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Date:      Wed, 30 May 2012 19:35:27 -0500 (CDT)
From:      Lars Eighner <stableuser@larseighner.com>
To:        David Chisnall <theraven@freebsd.org>
Cc:        freebsd-stable@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: Why Are You Using FreeBSD?
Message-ID:  <alpine.BSF.2.00.1205301918230.9364@abbf.ynefrvtuareubzr.pbz>
In-Reply-To: <C480320C-0CD9-4B61-8AFB-37085C820AB7@FreeBSD.org>
References:  <C480320C-0CD9-4B61-8AFB-37085C820AB7@FreeBSD.org>

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On Wed, 30 May 2012, David Chisnall wrote:

> Hi Everyone,


I came to FreeBSD nearly 20 years ago because it had text-mode (aka command
line, console, etc.) apps and I wanted to avoid GUIs for applications that
are not essentially graphic in nature.  The ability to switch for
applications essentially graphic (paint, image manipulation, etc.) and back
for everything else (writing) without rebooting was very attractive.

There is not any graphics font that can put 2000 characters (80x25) on one
screen legibly - and that has not changed.  The native editors on BSD (vi,
emacs) are pretty horrible -- imagine the Frankenstein that thought "I'll
just write an editor in Lisp!"  But once I discovered Joe, it was smooth
sailing.  There is no GUI file manager as good as lynx ./ .

This is still why I use FreeBSD.  I tried linuxes, but found keyboard
mapping really opaque.  Now, I won't use linuxes because they have abandoned
text-mode for rasterized text -- which is just as horrible as GUIs -- and
the linux distributions just assume you are trying to run Gnome, completely
ignoring formerly text-mode, now rasterized applications.

Unfortunately FreeBSD seems to be headed this way and I will have to hop off
the upgrade cycle at some version and hope that I die before it becomes
orphaned.

-- 
Lars Eighner
http://www.larseighner.com/index.html
8800 N IH35 APT 1191 AUSTIN TX 78753-5266




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