Is there anyone....

[Hyperblaze]

still intimiated by the command line?

I've met people who are terrified by the command line. They don't know what to type, and refuse to learn anything which might actually save them a lot of time

I'm somewhat biased, having grown up in DOS. Never could let it go. Knowledge was power.

 

[VinDSL]

I prefer CLI, but...

I'm as lazy as the next person and will you a wizard (for want of a different word) when available.

What pisses me off is when I can't use CLI - like I can't remember a command.

For instance, at work, somehow the ScreenSaver tab disappeared from the Display menu (XP machine). I could probably fix this easily via CLI, if I had the time to Google the command, but I didn't - so, I went into the Registry and reset it - which is half wizard and half CLI.

OMG!!! Did that freak ppl out! "Dude, what are you doing? I wrecked my computer using that!"

Anyway, different strokes...

 

[nerp]

A lot of people never need to use commandline nor is it essential to know how to deal with it to use a computer these days, so I can understand why people would feel uncomfortable with it. It's the kind of thing you don't really need to learn.

 

[degibson]

GUIs and CLIs are just interfaces. In that sense they are equivalent. Maybe CLIs are 'scarier' than GUIs, because they force correct spelling and don't have an animated paperclip to help you, but those considerations are really more important to human psychology than to computer operation. I tend to opt for whatever interface is going to be most productive for me for a given task. E.g.:
* Copy a bunch of files? CLI
* Run MP3 Player? GUI
* Compile code? CLI
* Browse Web? GUI

 

[lxskllr]

I'm not afraid of it, but I find it tedious. I'm very visually oriented, and it's easier for me to remember where things are based on menu structure, and icons.

 

[Diz2K2]

I'm not afraid of it. If needed, you do what you have to do but ultimately I like the GUI.

 

[MedicBob]

I prefer the GUI but have enough CLI hacking skills to get me into trouble.

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: degibson
GUIs and CLIs are just interfaces. In that sense they are equivalent...

True!

I ran a computer in a manufacturing facility, for years. It was a VAX DEC mainframe, with DEC VT220 terminals.

It was quite a setup! The computer itself operated in a temperature controlled environment, far away from the action - in a clean room kept at 52 degress, if I remember correctly. It was programmed by MIT and solid as a rock!

EVERYTHING was done from CLI. LoL! There was no GUI interface - just a little ASCII art, here and there.

I *think* most ppl associate CLI with serious business, like manipulating the operating system, and THIS is what intimidates them, e.g. the possibility of breaking their OS. However, with some systems CLI is SOP, and easy to use (with a cheat sheet).

However, you're right. CLI is just an interface, and nothing to be afraid of...

 

[Rhonda the Sly]

The thing about command lines is that you need to know commands before you get started. You can't jump into an open window and figure it out like you can with GUIs. Compare diskpart to disk management GUI.

A lot of people can't figure out UIs (Windows or Mac), obviously CLI would be out of the question.