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Re: Summary: Splus vs. R & Linux vs. Windows

To: Michael Prager <Mike.Prager@noaa.gov>
Subject: Re: Summary: Splus vs. R & Linux vs. Windows
From: Matt Calder <calder@phz.com>
Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2002 17:10:31 -0500 (EST)
Cc: s-news@lists.biostat.wustl.edu
In-reply-to: <5.1.0.14.0.20020222164505.00aed918@nsmail.ccfhrb.noaa.gov>
Michael,
        About a year ago I tried a multitude of these ported shells in an effort
to compile perl from source (it would not compile from the standard command
prompt). I was not able to accomplish this task with either. In addition, I
wanted an alternative shell to run under emacs on windows (98 to be precise).
Again after much effort I was unable to get acceptable results. Perhaps these
are not the best yardsticks to measure a shell by. If I recall correctly I tried
a port of bash, csh, tcsh, and 4DOS. 

        Matt


On Fri, 22 Feb 2002, Michael Prager wrote:

> At 03:57 PM 02/22/2002 -0500, Matt Calder wrote:
> 
> >Right, what windows lacks is a decent shell in which to use these 
> >tools.  If anyone knows otherwise please share.
> 
> Last time I investigated, most of the Unix shells had been ported to 
> Windows, if that's what you mean by "decent." Most of them are available free.
> 
> A more MS-like shell is available commercially. That is 4NT (or 4DOS for 
> the DOS-based Windows versions) from JP Software. Those shells provide 
> command aliasing and abbreviation; directory history recall; command 
> recall, completion, and editing; ability to associate command files with 
> interpreters; and more, while retaining quite close compatibility with the 
> native MS shells. What the JP programs don't provide is a direct 
> translation of Unix shell scripting languages (which to me are overly 
> cryptic); however, you can easily use Python or other scripting language 
> (or use the 4NT/4DOS extended batch language, certainly no worse than that 
> of the Unix shells).
> 
> Another option would be to install a complete Unix emulation layer, like 
> the MKS toolkit or (I believe) cygwin.
> 
> There are excellent Windows character-based file managers, editors, etc., 
> available for free or at nominal cost.
> 
> Those are some of the options for making Windows shell usage more 
> interesting and productive. Whether any person will find them as good as, 
> worse than, or about the same as some of the Unix shells will be a matter 
> of taste (and perhaps habit).
> 
> (Note that none of the above should be construed as official NOAA opinion 
> or endorsement.)
> 
> -- 
> Michael Prager, Ph.D.                <Mike.Prager@noaa.gov>
> NOAA Beaufort Laboratory
> Beaufort, North Carolina  28516
> http://shrimp.ccfhrb.noaa.gov/~mprager/
> ***
> 
> 


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