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From: pfalstad@flower.Princeton.EDU (Paul John Falstad)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: UNIX mind-set  (was: How wrong is MS-DOS?)
Message-ID: <5308@idunno.Princeton.EDU>
Date: 14 Jan 91 00:24:50 GMT
References: <1991Jan13.113349.21937@ims.alaska.edu> <11305@lanl.gov>
Sender: news@idunno.Princeton.EDU
Organization: Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey
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In article <11305@lanl.gov> jlg@lanl.gov (Jim Giles) writes:
>From article <1991Jan13.113349.21937@ims.alaska.edu>, by floyd@ims.alaska.edu (Floyd Davidson):
>> The advantage of UNIX is that tools are trivial to the point of
>> doing just one basic thing.  As a result each user can easily
>> build larger tools to do *anything*.  [...]
>By this logic, ls doesn't fit the paradigm.  I can (on any UNIX)
>do 'ls x*y' and get all the files whos names begin with x and end
>with y.  By the paradigm you just stated, I _should_ have to do
>'ls | grep x*y'.  The fact is, _even_ the UNIX implementors realized
>that ls should have a built-in filter on file names.  My claim is

Wrong!  This is handled by the shell.  The shell provides a standard,
centralized filter (the UNIX approach), instead of having every separate
command do the filtering, so you have to remember which commands do the
globbing and what the syntax is in each command (the MS-DOG approach).

>give another.  Let's agree to a definition: a "commuter car" is just
>simple, basic transportation with good mileage, etc. - no extras.
>Now, what _I_ want from a computing environment is a collection of
>tools analogous to commuter cars (at least - I'll accept a tool that
>does more, but not one that does less).  What "UNIX think" wants to
>give me is a set of components with which I must reconstruct a car
>every time I drive.

Again, a stupid analogy.  If cars could be assembled from raw components
with a few keystrokes in a matter of seconds, the "UNIX think" car
would be wonderful.  Tailor your car to whatever immediate need you have.

>'find' filters only list files that have been accessed or modified (each
>a separate filter) _since_ 'n' days ago.  There is no way of telling it
>to list the files that were last modified _before_ a given date.  And,

RTFM.  OUR version of find, at least, has a unary not operator, '!'.
Use ! -atime or ! -mtime.

"UNIX think"er and proud!

--
"Uh, Air Zalagaza 612, we have engine failure and our port wing is about
to drop off.  We anticipate a crash situation at this time."
The lavatory is engaged.  From within, you hear what could be a pygmy hog
giving birth to an unusually large litter.