How do I get my boss off of the DOS Prompt?

[dullard]

My boss was completely computer illiterate. Then just before the Win 3.1 days he got big into computers and learned quite a bit on how to use them. Unfortunately he got stuck in his computer knowledge and hasn't progressed. He mostly uses the computer for Fortran programming. I have nothing against Fortran use (since that is all he knows), but I have a problem with his use of the DOS prompt for everything.

He has a graphical editor which would really help with his programming, he has a graphical compiler which would save him a lot of time. But he refuses to use either. Instead he runs a program nearly identical to the DOS Edit program to write the code. Then he closes that and types a very long string of commands to do a compile from DOS. The problem comes from:
1) He cannot seem to type all the compile options correctly or consistantly and thus wastes a lot of time (and asks for my help),
2) He got a Win XP computer in December which won't run his Textra program (which runs fine on his current Win NT computer) so he refuses to use the new machine. We have a line of ~5 people waiting for parts from his old computer. They keep hounding me to get him switched to the new computer.
3) He complains about the speed of his programs on his 500 MHz P3, but won't switch to his 2.8 GHz P4.

Everything is set-up for him to switch if only he'd use the graphical versions instead of DOS versions of his editor and compiler.

Any hints or suggestions on how to encourage him to switch?

 

[Ameesh]

have you tried using a spray bottle to spritz his face when he is bad?

 

[Yax]

Yes, move him to windows 2000. Then its no longer a dos prompt. Its a Windows command prompt only.

 

[freegeeks]

LOL

that sucks

 

[edro]

A dude here at work refuses to browse his computer with anything other than File Manager...

 

[TommyVercetti]

Install Windows NT on his new computer?

 

[dullard]

Originally posted by: TommyVercetti
Install Windows NT on his new computer?

I've thought of that. The drawback is networking problems and working with new programs. Maybe a dual boot...

Do you think it'll be hard to teach someone to choose the OS when booting?

 

[TommyVercetti]

Originally posted by: dullard

Originally posted by: TommyVercetti
Install Windows NT on his new computer?

I've thought of that. The drawback is networking problems and working with new programs.

Which isn't happening now?

How will a dual boot solve the networking problems?

 

[Descartes]

I use the CLI for probably about 50-75% of my work, would you also recommend I stop using it? Of course, it sounds like he's not efficient in his use of it, so that's an entirely different problem that would not necessarily be ameliorated with the use of a GUI.

 

[dullard]

It'll solve the problems of getting some of the newer programs working. It won't solve the networking difficulties (working with his Win ME laptop). I've got no experience with Win ME, but his laptop seems to work much better when connected to Win XP computers. I'm not about to change the laptop.

 

[Armitage]

Get him a Linux box so he has a more effective CLI, and teach him to use make files.

 

[Hammer]

sabotage his existing computer

 

[dullard]

Originally posted by: Descartes
I use the CLI for probably about 50-75% of my work, would you also recommend I stop using it? Of course, it sounds like he's not efficient in his use of it, so that's an entirely different problem that would not necessarily be ameliorated with the use of a GUI.

Command prompts are great if you need it. It is just that he doesn't need it. Moving to a GUI would allow me to set all his options by default so he won't have to remember to type them each and every time. So it would likely solve some of the problems.

 

[dullard]

Originally posted by: Hammer
sabotage his existing computer

Thought about it. Deceided against it.

 

[vi edit]

Find a calendar from 1990 and put a write on it with big letters "THE TIME OF DOS".

Then take a calendar from 2004 and write on it with big letters "THE TIME OF NOT DOS".

And put them on his keyboard.

 

[Descartes]

People are amalgamating the concepts of a CLI with DOS; DOS is a CLI-only OS, and the CLI is completely independent of this fact. The CLI is increasing in functionality in subsequent releases of Windows, so it is not at all going away.

 

[HokieESM]

Originally posted by: dullard

Originally posted by: Descartes
I use the CLI for probably about 50-75% of my work, would you also recommend I stop using it? Of course, it sounds like he's not efficient in his use of it, so that's an entirely different problem that would not necessarily be ameliorated with the use of a GUI.

Command prompts are great if you need it. It is just that he doesn't need it. Moving to a GUI would allow me to set all his options by default so he won't have to remember to type them each and every time. So it would likely solve some of the problems.

Does he use ALL of the same options all the time? Some of the compilers (I know Intel Fortran for Linux does) allow you to set the options pretty easily. CLI work is GREAT when you have a piece of code that works relatively well... especially if its just computational work (i'm currently a Fortran code monkey trying to finish my PhD). But it is a BEAST when doing debugging.

Linux could be a relatively easy solution (if all he uses the computer for is computation). I actually have a Linux box (scarily enough, its the fastest computer in my apt) that I SSH into to run code from the CLI. Could you set up a similar situation with WinNT? Let him SSH into it and run his code?

 

[EagleKeeper]

If he is using the command line for compiles, setup a batch file for him to accept only the source file name and/or the target exe.

What IDE for Fortran have you presented/is available to him.

 

[EagleKeeper]

He also may be under the illusion that if he uses a Windows IDE & tool set that he can not build/run his DOS style programs.

Again, you need to educate him (if possible).

 

[Murphyrulez]

Originally posted by: edro13
A dude here at work refuses to browse his computer with anything other than File Manager...

Do you mean Windows Explorer?

How do you want him to browse?

 

[murphy55d]

dullard, have you tried using DOSbox on his XP machine? I recently found out about it, it is a dos emulator which actually works well in Windows XP. It even runs many old dos games in Windows, which is what I use it for. Maybe at least get him off the old computer, and once he's used to booting into WinXP, and using it for everything else, he'll switch over?

http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/

 

[sillymofo]

Ez fix, install Linux on his computer




BAWwwaaaaahahahahahahaha :evil:

 

[Apathetic]

First, get hm to move over gradually. Just one or two things at a time rather than switching everything over at once.

Also, if he mostly uses the same compiler options all the time, just write a simple batch file which takes parapeters. That ought to cut down on the majority of his mistakes.

Dave

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: murphy55d
dullard, have you tried using DOSbox on his XP machine? I recently found out about it, it is a dos emulator which actually works well in Windows XP. It even runs many old dos games in Windows, which is what I use it for. Maybe at least get him off the old computer, and once he's used to booting into WinXP, and using it for everything else, he'll switch over?

http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/

I'll stick with VMWare and VPC for such tasks, but that looks interesting.

 

[murphy55d]

Originally posted by: Descartes

Originally posted by: murphy55d
dullard, have you tried using DOSbox on his XP machine? I recently found out about it, it is a dos emulator which actually works well in Windows XP. It even runs many old dos games in Windows, which is what I use it for. Maybe at least get him off the old computer, and once he's used to booting into WinXP, and using it for everything else, he'll switch over?

http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/

I'll stick with VMWare and VPC for such tasks, but that looks interesting.

It is quite a little program. I've always had problems running certain games, even with VMware(master of magic namely), but DOSbox runs it without a hitch. it's very impressive.

just a thought, though.

edit: maybe i havent tried vmware...it is a commercial program? i must be thinking of something else. either way, dosbox is free, too.