On Thu, 2007-07-05 at 12:58 +0930, Tim wrote: > Tim: > >> LOL... But that makes you do all the work, *it's* the bloody > >> computer. > > Les Mikesell: > > How much work is it to type a 2 character command? > > But that's not it, is it? It's far more than typing in a command. > Typing ls, or mv, doesn't get me anywhere. I have to cd to where the > files are, probably do mkdir a few times with a cd or two thrown in. > I've got to come up with a sane wildcard to move a collection of files, > or individually list a slew of files with no commonalities between them, > type in paths to move them too, ad infinitum. > > Anybody who suggests that using the command line is far less work than > using a GUI has never used a decent GUI-based file manager. A GUI tool > is about the only way to easily move arbitrary files about. The fact > that Linux has crap GUI file tools, in general, doesn't make the CLI > superior in itself. > > -- Actually GUI's exist because programmers hated writing the code necessary for command line commands to be properly recognized, have decent error messages and other support tasks. By handcuffing the interface to a "GUI" they limit input, restrict user options and only offer the user what they think is required. That is why Microsoft loved it. I still back out to the command line for bulk tasks, because I can write a script and have a whole sequence of things done in a single command. And where it is something done frequently I can work for a few minutes to create a script that will do it all automatically and even do it as a timed or periodic job if I choose. It is not that you cannot do this with a GUI, but that GUI's generally don't give you too many options, thus make it difficult to occasionally get the exact options in play that you wanted. Also the GUI itself is slow, and therefore for large tasks means that the horsepower you paid for is doing cute things with screen displays rather than doing the work you need done. However I do use a GUI for email (it is a simple, well understood task and has been pretty well thought out, and the gui works OK for that type of very repetitive task where everyone needs the same subset of the computer's power. I also like GUI development platforms if I am doing developement for a computer task for non computer literate folks. Given my druthers, though I would give them a button that invokes a script. And I am not alone in that. TCL and TK came out of that desire by other programmers. Most system Admin types I know use CLI because it prevents some holes that could potentially give others access to the systems. If you run a GUI as root, you are opening lots of paths into the system, even on UNIX and Linux. As a Windows user, at least up to XP, you were probably at root access level, so running the GUI opened the system in lots of ways. This is one of the reasons that there are so many Virus and Worm attacks on Windows systems. It is easier in that form of environment. Regards, Les H
