Command Line VS. GUI - attempted analogy

[Rich Caloggero]

When using a command interpreter, like any of the linux shells, your having
a conversation with the computer.

When using a GUI, you can reach into the machine and manipulate objects
directly, at least that is the intent.

With the command line, your telling the computer what to do and the computer
tells you the results of your action. In a GUI envoronment, your
manipulating objects directly, with no intermediator.

These are distinctly different approaches, and each has its strengths and
weaknesses. As another example, consider text editing. When using ed or any
command-line editor, you tell the computer what you want to do and it
responds. Think of how different this is from a full-screen editor like
emacs or notepad. You might say ed is more powerful, but the editing
features of emacs are comparable. They just *feel* completely different.
Consider teaching your sighted colleague how to use ed, especially a younger
person who may not have ever seen such a beast.

                    Rich

----- Original Message -----
From: "Dave Hunt <" <dave.hunt2 at verizon.net>
To: <speakup at braille.uwo.ca>
Sent: 21 May, 2002 9:51 PM
Subject: Re: in defense of the command line


Hello,

For many of these commands, like "ls", you can do a "--help" option,
to get usage instructions.  Don't forget the ever-popular "man".

If a command reported no errors, it succeeded.

-Dave

Octavian Rasnita writes:
 > Hi, thanks. Nice explanation.
 > I am not intimidate  by the command lines. I am frightened by the idea of
 > breaking something.
 > Maybe I type rm fILE instead of rm File and I could delete another file.
And
 > I don't know the undelete command.
 > The most used command by me is pwd, to be sure that I am in the right
 > directory, and ls, to see the files from there.
 > The other problem I have is that I don't remember very easy the
parameters.
 > I usually remember  the command name but I can't remember if I should use
 > the -L parameter or the -l parameter.
 > I've seen that for some commands, the same parameter make the same thing,
 > but for other commands that parameter make another thing.
 > If I remember well, it is the case of -R parameter, but I don't remember
 > exactly in what commands makes what.
 > In some commands, it means Recursive in the directory tree, but  in other
 > commands, it means another thing.
 >
 > Another problem, and maybe here I can make something to  improve, is that
 > after I give a command like sync, it doesn't tell me if the command was
 > successfully or not, and I don't know what to do.
 > I typed that command from another account than root, and it didn't tell
me
 > anything. It didn't tell me if the command  was successfully or not or if
I
 > have the right to type that command from another account than root.