# cat /var/data/SDMB | grep -i geek **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 20, 2003, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-var-data-sdmb-grep-i-geek/196506 "2003-08-20T19:29:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-var-data-sdmb-grep-i-geek/196506/21 "2003-08-21T17:43:07Z")
ohgodineedavacation… I’m sorry, I’ve got to go shoot someone with my nerf blaster now. I’d talk about my qualifications but I just got out of a meeting with a conslutant and I’m feeling amazingly hostile and yet stupified. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-var-data-sdmb-grep-i-geek/196506/22 "2003-08-21T18:09:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sirtonyh \* > Amatuers use a Mac In the interest of fighting ignorance, I must point you to [this link.](http://macdevcenter.com/)🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-var-data-sdmb-grep-i-geek/196506/23 "2003-08-21T18:12:07Z")
I’m so geeky that working from standard in is ingrained in my psyche. If I were at a terminal, I wouldnt think twice before catting to standard in, then working with that. That is, if I were to try to remember the actual command line syntax for grep, i’d actually have to THINK about it 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-var-data-sdmb-grep-i-geek/196506/24 "2003-08-21T19:14:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pestie \* > \*\* > Oh, and **Angua** (_you_ again!) - it’s been said that emacs is a great operating system in need of a decent editor. 😉 \*\* Sorry! Well, you explain then why I can do everything from write FORTRAN, S-Lang, LaTeX, compile the damned things, write HTML web pages, play games, have a chat, sort out my bibliography.bib file in alphabetical order, etc etc, without having to load up 5 different programs. 🙂 Besides, vi has no style. I wrote a vi style editor in FORTRAN for crying out loud! 😉 **Sunspace** , swoon away. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![sycorob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@sycorob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sycorob)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-var-data-sdmb-grep-i-geek/196506/25 "2003-08-21T20:26:33Z")
I was trying soo hard not to go in this thread. The pull was irresistable, however. I agree that you should have used grep directly, but you knew that already. I love vi, but I think that’s true of anyone who actually learns to use it properly. Absurdly powerfull for such a little program. I haven’t done stuff in \*nix in awhile and damn I miss it. My work (Windows) desktop is having another worm scrubbed off of it - what’s up with that? I miss my shell scripting. ---
**Author:** ![Belrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed655f/32.png) [@Belrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belrix)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-var-data-sdmb-grep-i-geek/196506/26 "2003-08-21T21:02:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sycorob \* > \*\*I was trying soo hard not to go in this thread. The pull was irresistable, however. > > I agree that you should have used grep directly, but you knew that already. \*\* It was the pull of the pipe symbol I was counting on to attract the geeks in the crowd. Moths to a flame, Iron to a magnet, & geeks to the pipe. Evil? Yes! Since I’m revisiting, I was “raised” on AT&T logo System V Unix (I worked for a baby bell) on AT&T 3B series hardware. ksh, vi, grep, sed, & awk. All you need, baby. ---
**Author:** ![TheFunkySpaceCowboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9a28c/32.png) [@TheFunkySpaceCowboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFunkySpaceCowboy)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-var-data-sdmb-grep-i-geek/196506/27 "2003-08-21T21:53:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pestie \* > \*\* > > Incidentally, I don’t use either vi or emacs - I use “joe” - long live the Wordstar control-key commands! Props to you, **TheFunkySpaceCowboy**! Control-K-X! > \*\* w00t! You’re my new best friend \*\* pestie \*\* I use Control-K-D Control-K-Z more often, in fact a goodly portion of my day has been spent thusly joe squidGuard.conf <make changes> ctrl-k-d ctrl-k-z /usr/local/squid/sbin/squid -k reconfigure \ fg <edits some more> ctrl-k-d ctrl-k-z /usr/local/squid/sbin/squid -k reconfigure \ … ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-var-data-sdmb-grep-i-geek/196506/28 "2003-08-21T21:59:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Belrix \* > \*\*It was the pull of the pipe symbol I was counting on to attract the geeks in the crowd. Moths to a flame, Iron to a magnet, & geeks to the pipe. > > Evil? Yes!