Hi, everybody Recently, a guy noticed that I was using it and asked why? For me it because in Linux many things are done through the terminal because Linux has many different desktop environments
He also compared terminal commands with cheat codes in GTA and other games, he understands what benefits you take from them, but not from terminal commands
Because app manager doesn’t work well. And there are the feedback on terminal that tell you about missing dependencies or broken packages…The fact you get those verbose log help for doing web research and solve lot problems. On GUI installing app isn’t well done : it’s slow, they don’t tell you what they are doing nor why it fail.
The only limitation of terminal is when you want to work with file system. I need to see the tree and typing ls -a everytime isn’t efficient. Example, i’m doing a git clone on a server throught ssh. But i have no way to know its structure and check if i downloaded it in the correct directory. I need a visual that tell me this folder is here, has those writing permission, is a tar archive… So i use both : filezilla and terminal, gui and cli. In fact, they are both very useful, so there no point comparing gui and cli, they both serve well their purpose.
I’m using CLI and GUI. For example, if i want to chose the correct keyboard and check its mapping : gui. If i want to add sources and its gpg key : app manager gui. There is no way i would enjoy typing this huge command line with flags from my mind, and i do lot mistype. Or installing the stack lamp ? on windows it was amazing and faster than linux. next, next, done.
For filesystems I have another gripe: if I move a file to another directory and I want to swap to the directory I just copied the stuff to I have to enter the whole path again…
It’s very fast and nearly always gives me the results I want without extra bullshit. For example using bc or qalc to do a quick unit conversion vs launching a calculator app for the same purpose.
I use the terminal in a variety of circumstances (like working on Node.js and other programming projects) where there is either no good GUI alternative or using a CLI is actually faster. I’ve been using computers since 1989 and my first operating system was MS-DOS, so the thought of using a CLI when necessary doesn’t bother me.
Nice choice. Try to stick to the standard repository, kinda like the Play store on android.
I believe Mint tries to have minimal dependence on the command line. But usually it’s easier to help others solve problems with the command line since that is easier to write out than how to click through menus. So don’t let it scare you too much.
The internet is a friendlier place now, at least in the linux help-o-sphere. People don’t let others post destructive “lessons” for people to learn anymore.
That was comment I wrote in a thread about distro recommendations. I think it provides a context in which CL has a clear advantage over GUI.
If you know how to use git, you will know how to use docker (provided you know what you want to do). They are completely different programs, yet you can quickly grasp the other instinctively.
Now, Photoshop and Blender - they are also different programs, but if you know Photoshop, you still need to relearn Blender’s interface completely.
This is why I prefer terminal programs in general. Unless it’s more convenient to use GUi, i.e. Drag&Drop file manager, some git tools etc.
I think about it like a tree structure for both. With a gui you have to move your mouse around to various places, with a cli each character branches off into another tree. Mathematically you can handle more options faster with a CLI.
I can use Fish’s history to jog my brain on actions I don’t quite remember. Remembering a sequence of screen menus to click thru is often much more tedious & error-prone. And when you have a commonly repeated process, it’s trivial to script because shell scripts are, well, scripts for that terminal shell.
Also the terminals applications are hella portable. I can use ssh/mosh over the network & have a similar or exact environment as my main PC on a remote box. vi was always a good enough editor.
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