why Unix?

[Christopher Wright]

Jussi Jumppanen wrote:
> Replace ls with dir, download the Win32 version of grep, sed, awk 
> and you can run all those tools just fine from the Windows command 
> line, or from within any decent editor.
> 
> You don't have to go to Unix to find the command line.

The Windows terminal emulator sucks. This is not subject to debate. I 
have never seen a terminal emulator that is worse, and I have never seen 
one that was only slightly better.

There is little incentive in Windows to make commandline utilities. If 
you are using the command line to a significant degree in Windows, you 
are either going to use [possibly incomplete] ports of Unix utilities or 
Cygwin.

If you go through the trouble of finding each of these utilities 
individually, whether ports or written specifically for Windows, you are 
wasting time on a solved problem. A default install of Cygwin or any 
Unix will include these utilities.

Cygwin qualifies as Unix, but it has not been a painless, seamless 
experience for me. It's far easier for me to work under Linux than with 
Cygwin.

If you need to use the command line, you really should use Unix, if it's 
reasonable. The Windows filesystem structure is a source of pain, and 
it's hard to work around. It's hard to get information about interacting 
with the OS from the command line. Windows and Cygwin just isn't that 
great a fit.