\*\* Including a deliberate error with an obvious pun to make would seem the obvious way 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![pestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e5b9ba/32.png) [@pestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pestie)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-var-data-sdmb-grep-i-geek/196506/29 "2003-08-23T17:54:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Angua \* > **Sorry!** Oh, lord, don’t apologize - I thought I made it clear in another thread that I can’t get enough of you. 😉 > [@](#): > > **Well, you explain then why I can do everything from write FORTRAN, S-Lang, LaTeX, compile the damned things, write HTML web pages, play games, have a chat, sort out my bibliography.bib file in alphabetical order, etc etc, without having to load up 5 different programs. 🙂** That was exactly my point - emacs _is_ a great operating system! Heh… > [@](#): > > **Besides, vi has no style. I wrote a vi style editor in FORTRAN for crying out loud! 😉** I tend to agree, actually. If I were forced to choose between emacs and vi, I’d probably work with vi, but only because it adheres to the UNIX principle of keeping system tools small and powerful, and because it’s available on nearly every UNIX-like system on earth. emacs is the very definition of bloat, and that’s my primary complaint with it. But vi would constantly be pissing me off because the concept of a “modal” editor is so unnecessary with modern computers. There’s no reason why I shouldn’t be able to fire up my editor and just start typing. OK, who here’s secure enough in their geekhood to actually admit to using pico on occasion? Anyone? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![pestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e5b9ba/32.png) [@pestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pestie)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-var-data-sdmb-grep-i-geek/196506/30 "2003-08-23T17:58:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TheFunkySpaceCowboy \* > \*\*w00t! You’re my new best friend \*\* pestie \*\* > > I use Control-K-D Control-K-Z more often\*\* We joe users are truly the Enlightened Ones! Control-K-D, reload page in web browser, see that it’s broken, edit some more, repeat. Heh… I use Control-K-Z a lot, too, especially when I’m too lazy to bother opening another terminal window. ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-var-data-sdmb-grep-i-geek/196506/31 "2003-08-23T19:47:26Z")
> [@](#): > > from _pestie_ > OK, who here’s secure enough in their geekhood to actually admit to using pico on occasion? Anyone? Okay, I’ll admit it. ::sheepish:: 😉 As you said, when you want to just open an editor and start typing, rather than messing with all the other crap. Also, I generally recommend that as a starting editor for my C++ students, who are mostly unix newbies, even many of the CS majors. (I teach both a C++ class for the majors, and one for the non-majors). I make them compile at least one or two assignments only in that environment, with the gnu compiler (g++), so they find out very fast that they’d better learn some unix basics, or else! While they can, of course, write their code on any editor (even on Notepad (::shudder::)), I recommend pico for those wanting to do it solely from their SSH logon to the unix environment. For unix newbies, I don’t want their heads to explode **too** fast. ---
**Author:** ![Thaidog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/50afbb/32.png) [@Thaidog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thaidog)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-var-data-sdmb-grep-i-geek/196506/32 "2003-08-23T22:35:16Z")
I just started a job with unix admin being one of the major systems (AIX and Solaris… HP-UX, and a little Linux - which will probably end up being a lot of Linux) Also, there’s the ever present Windows systems, NT4,5,6 I never used Vi… never had to, but it looks like it is the default install for all the unix systems as appossed to emacs… which means hitting the books for me… that and the fact I can’t remember any ot these damn commands 🙂 But it will sink in fast I’m sure 🙂 some of these systems scare me in that they have no ssh… just telnet… they have no software firewalls instlled (IPFW) and of course the default installs have a ton of open ports. Terminal services has no encryption… and since of the linux boxes allow su to other admin and root accounts, that means extremely loose user prefs. Security is not my job at the place, but damn!!! Is this a joke? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-var-data-sdmb-grep-i-geek/196506/33 "2003-08-23T23:13:56Z")
