

Ubuntu brings advanced Screen features - mblakele
http://arstechnica.com/open-source/news/2009/04/ubuntu-brings-advanced-screen-features-to-the-masses.ars

======
yan
In my opinion, gnu screen is one of the best utilities for unix operating
systems ever written. Not just because of what it lets you do explicitly, but
the way it changes the way a unix system can be used. Using continuously-
running apps in multiplexed windows did wonders for my communications and file
management.

I even remember my screen windows from high school!
(0-user,1-root,2-mutt,3-naim[aim client],4-irssi,5-7-misc) My friends who also
used screen had their own window groups. I also remember my keyboard having
the 'A' key significantly more worn than others.

I have since switched to GUI chat and email apps, but I instantly feel
nostalgic whenever these articles pop up.

~~~
adimit
If you like the semantic nature of these workspace layouts, maybe tiling
window management is for you. Pretty much the same thing as screen in terms of
how windows get arranged. Try [xmonad](<http://xmonad.org>) or
[dwm/wmii](<http://suckless.org>) I find myself using only very few screen
sessions because my WM takes care of most of the work, and only use it for
persistent applications when I need to shut down X or launch irssi on a remote
server, etc.

~~~
moe
ion3 (<http://modeemi.fi/~tuomov/ion/>) should not be missing from that list.

------
strlen
This is great news, finally word is getting out about one of the most useful
utils.

Totally unrelated, but to those who like both emacs and screen, here's a quick
tip: make screen use Ctrl-Z instead of Ctrl-A (and use Ctrl-Z Z when you need
to send a suspend). Put this in your .screenrc:

escape ^zz

~~~
mark_h
Also, have a look at elscreen if you haven't already. Most of the keybindings
are the same (using C-z by default as the prefix), then you can switch between
window configurations easily.

[http://www.morishima.net/~naoto/software/elscreen/index.php....](http://www.morishima.net/~naoto/software/elscreen/index.php.en)
(The tabs can be toggled, if that's a turn-off to anyone)

------
javanix
I'm pretty sure nothing that runs solely in-terminal can ever truly be brought
"to the masses", unfortunately.

New Linux users, even those who are competent within Windows, are just too
intimidated by a CLI.

That said, the simplified config for Screen is pretty nice, especially for
those of us who regard mouse use as a cache-miss.

~~~
w1ntermute
" _"I'm hoping for Karmic that screen-profiles is used ubiquitously on the
server [and] that it becomes as important to the Ubuntu server as Gnome/KDE
are to Ubuntu/Kubuntu," he said during the presentation._ "

I believe this is targeted at system administrators, and not the average
desktop user.

\----------

Edit: as a regular user of Screen, I cannot pass up an opportunity to promote
it. It is most definitely one of the most amazing pieces of software I've ever
used, CLI or not. The ability to run multiple terminals inside a persistent
session is enormously useful.

I not only use it for software development (where split-screening the Screen
session gives me the best development environment I've ever used) but also for
running all kind of other applications. I use rTorrent
(<http://libtorrent.rakshasa.no/>), Irssi (<http://irssi.org/>), ncmpc++
(<http://unkart.ovh.org/ncmpcpp/>) with MPD, and CenterIM
(<http://www.centerim.org/>), all in a Screen session on my always-on desktop,
which lets me turn off my laptop whenever I want without closing any of those
applications.

~~~
tvon
Yeah, I'm a huge screen fan. I think it's probably the most important single
app I ever learned of. There's nothing quite like being able to do attach to a
single screen session from multiple locations, or leaving a heavy duty screen
session running for weeks on end on a remote server. In linux just being able
to log out and back into X without losing the terminal session is very useful
(though I think it fouls up $DISPLAY somehow so starting X apps stops
working).

I actually don't think I've used the splitting feature, I'll have to give it a
whirl.

