Wrap Up

After reading this chapter, you should have a general understanding of the Command Prompt and how you can tweak it to best suit your needs. Even though the Command Prompt is meant expressly for typing, most of the chunks here focused on how to type less. Entire books have been written on actual use of the Command environment to manage computers and computer networks. Some of them will actually keep you awake. If that's your aim, I recommend the following as a starting place:

• In the Beginning...was the Command Line, by Neal Stephenson (Perennial, 1999and just about anything else by Neal Stephenson while you're at it)

• The Secrets of Windows Command Prompts Exposed, by Joseph Jassey (Trafford Publishing, 2003)

• Microsoft Windows Command-Line Administrator's Pocket Consultant, by William R. Stanek (Microsoft Press, 2004)

I also showed you some "power user" tasks and techniques that will help you use the computer more effectively. Some of these techniques may even influence your operating system purchase decision. Now that you know about Offline Files, for example, I'll bet that XP Professional will be a significant consideration when it's time to get a new laptop. I know I wouldn't get a new laptop unless it came with XP Pro.

Besides, most users don't like to type anyway. They like to click. And in the next chapter, we'll move from a discussion of typing less into one about clicking less. The next chapter will give you some powerful insight about how to manipulate commonly used XP components like Windows Explorer, right-click context menus, and the Recycle Bin, all in an effort to speed up your work. After all, that's what this book is all about: it shows you ways to keep you working at your computer, not on your computer.