First, that should be ```auto grep -i geek /var/data/SDMB ``` I do a lot of backend data processing apps, mostly on FreeBSD and Linux. Work with Perl, C, MySQL, BerkeleyDB, Apache, and a whole mess of other stuff. I use MacOS X at home and I love fink! Emacs is da bomb. C++ and Java is the devil. Ruby will blow your mind. I have 34 O’Reilly books. ---
**Author:** ![leenmi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f1d935/32.png) [@leenmi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leenmi)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2003, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-var-data-sdmb-grep-i-geek/196506/34 "2003-08-24T03:03:25Z")
I am a travelling consultant, dealing primarily with Solaris and Sun high-end servers and clustering. But that’s not why I posted. I know it is better written as grep -i geek /var/data/SDMB, and that is how I try, to this day to structure the statement, but I keep falling back to cat \ | grep \ because that is how I learned it (self-taught) and I can’t break the habit. No amount of geek pressure or snickering can break me of it. I also cat \ | more shameful ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2003, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-var-data-sdmb-grep-i-geek/196506/35 "2003-08-24T03:38:06Z")
You need to clearn your pipes out. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2003, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-var-data-sdmb-grep-i-geek/196506/36 "2003-08-24T11:34:13Z")
psst… I think SDMB is a directory 😉 You want " find /var/data/SDMB -type f -exec grep -i geek {} \;" or better yet (since the above won't give you the file names anyway) - " grep -i geek `find /var/data/SDMB -type f`" Oh, and regarding emacs/vi: 1. Real Programmers use “cat \> a.out” 2. Wrong forum - should start out in GD, then move to the Pit… 3. I HATE emacs (there, got that off my chest…) ---
**Author:** ![Trigonal\_Planar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2003, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-var-data-sdmb-grep-i-geek/196506/37 "2003-08-24T20:18:22Z")
You guys have far more geekdom than I do, but I just wanted to chime in as another ‘joe’ fan. Hey, what about DOS batch files? Huh, huh? Those are pretty geeky, right? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2003, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-var-data-sdmb-grep-i-geek/196506/38 "2003-08-24T21:50:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Noone Special \* > Oh, and regarding emacs/vi: > > 1. Real Programmers use “cat \> a.out” a.out? _a.out?!_. Where’s your ELF binaries? a.out is so, like, three years ago. And Emacs is da shiznit. C-x C-c ---
**Author:** ![Alereon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Alereon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alereon)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2003, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-var-data-sdmb-grep-i-geek/196506/39 "2003-08-25T00:13:19Z")
To the extent that I’m a professional anything yet, I’m a professional geek. I’m mostly into hardware, though I’ve done some \*NIX hacking. I build computers for spending money, and I’m currently volunteering as an IRC Operator for a non-profit, as well as providing volunteer online support for another non-profit. I hope to get a student tech support job when I start college next month, as well as do email-based support for Real Money. AMD processors are vastly superior to their inefficient Intel counterparts. DDR RAM is vastly superior to the evil Rambus DRAM, as RDRAM fell out of the slow-ass tree and hit EVERY branch on the way down. If you SAY the word Geforce, I will KILL you. Don’t even THINK it. Even before The Unpleasantness, SCO UNIX made me feel dirty every time I booted it. And **TheFunkySpaceCowboy** , I’ll see your Mozilla, and raise you Firebird. Compiled for Athlon processors:) I use Thunderbird for mail, too. Nightly builds, baby. ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2003, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-var-data-sdmb-grep-i-geek/196506/40 "2003-08-25T00:45:56Z")
ps -aux | grep “mouthskills.sh” –quasi-pro geek here (still have a LOT to learn.) –test software and manage configurations (manage code branches, do builds, and manage 12 app servers, 4 dbs) –SQL and UNIX used on daily basis. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-var-data-sdmb-grep-i-geek/196506.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-var-data-sdmb-grep-i-geek/196506.md?page=3)