Comments on: Wither the command line http://spatialgalaxy.net/2008/02/03/wither-the-command-line/ Exploring the Realms of GIS and Other Stuff Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:18:22 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 hourly 1 By: Tim Bowden http://spatialgalaxy.net/2008/02/03/wither-the-command-line/comment-page-1/#comment-24211 Tim Bowden Sat, 16 Feb 2008 08:39:26 +0000 http://spatialgalaxy.net/2008/02/03/wither-the-command-line/#comment-24211 When you know what you're doing, nothing beats the cli. A gui is great when you're head scratching because you really don't know what to do next, and want to explore the options presented. For a cheeky view, consider "windows uses a gui and linux a cli for the same reason children's books have pictures." On second thoughts, perhaps that's not so cheeky. When you understand the words, you don't need the pictures. When you don't understand the words, you do need the pictures. When you know what you’re doing, nothing beats the cli. A gui is great when you’re head scratching because you really don’t know what to do next, and want to explore the options presented.

For a cheeky view, consider “windows uses a gui and linux a cli for the same reason children’s books have pictures.” On second thoughts, perhaps that’s not so cheeky. When you understand the words, you don’t need the pictures. When you don’t understand the words, you do need the pictures.

]]> By: TimB http://spatialgalaxy.net/2008/02/03/wither-the-command-line/comment-page-1/#comment-23343 TimB Tue, 05 Feb 2008 15:21:45 +0000 http://spatialgalaxy.net/2008/02/03/wither-the-command-line/#comment-23343 Using a command line is a dieing skill. I will never forget the college graduate we hired who came to me unable to use PERL. His complaint was that "it just flashed when he double-clicked on the executable". Thus I have coined a new term for these users - the Nintendo Pointy-Clicky Generation. I constantly have to negotiate with our internal tools group to allow me a way to automate processes via the command line rather than the laborious yet very pretty and colorful GUI. Both the GUI and command line have their advantages. It is unfortunate that the skill of using the command line is waning. Using a command line is a dieing skill. I will never forget the college graduate we hired who came to me unable to use PERL. His complaint was that “it just flashed when he double-clicked on the executable”. Thus I have coined a new term for these users – the Nintendo Pointy-Clicky Generation. I constantly have to negotiate with our internal tools group to allow me a way to automate processes via the command line rather than the laborious yet very pretty and colorful GUI.

Both the GUI and command line have their advantages. It is unfortunate that the skill of using the command line is waning.

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