I may seem like a Linux Evangelist, a post after another about Linux again. Ok, hopefully tomorrow I’ll something different but I’ll try to make my point brief here.
Screen
- a terminal multiplexor with VT100/ANSI terminal emulation
- screen manager with VT100/ANSI terminal emulation
Firefox
- lightweight web browser based on Mozilla
- a Web browser for X11 derived from the Mozilla browser
(descriptions shown from aptitude and man respectively).
What’s the difference?
Screen is mainly text based while Firefox is graphical.
The similarities I observe.
Firefox has tabs, Screen has multiple / multiplexed shells in a single terminal / window.
Firefox 2 (or with Session Extension) can restore sessions, Screen can detach/attach/resume running sessions
IMHO, Screen will be the thing you want for remote shell administration or monitor processes, in a shell-based, vi/e-macs text style interface.
I recommend these articles for further reading on screen.
http://www.rackaid.com/resources/tips/linux-screen.cfm
http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/6340
http://gentoo-wiki.com/TIP_Using_screen
(If you want more graphical, search x11vnc, vino, freenx)
As a last fun tip, I apply a technique taught by my piano teacher on the computer keyboard. Extension the thumb to depress more than 1 key at the same time. I use Alt-Win-Tab for All-Workspaces-Circular-Task-Switcher.
There is a screen on:
85.http.Zz (Detached)
1 Socket in /var/run/screen/See-ya.
Why are you comparing apples and oranges?
Firefox is a browser, screen allows you to do system commands, and creates a “virtual shell”, where you can detech form, and pick up where you left off.
m1ke: Maybe I wasn’t clear in my posts. I know there are like apples and oranges but my point was that there were simlarties between them. Eg, both allow you to continue from your previous sessions. Don’t you love eating both apple and oranges too?