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Chapter 6. The Command Prompt
The point and click graphical user
interface (GUI) revolutionized the way we use computers, eliminating
the need to remember cryptic commands and type them at an unfriendly
prompt. However, as users become more advanced, they often rediscover
the older command prompt interface and learn to appreciate how
quickly and efficiently certain tasks can still be performed.Microsoft certainly hasn't forgotten
Windows' roots in the command prompt, either, as it
is still an integral part of Windows XP. As explained in the
beginning of Chapter 4, many of the programs
that come with Windows don't have corresponding
shortcuts in the Start menu, and therefore must be started with some
form of the command prompt. Other applications, such as Notepad or
Windows Explorer, have command-line
parameters , special
options that can be specified only if the program is started from the
command prompt. And then there are programs, such as Telnet, that are
still entirely command-line based.Understanding the command prompt in all of its forms is not only
helpful in getting a better idea of how Windows works, but can open
up new ways of accomplishing tasks that would otherwise require
repetitive pointing and clicking. Disk Operating System (DOS)
was the command-line-only OS run by early PCs, and Windows was merely
an application that ran on top of DOS. Windows NT, the predecessor to
Windows XP, was Microsoft's first version of Windows
that did not rely on DOS. However, in Windows NT, 2000, and XP, the
command prompt is still made available as a standalone application.Later in this chapter, you'll find complete
documentation on MS-DOS batch files, which can be used to
automate repetitive tasks by incorporating a list of commands into a
single script that can be typed like a command at the command prompt,
or even double-clicked in Explorer. Even if you
don't use the Command Prompt, batch files can be a
great time saver and are typically easier to write than WSH scripts
(see Chapter 9).
