16 Oct
2017
16 Oct
'17
10:39 p.m.
On Monday, October 16, 2017, Clem Cole <clemc(a)ccc.com> wrote:
On Mon, Oct 16, 2017 at 12:39 PM, Jon Steinhart <jon(a)fourwinds.com
<javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','jon@fourwinds.com');>> wrote:
"The UNIX Programming Environment" is still one of my favorite books of
all
times. That is the essence of Universal Unix philosophy.
If only Linux, which is de facto standard Unix operating system these days,
would strive towards that simplicity and compatibility with this Universal
Unix instead of going systemd route -- that would make me forever happy.
--Andy
I have a similar and maybe even more extreme position. When I was a
manager
I placed restrictions on the tools and customizations for members of my
team.
My goal was to make sure that any team member could go over to any other
team
member's desk and get stuff done.
And I think this loops back to what started some of this threat. The
idea of a programmer with 'good taste.'
Rob (and Brian) railed on BSD in cat -v considered harmful
<http://harmful.cat-v.org/cat-v/> and ‘*Program Design in the UNIX
Environment*’ (pdf version
<http://harmful.cat-v.org/cat-v/unix_prog_design.pdf>, ps version
<http://harmful.cat-v.org/cat-v/unix_prog_design.ps>) but the points in
it was then and are still now, fresh: What is it that you need to get the
job done - to me, that is Doug's "Universal Unix" concept.
When I answer questions on quora about learning Linux and other UNIX
derivative, I still point them at their book: *The Unix Programming
Environment
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/013937681X?ie=UTF8&tag=catv-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=013937681X>*
I would say, if the can login into the system and complete the exercises
in UPE without having to make changes, you are pretty close to Doug's
"Universal UNIX" environment. And if you can use the tools, without having
to think about them and they pretty much are what you rely upon everyday,
you are getting close to my ideal of 'good taste.'