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diff --git a/entry/cmd/index.html b/entry/cmd/index.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..769f87d --- /dev/null +++ b/entry/cmd/index.html @@ -0,0 +1,73 @@ +<!DOCTYPE html> +<html lang="en"> +<head> + <title>Separation of term and shell | ewy.one</title> + <meta charset="UTF-8"/> + <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/reset.css"/> + <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/terminal.css"/> + <meta content="Separation of term and shell" property="og:title"/> + <meta content="Why can't you do anything in windows without a cmd window popping up?" property="og:description"/> + <meta content="https://blog.ewy.one/entry/cmd" property="og:url"/> + <meta content="#3E3B37" data-react-helmet="true" name="theme-color"/> +</head> +<body> +<header> + <h1>In Windows, the shell is the terminal.</h1> + <p> + If you are a developer, chances are you have had to work with Windows before. If this is the case, I'm sorry + for your loss, and I'm also sorry to say there's little I can do about it. Where I am currently employed, + while we primarily use platform-agnostic web technology and the (now) multiplatform .NET corework 69. + </p> + <aside> + This is a joke. The joke is that the naming for the .NET framework has been insane for the last couple + years during the transition to .NET Framework 6 + </aside> + <p> + Back to complaining: even though our tech stack could be platform-independent, I am forced to use Windows + for up to five days a week. This gives me great insight into all of its shortcomings which crop up while + doing serious development work. Not the least of which: running any kind of script pops up this annoying, ugly + black box, cmd.exe: the glue between MS-DOS and Windows 95. + </p> + <p> + On non-toy operating systems, there is a distinction between the shell and the terminal: a shell is used to + interface with programs and the kernel, while the terminal is used to display the in- and output streams from + said shell. As I alluded to in the title: on Windows, these are both the same cmd.exe, which handles both + the execution and the in- and output. This also means when a program executes an external script, it will give + you a pretty little command prompt. + </p> + <p> + Of course, there are situations where you would not want a popup to appear. If you are running startup scripts, + then you will probably be annoyed by the black boxes which appear on boot every time. Sometimes they don't + even close by themselves! Thankfully, helpful users on StackOverflow have solutions for this: instead of + running the script on startup, simply run a shortcut to it, and set the shortcut property "Start minimized". + Now your command prompt will be minimized on startup! + </p> + <p> + If that's not really your thing, you can also use some untrustworthy shareware to: + </p> + <ul> + <li>Convert your .bat to .exe (not guaranteed to work)</li> + <li>Wrap your .bat in a VBA script</li> + <li>Call your script from another script which uses one of the sixteen inconsistent ways to prevent the window + from showing up. Then, close the window from the first script, and the second script will continue running! + </li> + </ul> + <p> + The only actual solution I've found acceptable over the years was a little tool which, if I remember correctly, + was called "run.exe" and produced by the same people behind XMing, the Windows X server implementation, which + while cool, was more of a proof of concept (and still is). It would simply take the arguments and run those + in an invisible shell. That means it could be invoked from the command prompt, run window, scripts and + even shortcuts! I can't find it right now, but this isn't really an issue anymore: the scripts in our + company repository are linked to cmd.exe and I don't get paid enough to bother with them. In my personal + life, I have graduated to an operating system that respects me. + </p> + <p> + You might notice this is more of a rant than a well-thought-out blog post, but I'm trying to get into the habit + of writing more and about more topics. Look forward to more unhinged thoughts and idiotic takes. + </p> +</header> +<footer> + <a href="/"><< Return</a> +</footer> +</body> +</html> |