[PLUG] How many of us write small scripts?

[Tim Wescott]

Keith Lofstrom wrote:
> The most significant attraction of Linux/Unix for me is how easy
> it is to do "cheap programming" - shell scripts, perl scripts, etc.
> I am a mediocre programmer, but with Linux and a little bit of
> knowledge I am able to automate many small tasks.  This usually
> means that I forget how to run some commands, because I have buried
> them in scripts in /usr/local/bin or ~/bin .  Since I can *read* the
> scripts later on (especially if I add a few lines of comments) that
> is actually an automated way to remember stuff without wasting a 
> lot of attention on it.
>
> Many PLUG members seem to spend most of their time in GUI-land. 
> Which is good, if all the visual metaphors are consistent and the
> right tools are available.   But it is much harder to automate
> small hacks that way - you become dependent on others who are
> skilled with gtk or qt and c++, who spend days to months polishing
> their creations with check boxes and options.
>
> So, I'm curious ... how many of us know enough to write quick shell
> scripts?  How many of us know how to write quick 5 minute GUI hacks?  
>
> Perhaps I can help teach some scripting, and learn some GUI hacking
> from others.  The real value of open source systems is that they
> empower us to create, not just consume.
>   
I know enough to write quick shell scripts, but I don't often do it 
unless it's for some unique twist to a makefile.

Define GUI hack!  Can I, in 5 minutes, even _find_ where Scilab or 
OpenOffice keeps it's UI code to change things to my liking?  Nope.  Do 
I have the courage (or foolhardiness)?  Nope.  Or do you mean there's 
GUI things that are there for me to hack?

-- 
Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
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