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The CMD Command Line

Q. Why should I use a shell window?  Isn't it much easier to use Windows Explorer to find and work with files.

1. The shell window starts up quickly so you can spend more free time staring out the window.
2. The shell window displays standard output so you can see what's happening while samie is running.
3. The shell window displays standard errors so you can see what's not happening while samie is running.

Q. I can't stand the shell it gives me the willies and I don't like all that typing. Is there some other way to run samie perl scripts?
A. Yes, you can use the free PerlIDE.  (Interactive Development Environment).  This will allow you to run and debug any perl scripts.

The command line is also known as the CMD shell or Command shell or DOS shell.  It looks something like this:

How come they call it a shell?  I don't know, maybe because it is a shell of a Window or a Window of a shell or a shell of it's former shelf.

Notice that it is created by a file located here: c:\winnt\system32\CMD.exe. This is how I start the shell on Windows 2000

Click on the Start Button

Select Run

type in cmd and click on the OK button

walla...  You have created your first CMD shell window.

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