Highlights of selected applications


On the CDE window system, most BIRCH programs can be launched from the Molecular Biology submenu of the Workspace menu. Simply hold down the right mouse button on the workspace (background) area of the screen and drag right on "Molecular Biology":

The one problem with launching molecular biology applications form this menu, rather than the command line, is that when launched from the menu, the default working directory is your home directory. Since most molecular biology tasks are complex enough to merit specific subdirectories for each project, this can result in a lot of "clicking through directories". In contrast, when you launch an application from the command line, the working directory is the directory you were in at that time. In particular, GDE creates numerous temporary files and directories. If launched from the Molecular Biology menu, GDE may forget to delete some of these files or directories, or may not be able to find files it needs. Therefore, GDE has been deliberately omitted from the Molecular Biology menu.


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