Thread: Noobs should use terminal!
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mundegaarde is offline mundegaarde
2009-12-03 , 17:40
Posts: 2 | Thanked: 0 times | Joined on Oct 2009
#28
Originally Posted by DaveP1 View Post
If you spend a lot of time in the command line, it becomes second nature. If you don't, it becomes something you have to research each time you use it.

Your file rename is a good example. If you do it in a command line, you get one shot and you better have each parameter exactly correct. If you do it right, it's lightning fast. If you don't, you have a mess to fix.

If you use a program like Métamorphose you can play with the parameters and preview the changes before executing them. It also checks for file name errors that result from the renaming. You can also do fancier stuff like pulling data out of EXIF and ID3 tags.

P.S. Métamorphose can be found at http://file-folder-ren.sourceforge.net/
Métamorphose is written in Python, with Python source and a deb package available. Anyone want to port it?
You're probably right with your first point Dave! Though luckily everyone with a maemo device will have ample opportunity to use the command line every day

By "basics" I don't mean a detailed knowledge of (e.g.) rename, but the ability to type "man rename", understand what you read and put it into practice.

As I said, if there is a well designed GUI available to do the job there's no reason not to use it. That won't be the case for every situation though, and I suppose it isn't currently the case for our photo example in maemo5.

Less importantly, I'd suggest that any knowledge / experience gained from using Métamorphose is probably not going to make the next "powerful" thing you attempt any easier, whereas getting to grips with rename might do.

Anyway, I suppose I was just trying to say that time spent learning more about the system you're using doesn't seem to be too much of a waste, and will probably pay you back over time.

Cheers,
Jan