Re: MC (was: Rsync)

[David Wright <deblis@lionunicorn.co.uk>]

On Sun 05 Nov 2017 at 21:21:01 (-0500), Felix Miata wrote:
> Weaver composed on 2017-11-05 17:55 (UTC-0800):
> 
> > David Wright wrote:
> 
> >> On Sun 05 Nov 2017 at 12:18:50 (-0800), Weaver wrote:
> 
> >>> Brian wrote:
> 
> >>> > On Sun 05 Nov 2017 at 19:51:48 +0000, Brian wrote:
> 
> >>> >> Midnight Commander and locate are also very useful additions, but that
> >>> >> does merit including them in Priority: standard.
> >>> >       ^
> >>> >       not
> 
> >>> Not so sure about locate, but I'd include MC, with internal edit, some
> >>> time before I'd include, say, Nano.
> 
> >> IMO you have to have an editor suitable for root to configure the
> >> system. Vi is fine for those who know it, but it has to be learnt.
> >> Almost anyone who can read can use nano with no knowledge whatsoever.
> 
> >> As for MC, it's in the population of programs that I would never run
> >> as root, along with X, Emacs, …Office, browsers, media players (does
> >> that cover it?). Root does not need Swiss Army knives slashing about.
> 
> > Well, I don't know if I'd describe MC as `a Swiss Army Knife'. Thunar
> > and nautilus, maybe.
> > I also find aptitude handy at that level (before I've installed a DE,
> > because I can see what I have installed and get every package
> > description, installed or uninstalled, right there in the NCurses
> > interface. Wordgrinder's another I'd fit in that category, for those who
> > don't want a GUI and LibreOffice Writer.
> 
> > I certainly wouldn't fit MC into the category of a multi-Megabyte
> > browser or media programme requiring a heavy GUI interface.
> > With all due respect, that's a bit over the top. 

That wasn't my point: I don't care about how you categorise it.
MC is a program that can wipe half your system in two or three
keypresses. It can mix together a couple of directories likewise.
There's no easy way of recording what just happened so that you
can unpick it. It doesn't buy me enough in return. That's why
I won't use it as root.

> Not having MC is a handicap I won't long tolerate. In any unfamiliar
> environment, it's the first thing I look for. On a fresh Debian minimal
> installation I make, apt install mc is usually the first or second entry to go
> into root's .bash_history.

Ditto, but that's for me, as a user. Of course I want a file manager.

Cheers,
David.