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NOT_A_LINUX_EXPERT
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I just feel like I have to get this off my programmer's chest:
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     "I am *not* a LINUX expert !"
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I'm honestly not a LINUX expert. Most days, I actually feel
 kind of "small" and somewhat "stupid" dealing with LINUX.
 I have to spend hours using "help" and "man". To try to puzzle
 out my next move I want to SHELL out.
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I have watched a few videos introducing the 
 "be a LINUX expert in X # of days"? various courses?
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Meh.
I finally decided, If I wait until I have 'x ability w/LINUX'
 before I make my move(s) I want to make? It will never happen.
 So... figured what the hell, I'll just do it anyways. I mean,
 I'm not *programming* in "LINUX", I am *programming* in QB64
 (where I am comfortable and expressive).
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A trusted personal "mentor" remarked off-hand that I should 
 "cut my teeth" with some graphics and mouse routines in QB64;
 doing a few fun games...
 Hey, a half a dozen games and look where we are now.
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NOTE: I need to begin assembling a "credits" list.
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Anyways, I once saw a Linus Torvalds interview. I mean go figure,
 right? and Linus himself is saying things like (paraphrasing):
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     "no, I'm not a Linux *expert* or anything...
      ...I simply wrote the first KERNEL, and I work
      on KERNEL stuff. I have to email people sometimes
      to figure out where something is or how to set it."
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and Linus went on to describe "his" version of LINUX that "he"
 likes and uses.
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SO... that did it for me, in a way.
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I just realize I am never again going to be the CP/M command
 line "hero"; I won't be the DOS commander either. I can be
 as talented a programmer as I think I can be, but...
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apparently it is my lot in life? That I should know the
 "humility" of being a c-o-m-p-l-e-t-e "muggles" with my OS.
 I honestly and truly have about no idea what's really going
 on under the hood in Linux.
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I cut and paste examples into the terminal window, to try to
 figure out how to do something. When something "works"? IE,
 the redirect > file has something close to what I want?
 cool... save *that*.
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sometimes, I can actually find the "-switches" in the HELP or
 MAN and decipher some of them.
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I don't "get" whatever it is that I am "missing", I mean in
 general. It feels as if... I don't know... 
 DOS and CP/M were glued together, and some third "DOS-like"
 entity is in there as well...
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PROGAMMING EXAMPLE:
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great example, my cryptology software.
 Now, I just *know* there is this...
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 (file/device/driver/program/bashed thingy/*whatever*)
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called "RANDOM()" and another called "URANDOM()".
 I know where they are; I know they are "char" device hikkies;
 I know they will "hand out" bytes like halloween candy,
 as many or as few as I want.
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if... its a "special file", why cant I just open the
 fucking file like any other text file in any other programming
 language I feel like, and read some bytes. It... MAKES BYTES...
 I.. WANT those BYTES...
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Go online. 87 other people, across 16 different FORUMS...
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we *all* can't figure out how to... "adulting in LINUX" I guess.
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I finally find one thread, some dude wants RANDOM or URANDOM
 chars like me. He gets 17 initial responses. Pick your command,
 because everyone is using a totally different command.
 Well thats not 100 percent fair; there are 4 different
 COMMANDS, but, 2 people using the same command? will use
 all, and i emphasize A-L-L different "-switches".
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what I can NOT solve with elegance? 
I CAN solve with BRUTE FORCE
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I autistically cut&paste all 12 "I pick these ones..."
 one at a time, into a terminal window.
 There are two different terminal windows on MINT;
 I would try both of those as well.
 Did I mention I don't know what the hell I am doing, but I
 can do it slowly?
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*some* of the 12 cut and pastes, actually do something.
*some* of the 12 cut and pastes, do nothing.
*some* of the 12 cut and pastes, make errors.
*several* of the 12 cut and pastes, > a file.
*a couple* actually put characters in the file.
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in the end? TWO of them, for lack of a better word...
 actually "work". They make a > file, and they put into it
 characters that are what I expect.
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of those two, ONE of them I seem to be able to actually, again
 I use this word hesitantly, I seem to be able to "control" it
 by adjusting the "-switches" for what I want.
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the other one? we... we can't get on the 
               same wavelength today.
(yet, you obviously seem like a really cool command.
 maybe we will meet again in one of these blind-mans-bluff
 episodes.)
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NOW, many hours later, I have something resembling the
 (beginnings of) a SHELL command, that I can assemble by $STRING
 manipulation, and... *finally* get as many characters as I
 want on demand in my program.
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I about obviously need to be paired up with... *someone*
 I just haven't been assigned someone yet.
 Job's open.
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