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120 Comments
- buddyw, on 04/28/2009, -3/+45<3 screen.
I would die without it. - costumemaker, on 04/28/2009, -1/+36If you haven't used it.. use it. It is an incredibly powerful tool and extremely useful.
Simple hypothetical:
You open a terminal and install a slew of programs through dselect. You realize that you need to go home after that. If you are running dselect inside screen, you can hit crtl-a then 'd' to disconnect your screen session. The terminal continues to run all processes normally. You go home, ssh into the box, and type screen -r and boom, you are reconnected to that terminal and can pick up where you left off. - pardonmedoug, on 04/28/2009, -3/+28We have no goddamned idea what any of this does or how to work it.
-The Masses - SteveMax, on 04/28/2009, -0/+21What does a tool for administrators have to do with (desktop) market share? This is exactly the same as saying "Microsoft is so stupid, the new Microsoft Office sucks so obviously the Zune will never sell more than the iPod"
Get it? Different markets. People who use screen (and people who might use screen if they actually knew about it) are excited about this. Web-MSN-email users aren't, and don't even need to know about it. - Khast, on 04/28/2009, -1/+18GUI = paint job
Command line = engine
Anyone can buff and polish a car, not everyone can work on an engine. Sometimes the most powerful things you can do in an OS can't be done using the GUI.
Even in Windows, some of the most powerful tools are used through Run->CMD - lilrabbit129, on 04/28/2009, -0/+17Screen is awesome. Invaluable to those with a use for it. If you have no clue why you would need it then you don't need it. Move along.
- redrabbit, on 04/28/2009, -1/+16It's not restricted from the masses. Anyone who wants it can get it.
- feignNU, on 04/28/2009, -0/+14@bdejong11129
I think you don't understand what's being talked about here. The GNU utility called "screen" is not just the command line. It doesn't compare to "'Dos' screens" at all (not to mention that the DOS command line doesn't compare to the Linux command line in the first place). The GNU utility is a terminal multiplexer, which means, basically, that it's like a switch that lets you manage multiple terminals from within any given terminal.
To give you a concrete, yet simple example, imagine you run some program on your computer and you're using it to do some important activity. You're interrupted, so you get up and leave and end up somewhere else, with a different computer, but you want to check in on what you were doing before. What screen allows you to do is to interact with the exact same instance of the application you left running at home. It lets you "detach" the application from the place it was previously running, and "reattach" it to wherever you are at the moment.
This is just a very simple example, of course. "Screen" is capable of a looooot more, but unfortunately, it can be somewhat difficult to configure and use, so the new tools that Ubuntu is releasing are designed to make all of that easier and more straightforward.
If you can't see that that's useful, then you really have no business commenting on this article and you should probably stick to subjects you understand. - skyshock1, on 04/28/2009, -2/+15This is probably the best thing I've seen Ubuntu do in a long time.
There's no sense in even using a terminal without Screen. - brokenwatch, on 04/28/2009, -0/+12I'm a system admin and I don't know how I could work without screen. I have a window open to each server (100+) and can switch back and forth, and have access to those sessions quickly from any computer with SSH. The only problem I've had is that I had to recompile it because it has a hard-coded limit to the number of windows (128 I think).
If the article describes everything that this front end does, it doesn't sound very useful from my point of view but I'll definitely still check it out. - nepidae, on 04/28/2009, -0/+11Dugg for screen. Everyone I show it to falls in love with it if they do any real work with linux.
- Snakedal337, on 04/28/2009, -2/+13That's it's basic usage, but if you really spend time with it, it can do so much more.
- skyshock1, on 04/28/2009, -0/+10+1 Attaching and detaching is basic screen 101. Things really get fun when you learn how to build profiles to automatically launch apps in different sessions, monitor windows for activity, share terminal sessions w/ other users, start log files of each session, etc...
Screen is awesome. - feignNU, on 04/28/2009, -1/+10You don't have to go into the terminal. You're totally free to use just the GUI, and for desktop use, I can't really think of anything that you *need* the terminal for. The article just happens to be about a terminal utility that is incredibly useful. Are you saying that for Linux to become popular, people should stop publishing articles about how it works, like somehow having actual in depth documentation is a bad thing?
The complaint you're making is akin to someone buying a complicated new saw for their workshop, one that can be used in countless different ways, and then complaining that the manufacturers have the audacity to include a manual. Somehow you think that it's preferable to give people a fixed blade that can only do one or two things than to provide them with a flexible, multifarious tool complete with an education on how to use it.
