Why is there no platform independent way of clearing a terminal?

[Mark Lawrence]

On 01/08/2010 12:10, Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote:
> In message<mailman.1383.1280649150.1673.python-list at python.org>, Mark
> Lawrence wrote:
>
>> On 01/08/2010 08:18, Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote:
>>
>>> In message<mailman.1382.1280646210.1673.python-list at python.org>, Mark
>>> Lawrence wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 01/08/2010 07:50, Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> In message<mailman.1381.1280643817.1673.python-list at python.org>, Mark
>>>>> Lawrence wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Personally I find double clicking on an msi file rather easier.
>>>>>
>>>>> Easier than apt-get dist-upgrade?
>>>>
>>>> I'm sorry but I only do English, could you please translate. :)
>>>
>>> I run Debian Unstable, which has new goodies coming out on a weekly
>>> basis. The last time I checked for updates, there were over 500 packages
>>> I had installed for which updates were available. It only took a command
>>> like the above to upgrade them all.
>>>
>>> How many .msi files would you have to click on to achieve the Windows
>>> equivalent?
>>
>> ... I simply couldn't cope with over 500 installed packages.
>
> Precisely my point. Go back to playing with your .msi toys.
>
> Oh, and<http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/1995-06-24/>.

Repeating what was obviously deliberately snipped.

"No idea, but your mental capacity is clearly infinitely higher than 
mine, as I simply couldn't cope with over 500 installed packages.  What 
do they all do, make your lunch and fetch the beer from the fridge 
amongst other things?"

How does any user or an admin cope with 500 packages?  Can Python help 
here, assume an eight hour working day?

c:\Python31\Lib>python
Python 3.1.2 (r312:79149, Mar 21 2010, 00:41:52) [MSC v.1500 32 bit 
(Intel)] on win32
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
 >>> 8*60*60/500
57.6

So every working day you have 57.6 seconds to use each package. 
Strangely I don't think anyone will get too much done.  Am I in cloud 
cuckoo land or are you?

As it happens, I'm also not a windows fan, did most of my work on VMS. 
Which to repeat myself stands for Very Much Safer.  Thinking of which 
did *nix ever get around to providing proper clustering, or does VMS 
still rule?

Mark Lawrence.