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From: kline@uiucuxc.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.singles
Subject: Re: re: login prompts - (nf)
Message-ID: <2630@uiucdcs.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 25-Aug-83 23:33:18 EDT
Article-I.D.: uiucdcs.2630
Posted: Thu Aug 25 23:33:18 1983
Date-Received: Sun, 28-Aug-83 23:07:00 EDT
Lines: 37

#R:csu-cs:-237000:uiucuxc:20700027:000:1075
uiucuxc!kline    Aug 25 12:53:00 1983

   I think the idea behind discussing prompts is that some people can get an
hint at a person's personality through such trivialities. It's a pretty much
subconscious matter whether or not someone finds a particular string of
characters pleasing. So let me explain as best I can my philosophy behind my
command prompt.

   I like a clean screen. I like to think I'm organized and think of
the commands I enter as numbered on a sheet of paper:

	1. mail
	2. cd daemon
	3. vi rscs.c
	4. make
	5. rscs
	6. make install
	...etc. 

I am also not really a 'cute' person and find little strings like "what next
dummy? " quickly tiresome (hey, but to each his own, right?), and I also
like to tell whether or not I'm in a subshell, so this is how my prompt
comes about. This is part of .cshrc:

	if ($?LEVEL) then
		setenv LEVEL "$LEVEL."
	else
		setenv LEVEL "\!."
		endif
	set prompt = $LEVEL\ 

   I think this is a worthwhile discussion, as long as the hackers don't get
too self-pleased with their various hacks.

Charley Kline, U of I CSO.
{pur-ee,ihnp4}!uiucdcs!uiucuxc!kline