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From: mallsop@sunc.mqcc.mq.oz.au (Mark Allsop)
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.misc
Subject: Re: Where is the long awaited MS DOS 5.0 ?
Message-ID: <965@macuni.mqcc.mq.oz>
Date: 30 Dec 90 03:19:45 GMT
References: <GHENNIGA.90Dec13005440@tesla.nmsu.edu> <13523@milton.u.washington.edu> <1990Dec29.171755.25340@xrtll.uucp>
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Organization: Macquarie University, Sydney
Lines: 44

In article <1990Dec29.171755.25340@xrtll.uucp> silver@xrtll.UUCP (Hi Ho Silver) writes:
}
}   Before I start, let me say that I _don't_ like DOS and I _do_ like Unix.
}But some of the statements in this thread _are_ rather misleading.
}
}In article <13523@milton.u.washington.edu> dittrich@milton.u.washington.edu (Dave Dittrich) writes:
}$>2. The ease with which a non-experienced user can learn DOS far
}$>outpaces the same user attempting to learn the sometimes cryptic UNIX.
}$The ease of learning is not THAT much better (OK, DOS has TENS of commands,
}$rather than HUNDREDS, like UNIX.  How many people use all of them though?
}
}   I never thought I'd see myself defending DOS, but let's face it - its
}commands are much easier to remember than those under Unix (in general).
}DOS tends to use the first few letters of a command, or the whole word if
}it's short enough.  Unix tends to pick letters out of the word.  Yes, there
}are some cases where this isn't true ... but look at the following.  These
}are three of the most commonly-used commands.
}
}FUNCTION		DOS		UNIX
}directory/list		dir		ls
}copy			copy		cp
}erase/remove/delete	erase/del	rm

Sorry, but that argument dosn't hold any water.  Ever heard of alias?  Under
UNIX, you can alias ls to dir.  And directory, files and any other command you
may want for that matter.  Under DOS, you have to write a batch file or, if
the command is outside the command.com, rename the program.

Ask software developers which OS they prefer and I bet UNIX will come out on
top, especially for big applications.  The package I work with has had soooo
many tricks used just so the damn thing can fit inside 640k- even with
overlays.  And if I had all the time back I've spent playing with peoples
config.sys and autoexec.bat and such files just to squeeze out another few k
of memory, I could go to the US skiing for the season.  And I know where I'd
rather be....... The sooner DOS grows up the better.

Cheers,
+Mark.

--
 Mark Allsop                                              Computer Scientist 
 email: mallsop@suna.mqcc.mq.oz.au                The Statistical Laboratory 
 Phone: At MacUni: (61 2) 805-8592  / \      Macquarie University, Australia 
 Fax  :          : (61 2) 805-7433   |   This one goes up to 11.....