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> Richard Stallman (2002) I don’t know how to make a screenshot, because I normally use my computer in text-mode. I have X and GNOME installed, but I use them o

by soared 11y ago

> Richard Stallman (2002) I don’t know how to make a screenshot, because I normally use my computer in text-mode. I have X and GNOME installed, but I use them only occasionally. Does anyone else find this quote completely absurd? What a ridiculous disconnect from modern computing, even in 2002, to use text-mode.

kbutler 11y ago
Text-mode can help focus on the task at hand without distraction. It also facilitates speedy, transparent work on remote servers. I tend to use a single maximized app in a GUI environment, often running emacs, though I do like to split the screen in half to allow two full-page, focused views (e.g., code editor and browser). And when helpful, I'll pull up more windows. See also http://lifehacker.com/5689579/five-best-distraction-free-writing-tools http://lifehacker.com/5689579/five-best-distraction-free-wri... for others who have felt the need for focused tools that remove the distractions of multiple window environments.
glifchits 11y ago
I don't really think anyone here is qualified to criticize Richard Stallman's computing habits.
- michaelcampbell 11y ago
  What qualifications are needed to criticize habits?
  - glifchits 11y ago
    At least some reasonable evidence that the habit is harmful. Hard to argue that Richard Stallman suffers (productivity, or otherwise) by doing his computing in text mode...
an_ko 11y ago
If most of what you do on a computer is write, text-mode is great. I had my low-end laptop boot into text mode for years because I was more productive coding that way, and could always "startx" on a different TTY to get a GUI. Then I discovered tiling window managers and got a better laptop, but I still code mostly in a minimal terminal emulator.
cdcarter 11y ago
You're really gonna hate this page then: https://stallman.org/stallman-computing.html https://stallman.org/stallman-computing.html
sheepmullet 11y ago
And yet he is more productive than 90% of developers. And it's no surprise. Walking through a standard tech office you find half the people on random websites like hn instead of working. The remaining half have dozens of apps open with the devs rapidly switching between them, as if cycling between 5 chat windows, 10 browser tabs, a couple of text editors, a work email client, a personal email client, and an IDE every couple of mins is productive.
gnarbarian 11y ago
Stallman has always been pretty anachronistic. Sometimes I think he's trolling us: http://lwn.net/Articles/262570/ http://lwn.net/Articles/262570/ "For personal reasons, I do not browse the web from my computer. (I also have not net connection much of the time.) To look at page I send mail to a demon which runs wget and mails the page back to me. It is very efficient use of my time, but it is slow in real time."
- myle 11y ago
  That's actually a pretty awesome idea against impulsive browsing. The most frequent kind of browsing.
  - gnarbarian 11y ago
    Here's Stallman showing another awesome means of self sustinence: https://youtu.be/I25UeVXrEHQ https://youtu.be/I25UeVXrEHQ
andreasvc 11y ago
I think this is a really strange thing to say. Why do you care? Why would some famous hacker need to live up to your expectations? What you're saying comes down to a teenager complaining "why are you still on Facebook and not on <social network du jour>!?".
Shorel 11y ago
Text mode, I can understand. No terminal emulator is faster, and if you have lots and lots of text, there's a difference. There are even MP3 players that work in the console, and the windows+left and right keys shortcuts work great to switch between the open terminals. But the attitude of 'I won't even take a photography of my screen for a semi-noble purpose, something thousands of people do for spurious purposes, because I will not give up an inch of self righteousness, ever'. That's what gets me. This is not an screenshot: http://i.imgur.com/sEygQyP.jpg http://i.imgur.com/sEygQyP.jpg It's only a photography, but it works just as well.

by soared 11y ago

kbutler 11y ago

Text-mode can help focus on the task at hand without distraction. It also facilitates speedy, transparent work on remote servers. I tend to use a single maximized app in a GUI environment, often running emacs, though I do like to split the screen in half to allow two full-page, focused views (e.g., code editor and browser). And when helpful, I'll pull up more windows. See also http://lifehacker.com/5689579/five-best-distraction-free-writing-tools http://lifehacker.com/5689579/five-best-distraction-free-wri... for others who have felt the need for focused tools that remove the distractions of multiple window environments.

glifchits 11y ago

I don't really think anyone here is qualified to criticize Richard Stallman's computing habits.

michaelcampbell 11y ago
What qualifications are needed to criticize habits?
- glifchits 11y ago
  At least some reasonable evidence that the habit is harmful. Hard to argue that Richard Stallman suffers (productivity, or otherwise) by doing his computing in text mode...

an_ko 11y ago

If most of what you do on a computer is write, text-mode is great. I had my low-end laptop boot into text mode for years because I was more productive coding that way, and could always "startx" on a different TTY to get a GUI. Then I discovered tiling window managers and got a better laptop, but I still code mostly in a minimal terminal emulator.

cdcarter 11y ago

You're really gonna hate this page then: https://stallman.org/stallman-computing.html https://stallman.org/stallman-computing.html

sheepmullet 11y ago

And yet he is more productive than 90% of developers. And it's no surprise. Walking through a standard tech office you find half the people on random websites like hn instead of working. The remaining half have dozens of apps open with the devs rapidly switching between them, as if cycling between 5 chat windows, 10 browser tabs, a couple of text editors, a work email client, a personal email client, and an IDE every couple of mins is productive.

gnarbarian 11y ago

Stallman has always been pretty anachronistic. Sometimes I think he's trolling us: http://lwn.net/Articles/262570/ http://lwn.net/Articles/262570/ "For personal reasons, I do not browse the web from my computer. (I also have not net connection much of the time.) To look at page I send mail to a demon which runs wget and mails the page back to me. It is very efficient use of my time, but it is slow in real time."

myle 11y ago
That's actually a pretty awesome idea against impulsive browsing. The most frequent kind of browsing.
- gnarbarian 11y ago
  Here's Stallman showing another awesome means of self sustinence: https://youtu.be/I25UeVXrEHQ https://youtu.be/I25UeVXrEHQ

andreasvc 11y ago

I think this is a really strange thing to say. Why do you care? Why would some famous hacker need to live up to your expectations? What you're saying comes down to a teenager complaining "why are you still on Facebook and not on <social network du jour>!?".

Shorel 11y ago

Text mode, I can understand. No terminal emulator is faster, and if you have lots and lots of text, there's a difference. There are even MP3 players that work in the console, and the windows+left and right keys shortcuts work great to switch between the open terminals. But the attitude of 'I won't even take a photography of my screen for a semi-noble purpose, something thousands of people do for spurious purposes, because I will not give up an inch of self righteousness, ever'. That's what gets me. This is not an screenshot: http://i.imgur.com/sEygQyP.jpg http://i.imgur.com/sEygQyP.jpg It's only a photography, but it works just as well.