What Microsoft understood 15 years ago is that if you give a person a fish, and then convince him that actually learning to catch fish himself is simply too difficult for mere mortals to do, then you can make a ***** of money cooking, cleaning, and providing fish to hungry people. The Linux philosophy is simply that you *can* learn to fish, that it's *fun* to learn to fish, and that you don't need to pay a soulless corporate entity every time you could go for some tasty breaded fishsticks all up in your mouth. - SteveMax, on 04/28/2009, -0/+9It's in Gentoo portage, has been there for three weeks now. Should be available on Darwin-ports and/or Fink, and easy to build under Cygwin. Free, and accessible for all three major OSs.
- ideas1, on 04/28/2009, -0/+9(In windows terms) No; its more like running a RDP session with a ton of programs open closing it; then driving home getting some sbux. Then once your in front of youre home computer logging back on and resuming that session. Its cool as *****.
- Zoids, on 04/28/2009, -0/+9Double click a .deb in ubuntu and it installs everything needed.
- frequentFlyer, on 04/28/2009, -1/+10Remind me to never ever hire you. Ever.
- parax, on 04/28/2009, -0/+92009 called, they're wondering why everyone's still calling people stuck in 1989.
- inactive, on 04/28/2009, -2/+10Edit: "Linux masses"
- MattBD, on 04/28/2009, -2/+10Which is why The Masses ***** up their computers all the time with trojans and spyware. Just because many people are ignorant on a subject doesn't make it good to be ignorant.
- johnkemp, on 04/28/2009, -0/+7Well ***** put. Clear and concise.
- augustz, on 04/28/2009, -0/+7As other's have pointed out ctl-a d is super nice. After you've used it a while you feel ssh should have it built in when you disconnect a session that wasn't running under screen by accident. A useful tool on a server. Work -> home, cafe <-> home. Flaky connection. Less clicking in your terminal program to duplicate a session.
- centran, on 04/28/2009, -0/+6holy crap! I didn't realize this. That is pretty cool.
I normally open a terminal and ssh into my server and then run screen from there. Never had a reason to run screen on my desktop.
You don't need to install anything just go into the terminal and run screen. However, if you have never used a non-profiled version of screen before then you probably won't be impressed. - rmxz, on 04/28/2009, -0/+6The one other useful way of using a terminal is shell-mode inside emacs.
- Peterix, on 04/28/2009, -1/+7Just GTFO.
- ethana2, on 04/29/2009, -0/+6...'any half competent human with broadband and a blank CD'
- krisrm, on 04/28/2009, -0/+61. You "need" the terminal in the same way people "need" to use a mouse... you *could* do everything without a mouse, and the keyboard is often more efficient (I die inside every time I see someone clicking manually through a web form), but there's still a reason for both.
2. Power tools are always more fun when you don't know how to use them.
3. Is a "*****" bigger or smaller than a metric ton? - gdonald, on 04/28/2009, -1/+7Can't imagine not having screen. People who don't use it don't know what they're missing.
- ultrafez, on 04/28/2009, -0/+5No, not at all.
- ideas1, on 04/28/2009, -0/+5I agree. This would help a lot more then the flashy windows animation that help me get nothing done faster.
- frequentFlyer, on 04/28/2009, -1/+6This isn't really for home desktop Linux users. More for Linux sys admins. Move along lil doggy.
- Trollemite, on 04/28/2009, -0/+5screen + irssi = greatness
- vagarach, on 04/28/2009, -1/+6Unix is chock full of supremely powerful tools like this, but on the whole, they are useless to the masses.
- sigmaman2, on 04/28/2009, -1/+6If you use your computer for actual computing, this is a Godsend.
But the Twitter/Facebook/Can-It-Run-Crysis crowd won't have any use for this. - ultrafez, on 04/28/2009, -0/+5Trolling fail.
- feignNU, on 04/28/2009, -0/+5"I just hate seeing time and again the statement that it is difficult to configure, or that most don't understand its full potential. We have a word for software that fits that description in our hose - Worthless."
Hm...I understand where you're coming from, and I think in some instances you may even have a point. However I think that there's more than one way for a system to be difficult and beyond people's understanding. For example, playing a musical instrument is a fairly challenging skill. Music theory is well beyond the understanding of the layperson. But is it "worthless" to learn how to play an instrument? Of course not. In fact it's incredibly fulfilling, and it's something that a person can explore for a very very long time. Linux is a lot like this.
