Seriously the command line does it for me, gets me all hot and bothered ;). I just love having all the tools (including the shell itself) to be able to do what I need to do. Let me not even get started on awk and grep, though I think shortly I will write a *my top 5* command line tools or tools that a sysadmin should not live without (as I mainly handle backups this will differ greatly on both experience and preference so your mileage / kilomeratage may vary accordingly).

Ok so here are my top ten five {I can count really} favorite tools {right now}:

1. Bash shell - a very powerful tool with lots and lots {read metric assloads} of tools builtin.

2. vi - yes I am a vi whore, even to the point of using it on the command line, those who know what I mean either will shudder or clap, to each their own. **HINT** if you still use the arrow keys learn the j = down, k = up, h = right and l = left. Also check out shift + v and ctrl + v (visual mode). Oh and I also use vimperator with firefox, cause I just wuv it that much.

3. awk, because the nature of my job {backups/archives} and the reporting there of, I need strong text processing tools and awk happens to be one of my favs.

4. screen - one of the seniors that I worked with {he’s left since} taught me how to use screen, and it’s a tool no sysadmin should ever be without {if it can be helped}.

5. grep - this is one of the most rockingest tools ever greated, simple in design, powerful in function, can make a sysadmins job bearable. {along with regexps ;)}

I’ll write more later on, but this is a good start.

Technorati Tags: awk, command line, Linux, man, perl, python, screen, sed, vi

Ok,

So I went on a rant the other day about programming languages and I believe that I have decided for now to pursue Python. I had mentioned I have programmed in a few different languages (c, perl, java, c++, etc…) but couldn’t find the one that really fit me, and I was in the process of mucking with Ruby. I found that the more I mucked with Ruby the more I was thinking about python, and trying to pythonize Ruby. So I am going to muddle through python (as well as refresh my perl skillz).

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Now playing on Pandora: LTJ Bukem - Atlantis
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Technorati Tags: c, java, perl, Programming, python, ruby

I just posted a tweet on twitter and thought it might be good to follow up here, just for future reference. My thought was this, I have been toying with programming for a few years, I am sufficient at it, not very good as I always get sidetracked by something else along the way. I have been hunkering down because I love my job and want to grow as many skill sets as I possibly can. Here is my dilemma though, I have programmed in perl, c, c++, python, java, (as well as bash, awk, sed, etc.) but I have yet to find one that allows me to “express” myself. I am playing around with ruby right now and hoping that this might be the one that lets me express myself in the creative way I have been yearning too.

It’s hard to explain but I feel like I am on a precipice right now, I am still a jr (or associate) systems administrator and I work with a group of seniors that put most seniors in the industry to shame. I have learned so much in the last couple of years and feel like I am on the edge of a new level of understanding, it’s a strange yet beautiful sensation. I have days where I feel like a complete idjit, but that is normal (at least for me) and days where I forget how to spell teh (yes that was intentional ;)). I am most proficient with perl as I worked as a professional programmer during the dotcom (doesn’t mean that I am good) but I can still do most stuff off the top of my head and or with little interaction. C/C++ I was never very good at, though I have taken a couple of classes and like perl have been doing the longest. Java I tried for all of about 1 week before I felt like driving a nail through my hand. I am a novice or as my best friend would say I “couldn’t program my way out of a paper bag”. This is ok, as I know what and where my limitations are and am trying to improve upon my glaring weaknesses.
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Now playing on Pandora: High Contrast - Twilight’s Last Gleaming
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Technorati Tags: c, java, perl, Programming, python, ruby