At 10:10 PM 5/7/2006 +0200, Carlos E. R. wrote:
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The Saturday 2006-05-06 at 12:37 -0400, Ken Jennings wrote:
Windows users *do not* compile anything. They buy or download.
Not true. I was a dos/windows user before coming to unix or linux, and compiled a lot of things.
Since when does (or did) a compiler come with Windows? So, how does the typical Windows user compile anything?
Since when does or (did) anything come with Windows? So, how does the typical Windows user do anything?
But then, I never mentioned _typical_ users. I was thinking of myself and many others.
It is true that most windows users know nothing about programming. Nevertheless there are many that do program. And nowdays, even gcc has a version for windows! Or they can use some of the basic flavours, some of them free (I know basic is (normally) interpreted).
/snip/ Well, I agree with you. Most Windows users know nothing about programming. I would guess, that, like you, a great many Linux users know little about programming. My first computing experience was in the mid 60's, on a teletype machine that was connected to someplace in Texas with an acoustic modem. We all did programming in those days, there was no alternative. (I am a retired electronic engineer.) Yes, most of us used BASIC, but a few recent college grads knew Fortran. I don't remember if there was any other language available at the time, but if so, not from Texas. Gradually, commercial firms, and some programmers like those in the Linux group, made available programs that would solve most problems for you--not always for a price, either. Before I pretty much stopped programming-- I never really did, when I was working--I learned some Pascal, and that's a compiled language, and I did compile some custom stuff from the Windows platform. It really is too bad that languages like BASIC and Pascal are gone, now. They are much simpler (I think) than C or C++. Or, worse, Visual Something. Not that I can write in any of the latter. I am perfectly aware that certain specialized software needs to be written and compiled, not just dedicated stuff for a product, but I frankly doubt that 99% of the Windows or Linux crowd misses any of it. A big thank you to the folks who have solved the problems for us. (How many of us could write something as primative as WordStar?) --doug -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.1.392 / Virus Database: 268.5.5/333 - Release Date: 5/5/2006