The problem is that companies like Microsoft have convinced you that it's not worth the time or effort required to learn to play a real instrument, and instead they have offered you a guitar hero controller. "It's great, see! You don't have to learn much at all! Everyone understands everything and it just works!" Well, this is more or less true, except that it ignores the basic fact that a guitar hero controller is simply not a real musical instrument. You can be the best damn guitar hero player on the planet, but you still can only play the songs that come with the game. Now, is there some skill required to be good at guitar hero? Of course. But it's not an open-ended skill, and it doesn't require any deeper understanding of anything. Thus there's only so much you can do with it.
If guitar hero is your thing, that's totally cool with me. I have fun with it too. But you should understand that guitar hero and a real guitar are *totally different things*. It's the same way with Windows and Linux. I apologize for the Linux community if you feel like all the Linux nerds you've talked with were elitist ***** who didn't want to help you. At the same time I would encourage you to make sure that you approach Linux with the right kind of attitude. If you go to a guitar virtuoso and ask him a question, expecting an answer like, "yeah just push red red green red blue," you're probably going to think he's a ***** when he instead starts trying to explain music theory to you. - bennyboyo, on 04/28/2009, -0/+5?
- guest1024, on 04/28/2009, -0/+4If you like screen, check out StumpWM http://www.nongnu.org/stumpwm/screenshot.html It's basically a window manager (i.e. it manages more than just xterm) influenced by screen and emacs. You can make a mode-line with exactly the same features as this screen-profile provides, or you can use gnome-panel, xfce4-panel, etc. Of course, screen is still best when used for ssh.
- wendall911, on 04/28/2009, -0/+4@comfort1872 Can't resist trolling the Linux articles, or are you just a ***** douche bag? You show up and troll on every single Linux article and get buried. Do the internets a favor and go away.
- buddyw, on 04/28/2009, -0/+4^^ ----- I, for one, vote douche bag.
- cesclaveria, on 04/29/2009, -0/+4find an ubuntu package that gives you that message...
- Anand999, on 04/28/2009, -0/+3Screen is one of those tools you don't think you need until you use it. And then, suddenly, you need to use it all the time. It's like heroin, in that way.
The only bad thing I can say about screen is that using its scrollback buffer is clunky if you're used to pressure CTRL+UP/DOWN in most Terminal programs.
Anyway, there's a page on Ubuntu's site with a few more details on the profiles feature:
https://help.ubuntu.com/9.04/serverguide/C/screen- ... - mrBitch, on 04/29/2009, -0/+3@ feignNU, RE: "... The problem is that companies like Microsoft have convinced you that it's not worth the time or effort required to learn to play a real instrument, and instead they have offered you a guitar hero controller.
"It's great, see! You don't have to learn much at all! Everyone understands everything and it just works!"
Well, this is more or less true, except that it ignores the basic fact that a guitar hero controller is simply not a real musical instrument. "
That is pure genius, and the best explanation of the difference between a Linux based OS Vs MS Windows. - ultrafez, on 04/28/2009, -0/+3And now, you can't post comments to my Digg because I've blocked you for advertising.
- MattBD, on 04/28/2009, -1/+4DOS and the Linux/Unix shell are completely different beasts. A Unix shell like bash is an incredibly powerful tool in the right hands, and in many ways is more convenient than a GUI. The DOS prompt doesn't compare to the power, flexibility and control of bash.
Put it this way, Mac OS X is supposedly the pinnacle of GUI development, yet like Linux it also has the bash shell. If they see no reason to eradicate it on a Mac, then Linux will have it for the foreseeable future. I wouldn't be without it on either OS.
It's not about the GUI or CLI being better. It's about two tools in combination being more powerful than either together. - guest1024, on 04/28/2009, -0/+3I use "screen -rd" at the end of my ~/.bashrc. You should probably check for $TERM equal to "screen", because it ends up being cyclical (screen calls your .bashrc, which tries to connect to a screen), but screen is smart enough to break the cycle. If you need more terms, you use C-a c. Switch using C-a 1 through C-a 0, that's about all you need.
- burch, on 04/28/2009, -0/+3They did. Vertical splits work on my default install of 9.04.
- MaDsKiLLz, on 04/28/2009, -1/+4computershack: you sir are a dumbass >.<
- Azathothh, on 04/28/2009, -3/+6that's cool but can i play Crysis with that? Because that's really what i want to do....
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