Posted by Timothy Murphy on 09/03/05 14:38

Rincewind wrote:

>>>>2. For those who do not, would it not be helpful
>>>>to mention direct use of php?
>>>>I would have said something like:
>>>>
>>>> Call this file "hello.php" (without the quotes) and give the
>>>> command
>>>>
>>>> php hello.php
>>>>
>>> I have no idea what this is about!
>>
>> Do you mean, you read the above and you do not understand what it means?
>> In that case maybe you need a tutorial in the English language.
>
> No what does it mean? Where do I give the command "php hello php", command
> line, browser or shout it out from the rooftops, I don't think I need a
> tutorial in the English language, but maybe you could tell me which one
> you read and then maybe I'll understand you.

Command line

To repeat what I said above -
although in my view it is perfectly clear -
I am pointing out that you can run php without access to a web-server,
and that this might have been pointed out.

>> I mean - and I think this would be obvious to anyone who read what I said
>> - that an actual session should be explicitly copied using a program
>> like Unix "script".
>>
>> That is not the same as giving "code snippets".
>
> Pre-supposing of course that I had any idea what a Unix script was, once
> again you are assuming that every one has your level of knowledge or is
> running the same system.

There is a Unix program called "script".
I'm sure there is a similar Windows program.
I was not suggesting everyone should know about "script",
only the author of the tutorial.

>> I am sure there are lots of newbies - me for one - who do not understand
>> "how to put a file in a web directory".
>
> What's that got to do with my imagination, I wasn't aware that this was a
> short story contest and that I was going to have to make something up, and
> if as you stated in another post in this thread that you where
> <Quote>fairly experienced in C and Java</Quote> then I cannot believe that
> you could go through the steps I mentioned above and still not be able to
> put a file in a web directory, but then I was assuming that you had a
> basic knowledge of computers.

I'm saying that I believe many newbies would not understand
what is meant by this phrase.

> As far as I remember I never criticised your remarks, I simply pointed out
> that I thought you were incorrect in assuming that we all used Linux
> boxes.

I didn't say "we all use Linux boxes".
I said I thought that most people reading the tutorial
would be on Linux boxes.
I may (or may not) be right about this -
in any case it is completely irrelevant to any of the points I was making.

>> If I had thought the tutorial was useless
>> I would not have bothered to reply;
>> I thought it was good (as I said) but could be improved.
>
> Fine as I've said I've never criticised you for your remarks on the
> tutorial all I've tried to do is point out that I felt you where wrong in
> your assumptions that we all used Linux, and the fact that you were
> stating that the tutorial didn't have what you wanted, whereas if you had
> bothered to look at the table of contents you would have found it. Which I
> notice you failed to address in your last post.

Re Linux, see above.

I didn't say there was anything I couldn't find.
I did look at the table of contents,
but now you mention it
may I suggest that there should be a pointer to
"Table of Contents".

Incidentally, my remarks were mainly addressed to the Tutorial,
not to the Manual.


I think I've said all I can on this subject.
If you think the tutorial is perfect, fine.
I was asked for comments on it, and that is what I gave.



--
Timothy Murphy
e-mail (<80k only): tim /at/ birdsnest.maths.tcd.ie
tel: +353-86-2336090, +353-1-2842366
s-mail: School of Mathematics, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland

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