[geeks] fwd: The Seven Phases of Owning an iPod: UI

[Charles Shannon Hendrix]

Fri, 17 Nov 2006 @ 21:51 -0500, Sridhar Ayengar said:

> Charles Shannon Hendrix wrote:
> >>> Well, IOS isn't a general purpose computer for users, so I wouldn't have
> >>> included it anyway.
> >>>
> >>> I really don't remember IOS being like TOPS.  I remember a help system,
> >>> but not one built into each command.
> >>>
> >>> But then, my use of IOS was almost exclusively when something went wrong
> >>> so I didn't use it that much.
> >> To some extent, IOS reminds me of VMS.
> > 
> > Did each command have context help in it?
> 
> To some extent.  It's not as good as VMS's, but it's enough to get you 
> by in a pinch.  Typing a question mark on a command line tells you what 
> is expected for the next parameter.  You probably still need the 
> installation and configuration guides to do anything complicated.  The 
> command-reference definitely helps too.
> 
> > I really should have a Cisco at home to practice with. Maybe I should
> > try to find an inexpensive one and use it in place of a switch for my
> > LAN setups.
> 
> Even newer Cisco switches run IOS.  No reason to replace a fast 
> radically-multiport layer-2 switch with a slower layer-3 router that has 
> a much lower port count.

My switch is a 5-port single-chip unit that cost $20.

If a router is not faster than that, the router sucks worse than words
can adequately describe... :)

I also stated things wrong above.

I meant to say "in place of a NetBSD machine serving as a router".


-- 
shannon "AT" widomaker.com -- [There is a limit to how stupid people really
are -- just as there's a limit to the amount of hydrogen in the Universe. 
There's a lot, but there's a limit.  -- Dave C. Barber on a.f.c.  ]