In article <pan.2003.08.15.10.46.55.791737@home.nl>, R@LF wrote:

> - Most Linux users are "command line" users and expect that the commands
> are present in the distribution.

Most answers to questions in Linux newsgroups give the solution in shell
commands, because it's the most generic way and will apply to most/all
systems. Different distros have different graphical setup programs, but
the shell commands probably will work.

Of course, newbies tend not to mention their distribution and other system
information, or they say they have "Linux 9.1" installed on an "Athlon
box" with an "onboard sound card"

In addition, when talking about Samba setup for example, we don't know if
someone has SWAT installed but we do know they will have a smb.conf file
on their system. Therefore it's best to talk about this file instead of
SWAT settings. As for file editing advice, it's best to use vi commands
because it's likely to be present on every system.

It doesn't mean most users are "command line users" when setting up their
own systems. It just means giving as generic information as possible, to
benefit the largest possible number of people. As you say, the it's safe
to assume that certain "commands are present", while it's useless to talk
about the Mandrake Control Center or Webmin when we don't know if they're
there.

--
Juha Siltala