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Ary de Oliveira
28,298 PointsConsole Foundations
I would like to know the implementation of this program in a general context which its usefulness?
3 Answers
Grace Kelly
33,990 PointsAt its core the console allows you to interact with files, folders and programs by typing text commands instead of using windows, menus and buttons. It makes things much quicker and easier for example changing directories and listing files. I personally use it a lot when I am developing with ruby on rails.
Adam Fields
Full Stack JavaScript Techdegree Graduate 37,838 PointsWhile I understand this question was posted quite a while ago, I'm sure others may be wondering the same.
For starters, MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System) is an actual operating system; the console (terminal) is a way to interact with an operating system using text. If you're on a Mac, that operating system is called OSX.
Since MS-DOS hasn't been around for a very long time, you're probably referring to the Windows Command Prompt, which is a way to interact with Windows using text. Since (as explained in the video) Windows is not a UNIX-based operating system, the commands in the command prompt will be different.
If you going to be doing static web design using HTML/CSS or creating sites using Wordpress themes, you probably won't be using the terminal much since you can edit your files in a GUI text editor like Notepad++ or TextMate and upload them to your host using FTP.
However, if you are going to be doing actual programming using PHP, Ruby, Python, or Node.js, you will 100% have to use the terminal.
Need to install a Node Package like Express or React? Terminal.
A database like PostgreSQL or MongoDB? Terminal (although Postgres does have an OSX installer).
An MVC Framework like Laravel? Terminal.
The Python Shell? Terminal.
Commit all your local changes to your Github repository? Terminal (although they do have a GUI).
Lastly, once you're ready to deploy your web application, you'll need to remote into a Linux server (Digital Ocean is a popular choice) using SSH which as you probably guessed is done via the terminal.
I've been using the terminal for a while now, so this course is just a refresher. Codecademy has a terminal command cheat sheet that you can keep as a handy reference as well.
As for the Windows vs. Mac argument, just keep in mind that most of the modern open-source web technologies are being developed by programmers using Linux or OSX, so Windows compatibility is not at the top of the list. This is obviously a moot point if you are a Microsoft .NET developer, or doing any sort of video game design using Direct3D.
Ary de Oliveira
28,298 Pointsthis eh like ms-dos?