[GLLUG] Learning SQL

[Charles Ulrich]

Clay Dowling wrote:
> Caleb Cushing said:
> 
>>well although I have had some problems with some examples :-( . I hate
>>text
>>streams and filters... I've yet to find a really good use for them on my
>>system. sort and uniq are the only ones I can forsee a use for, maybe I
>>just
>>need more than a single user system to see it.
> 
> 
> So long as you're seeing text on your console, you have a need for text
> streams.  They make life a lot easier for programmers, because otherwise
> we'd be popping characters into a big array to draw on the screen, like
> those poor DOS programmers who made interactive full-screen applications
> (and yes, that really is how it's done).
> 
> Clay

Agreed. I'd like to add a point or two, as well.

For everyday desktop users, command lines themselves aren't a whole lot 
of use. With the popularity of the GUI, point-and-click is all the rage 
for browsing the web, checking email, chatting online, and playing 
games. And really, that's the way it should be.

It's a different story entirely for system administrators and 
programmers. If you ever wind up in either of these two careers, 
learning how to properly use the entire contents of /bin isn't just a 
good idea, it's pretty much a requirement if you want to be considered a 
competent admin. You won't need to actively search for good uses for 
streams and filters, they will find you well enough on their own.

-- 
Charles Ulrich
Ideal Solution, LLC -- http://www.idealso.com