Olin Lathrop wrote:

> Gerhard Fiedler wrote:
>> But for quite a while now, I've added web searches to my tool box.
>> When I can't find something quickly in the "official" documentation,
>> I search for it with my favorite search engine. Usually it doesn't
>> take long to find the answer (if there is one).
> 
> But that's only if you know to ask.  

Of course. But I repeatedly explained that all the recent doubts here
about cmd.exe could be resolved by using the exact terms of the doubt;
no further knowledge was necessary. In all the examples I cited, the
result was one of the top links in Google using very naive terms, like
"cmd.exe delayed environment variable extension" or "cmd.exe output to
environment variable".

I know that you know to ask these questions; it just didn't occur to
you, for whatever reason, to do so. 


> For example, from a first glance at the documentation there is no
> obvious way to get the output of a program into a shell variable. 
> You look at the SET command, maybe look for "assign", etc.  When you
> don't find it, you conclude it can't be done, [...]

No, I don't. After I've spent a few minutes with the documentation and
have concluded that it sucks, I turn to Google and have the answer (to
these questions) in a few more seconds.


>> none by Microsoft, though, but I don't care so much where I get my
>> info from :)
> 
> I do care.  Any idiot can put up a web page, and all too often they
> do.

Sure they do, but I didn't say I don't care about the quality of the
page. It's quite easy in this case to verify the information. You don't
seem to "get" what I'm talking about -- or you're trying to put a stinky
red herring under our noses :)

Example 1: Say I want to enable the delayed expansion under program
control. I don't find anything about it in the docs. I turn to Google,
find the information, throw it back at the Microsoft documentation, see
it confirmed, and try it out.

Example 2: Say I want to capture program output into a variable. I don't
find anything about it in the docs. I turn to ... (apply the above; you
should get the idea).


As you say, most of the time Microsoft documentation is correct, you
just need to know where to look for it. This is where Google is quite
valuable, and it's for one not so difficult to distinguish a complete
bozo post from a page that has useful information, and for another it's
also quite easy most of the time to confirm this newly found tidbit with
actual Microsoft information -- now that you know what to search for in
it. No cmd.exe jockey license needed for any of this.

Gerhard
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