~~~
w1ntermute
" _I actually don't think I've used the splitting feature, I'll have to give
it a whirl._ "

Make sure you get an SVN build, so that you've got vertical splitting ;)

------
almost
For those who wish their window manager was more like screen I recommend
strongly recommend the ratposion WM.

~~~
silentOpen
Tiling window managers in general are great if you like screen. Awesome and
xmonad are two other prominent tiling WMs.

~~~
twopoint718
I enjoy using xmonad too. It puts you in a very different workflow. Also don't
miss the great list of people's config files:
<http://haskell.org/haskellwiki/Xmonad/Config_archive>

I ended up adopting this one almost without modification:
[http://haskell.org/haskellwiki/Xmonad/Config_archive/Thomas_...](http://haskell.org/haskellwiki/Xmonad/Config_archive/Thomas_ten_Cate's_xmonad.hs)
(warning, for Dvorak keyboard layout)

------
newbcoder
this seems more like eye-candy / reading output from top / reading output from
procfs ... rather than 'advanced features'

------
cturner
"Ubuntu's screen-profiles also offer a simpler set of default keyboard
shortcuts for screen management that are intended to be easier to use and less
likely to conflict with other programs and the user's graphical terminal
program. "

Interesting - this would be a downgrade for me. For a while I used "escape ``"
but have for years used the default of Ctrl+A. This is a pain for most users
because they use emacs mode for the console and find that it gets in the way
of their return-to-start-of-line shortcut. Whereas I did some time on ksh88 a
few years back and now prefer vi mode for the prompt.

Last week I went to a customer site and for the first time met someone

Any theories on why vi is such a popular editor yet so trivial for console?
I've been fluent in -o vi and -o emacs and genuinely think that -o vi is a
better option, but know about the significant learning curve from my own
memories.

I'd like to see tighter application integration with screen - being able to
spawn windows, etc. It would also be nice to have a single hotkey combination
that exactly emulates alt+tab under Windows.

~~~
jrg
well, you can use 'ESC + v' with "vi" editing mode, and I've never found an
equivalent way to use $EDITOR on your command line if you're using "emacs"
editing mode.

~~~
cturner
I think you're responding to my request for screen integration features.
(Understandable from the flow of my disconnected paragraphs). However, I
didn't mean integration with vi specifically.

I mean more like you can do with links browser (I think) where you can get it
to launch a link into a new screen 'tab'. Very cool. The reason I want the
alt+tab is that 0-9 goes quickly and I want to be able to more quickly switch
between windows.

------
mmc
On reading the title, I expected this to be about persistent multiplexed
sessions in the window server. Adding window-dressing to gnu screen is a
strange idea - does the target audience for screen really want this?

~~~
dschobel
The stated purpose is to expand the audience.

Then again, I'm not sure how many terminal junkies out there don't know about
screen or whether a non-terminal junky would care...

------
gcv
Anyone who has a 9.04 install handy: does this just write a modified
.screenrc, or does it somehow refer to those configurations stored elsewhere
and requires a customized screen build?

~~~
nanexcool
It stores the screen profiles in /usr/share/screen-profiles/profiles, and in
your user directory theres a .screen-profiles directory which holds a symbolic
link to the profile you have selected.

------
noamsml
I dunno if I'd call that "advanced". More like "easier to use".

Don't get me wrong. It's nice (I personally disabled it because I want my apps
to take the full terminal).

------
braindead_in
Wish screen-profiles was there in the hardy repository.

~~~
Aleran
It looks like there is a build for hardy in PPA

<https://launchpad.net/~screen-profiles/+archive/ppa>

------
octane
Quite honestly the only thing I use screen for is detaching programs to run
while I am logged out.

I would rather have 10 terminal windows up if I'm simply doing multi tasking
on the command line. It totally makes me feel like the guy from swordfish.

~~~
tutwabee
Allowing a terminal or window manager to manage terminal sessions often feels
more natural.

However, screen is awesome when combined with ssh. Being able to resume an ssh
session exactly where you left it is _very_ useful.

~~~
octane
> terminal sessions

> ssh

These are basically the same thing.

