh! Keeping application windows layered together is not a good idea for general purpose things like terminals and web browsers. And copy-and-paste is really easy on *nix: select text, middle click where you want it. Not that Mac software will ever implement that behavior outside of X11, let alone deal with middle clicks… You can also use Ctrl-Shift-[CV] in gnome-terminal.

Quint: Terminal always wraps the output of commands. The command you are using probably detects the terminal width and chops long lines. Pipe the command to `less -S` to fix this.

–Ian

]]> By: Quint http://www.neozaz.com/i%e2%80%99m-afraid-it%e2%80%99s-terminal.html/comment-page-1#comment-609 Quint Fri, 20 Mar 2009 04:24:11 +0000 http://www.neozaz.com/?p=899#comment-609 Agreed, I think the key combos for copy paste in the cmd should be the same. What screws it all up for every OS except Mac is the older yer Ctrl-C to kill programs. For Mac that is still true...but blah blah blah, you already covered that and nailed it square. I can't say I argue with any of your points at all, my list was just additions that would make it even better :) I honestly hated bash with a passion (prefer tcsh) until I switched to Mac. Mac has just done so many things right with the terminal app that it appears the issues I had with bash were not really bash, but the ugly terminal apps I was using. Good write up! Agreed, I think the key combos for copy paste in the cmd should be the same. What screws it all up for every OS except Mac is the older yer Ctrl-C to kill programs. For Mac that is still true…but blah blah blah, you already covered that and nailed it square. I can’t say I argue with any of your points at all, my list was just additions that would make it even better :)

I honestly hated bash with a passion (prefer tcsh) until I switched to Mac. Mac has just done so many things right with the terminal app that it appears the issues I had with bash were not really bash, but the ugly terminal apps I was using.

Good write up!

]]> By: David Smith http://www.neozaz.com/i%e2%80%99m-afraid-it%e2%80%99s-terminal.html/comment-page-1#comment-606 David Smith Thu, 19 Mar 2009 18:51:29 +0000 http://www.neozaz.com/?p=899#comment-606 Oh, yeah, the wrapping thing. I'm also not sure if that's legacy UNIX or what, but I've run into that, too - especially the 'ps' command. Took me a whole day to figure out why my process wasn't showing up when I did a 'ps | grep <whatever>' - it was because it was getting cut off. Bastards. And like I said, the DOS window is very highly optimized in and of itself. But in the context of an overall windowing system, why should I have to learn more than one copy/paste shortcut? And yes, Mac's Terminal app fails on the whole tab-switching thing. Not sure why they f'd up that shortcut. Oh, yeah, the wrapping thing. I’m also not sure if that’s legacy UNIX or what, but I’ve run into that, too – especially the ‘ps’ command. Took me a whole day to figure out why my process wasn’t showing up when I did a ‘ps | grep ‘ – it was because it was getting cut off. Bastards.

And like I said, the DOS window is very highly optimized in and of itself. But in the context of an overall windowing system, why should I have to learn more than one copy/paste shortcut?

And yes, Mac’s Terminal app fails on the whole tab-switching thing. Not sure why they f’d up that shortcut.

]]> By: Quint http://www.neozaz.com/i%e2%80%99m-afraid-it%e2%80%99s-terminal.html/comment-page-1#comment-604 Quint Thu, 19 Mar 2009 18:35:37 +0000 http://www.neozaz.com/?p=899#comment-604 Yes, I really have only 2 gripes with the Mac Terminal: 1) This could be the legacy cmdline apps, but a lot of times the terminal will not wrap the output of commands. I would at least like the option for this. (Hate to give MS cmd anything, but they do this well) 2) As I have discussed with DAve before, the annoying key combo for switching tabs I also really got used to the MS cmd copy paste, select, left click to copy, right click to paste. For me it is a very very fast way to do copy paste in terminal. If my hand is already on the mouse to select, why not have the two buttons right under your fingers do something useful? Seriously, do I really need a context window in terminal? I always found this to be the best feature in the Windows cmd app. Yes, I really have only 2 gripes with the Mac Terminal:
1) This could be the legacy cmdline apps, but a lot of times the terminal will not wrap the output of commands. I would at least like the option for this. (Hate to give MS cmd anything, but they do this well)

2) As I have discussed with DAve before, the annoying key combo for switching tabs

I also really got used to the MS cmd copy paste, select, left click to copy, right click to paste. For me it is a very very fast way to do copy paste in terminal. If my hand is already on the mouse to select, why not have the two buttons right under your fingers do something useful? Seriously, do I really need a context window in terminal? I always found this to be the best feature in the Windows cmd app.

]]> By: *NUX Terminal Junkies. | ThisCoolSite http://www.neozaz.com/i%e2%80%99m-afraid-it%e2%80%99s-terminal.html/comment-page-1#comment-603 *NUX Terminal Junkies. | ThisCoolSite Thu, 19 Mar 2009 13:57:43 +0000 http://www.neozaz.com/?p=899#comment-603 [...] Check it out here. [...] [...] Check it out here. [...]

]]> By: Gregg http://www.neozaz.com/i%e2%80%99m-afraid-it%e2%80%99s-terminal.html/comment-page-1#comment-601 Gregg Thu, 19 Mar 2009 13:16:40 +0000 http://www.neozaz.com/?p=899#comment-601 Fantastic post Dave! MacOS integrates so well with the terminal because it's - FreeBSD Of course it's going to kill Microshaft because it's a unix-derivative with a GUI. I just think it'd be great if I could hit Alt + F[1-6] and get some dos terminals like I can in Linux. That'd be hella (un)useful. :) I really enjoyed this one. Thanks. Gregg Fantastic post Dave!

MacOS integrates so well with the terminal because it’s – FreeBSD
Of course it’s going to kill Microshaft because it’s a unix-derivative with a GUI. I just think it’d be great if I could hit Alt + F[1-6] and get some dos terminals like I can in Linux. That’d be hella (un)useful. :)

I really enjoyed this one. Thanks.

Gregg

]]>