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View Full Version : Command Line or GUI Debate



dolphinsonar
November 22nd, 2006, 08:56 AM
There has been a lot of back and fourth as to which is better, the command line or GUI. The answer is almost too easy, both.

The GUI is good because it is intuative. For learning a new program it is good, because you can just look at it, and figure out how to use the thing.

The command line is better for when you already know how to use a program, and don't want to "pump the mouse" to get it to do what you want it to do.

Ideally all programs would have both so you can test out a program, then if you end up using it on a daily basis, you can get down to using the command line to shorten your tasks that you use most frequently. Later down the line you might even say, write a script, that will run a string of commands for you (isn't that what computers are for anyway?) so that you don't have to go through the steps each and every time.

The hang up is when advanced users expect newbies to just "be tough" and use the command line. That is no way to get people to take on the fun and exctiting challenge of switching to a GNU/Linux system like Ubuntu.

We need to address peoples needs at all levels of experience and all ability levels. If you have low vision, you need high contrast. If you have very little experience, you need a very intuitive GUI to guide you through operations. With a little experience, lots of people will see the benefits of the command line (and learning programming) if they are nurtured and given the chance.

Help a man to fish. ;)

rbalfour
November 22nd, 2006, 09:36 AM
This is one of those silly debates. Just like Gnome/KDE/Flux.
Commandline vs GUI is a moot point in the world of Linux.

Freedom of choice. I enjoy using the commandline and GUI. Quite happy that alot of Linux apps have the choice, many of my deployments have no X windows, on the desktop at 3 am , I prefer to point and click.

So be FREE and use what suits you.