[FM Discuss] Proposed update to Introduction to the Command Line

[Andy Oram]

FLOSS Manuals ran a sprint together with the Free Software Foundation more
than 10 years ago to create this book. It proved to be popular, and it
deserves an update. A new source of readership may come from recent support
for GNU-style tools added by Microsoft to Windows (
https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/learn-about-bash-on-windows-subsystem-for-linux/
).

I coordinate the writing when this book was created, and am trying to
gather contributors for the update. I'm in touch with the FSF to recruit
contributors among their base. I hope FLOSS Manuals supporters can look for
contributors as well.

The process for putting out a new official version is unclear. Someone is
responsible for approving updates and moving them from the Write section of
the seat to the released version of the book. How would members of this
list suggest doing that?

I have been collecting ideas for the update. My current list follows and
all suggestions are welcome.

Andy

---

Motivate the reader by describing common tasks and applying command-line
tools to solving these tasks.

Remove material to make room for any new material we add. The current
lenght is good--not too intimidating--and we should not give in to bloat.

Try to find a unifying project, such as collaborative document or web page
editing. This project could involve Git and Markdown. Perhaps HTML is too
complex for this book. JSON is also complex, but understandable with syntax
highlighting (coloring) in tools such as vim and Emacs.

What do non-profits need? They can benefit especially from free software
and often have goals aligned with the ideals of free software.

Expand our vision. The book already goes beyond the command line to
introduce comprehensive tools such as vi, as well as some scripting
languages. In addition, consider text formats such as Markdown. Consider
git for collaboration.

Make a new web site as a project.

Microsoft's recent support for bash and other common Unix tools should
provide a new readership.

grep is a good tool to introduce early--not in its full-fledged
regular-expression syntax, but just as a way to search for something on
your system. Difficulty: many people hardly touch plain-text files until
they learn the command-line. Plain-text files are important for system
configuration, which is one motivation for learning the command line and
text-based tools.

Some applications: vi/vim is useful for crafting a long email message
before sending it. Markdown is useful for editing wikis.

Adding a directory to the PATH is a common need when you install new
software.

There are two major levels to using a tool. One is a primitive
understanding that allows for small changes. The other requires developing
a mental model, which is a big job and takes time.

--
Andy Oram  |  Editor
O'Reilly Media, Inc.  |  617-499-7479 |  oreilly.com
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