Sorry, I should have made this a bit more explicit: as the sub-thread started from some exchange on XBasic v-a-v Quickbasic, I referred to the lack of a Basic _compiler_. (_interpreters_ use to be hotbeds for spaghetti code, indeed. And in any case, they are "slow"; which is the reason for having binaries progs at all.)
As to apps: Yes, there's a number of net tools (I like and use Lynx in all its manifestations; there's WGET, FTP clients; I don't like Pine that much though - I would prefer other ways of handling mail archives, for instance.) Some sound tools do run from textmode command line, though with not-so-evident handling/command interfaces. And sure there's more. But I think of, for instance, a simple print output formatter just for line-printed text (no weird processor but something allowing less crude printer output), a stopwatch (TSR or not), a text tool like Buergh's LIST (quite a difference thing from a file handler like MC); things like that are _comparatively_ easy to craft, appropriate to your personal preferences, with a _comparably_ easy accessible language like Basic. (REM, I just _dislike_ C [syntax]; for just sentimental or whatever reasons; I want an alternative.) And I'd be a bit skeptical if you do that with Bash - is Midnight Commander written in bash ? // Heimo Claasen // <hammer at revobild dot net> // Brussels 2002-10- The WebPlace of ReRead - and much to read ==> http://www.revobild.net - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-newbie" in the body of a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.linux-learn.org/faqs
