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ian

@ ian @feddit.uk

Posts
1
Comments
155
Joined
3 yr. ago

  • Is it possible to use Linux without the command line?

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  • I use the Plasma app store Discover to update, upgrade, install and uninstall apps. Everything is easy. Even unpacking files and permissions are easy in the file manager. No need for CLI as I'm a home PC user.

  • Is it possible to use Linux without the command line?

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  • The CLI is not faster for everyone. Especially non IT users who don't know any of the options and would have to search the web every time. And there are so many commands the CLI is useless at. Graphics and presentations a big fail. And few people use CLI for email or spreadsheets.

    GUI users have a chance to work out how to use a new GUI 99% of the time, as it is all familiar. No exact syntax to type perfectly or it will fail. On other occasions, web help tells you where an option or command is. There is no need to entirety change the way you work, just for a few times when learning new software.

  • Is it possible to use Linux without the command line?

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  • Depends what you are doing on Windows. I've never needed the command line.

  • Is it possible to use Linux without the command line?

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  • The CLI has lots of hurdles. Such having a blank screen with no prompts. Where the GUI shows the options you have. And 1 click to set the option. And how to unset the option is obvious. You only need to half remember a feature. Not precisely memorise and type command exactly or it will fail. Or worse, delete something you need. The GUI is preferred by the vast majority for good reason.

  • Is it possible to use Linux without the command line?

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  • Yes. I've been using Linux for over 10 years without touching the command line. I used Ubuntu up to Unity, then switched to Kubuntu and Plasma. I'm not in IT, so I don't need IT stuff. It all works by GUI. People who haven't tried it might say it's not possible. But they are not speaking from experience. Some others, not interested usability, don't understand why GUIs are so successful and dominant. Which is absolutely fine, as long as they don't try think they are suddenly knowledgeable in usability, and have tried 10+ years of GUI only.

  • Is it possible to use Linux without the command line?

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  • The Registry Editor is a GUI that doesn't rely on memorising commands. This is home territory for users. A tree to navigate, similar to a file manager is very familiar. Even the first time. Just give me the path. It is also easy to work out how to edit entries, and to revert changes. Sure, you might not like the looks of it. But it lies in the 'normal' world. Not in some strange world. People not into usability sometimes don't get that.

  • toxic help forum

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  • Some were complaining GIMPs text and shapes were hard to use. I put text on images in Inkscape. Inkscape is ideal for that, having all the tools to use on top of a pasted image.

  • toxic help forum

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  • Yes. Pinta and Paint.net are often the best solution for lots of tasks. They will need help too.

    GIMP has come from nothing just on donations. As I can get results as good as PS very quickly, that is quite a feat. And soon v3 will be out with more goodies.

  • toxic help forum

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  • Gimp isn't perfect. But neither is Photoshop. In fact Lightroom users grizzle that Photoshop is so much harder to use than Lightroom. It's a different animal.

    I use Pinta or Paint.Net when I want a quick edit. But Gimp has the tools for serious editing. More tools, more hard to use.

    Some Gimp things, yes! should be improved. And other things are being improved as we speak. And some things can be done on a photo much easier in Inkscape.

    I hope the whiners donated to Gimp development? No? Then just please step back, and think for a bit. If thinking is too hard, then just take a deep breath.

  • Can You Use Linux Without the Terminal? (How to Geek article)

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  • Terrible usability will be the right term, if someone suggests applying one type of UI to an inappropriate situation/user/task. Such suggestions sadly seem to happen a lot in the Linux space. And saying CLI is easier is a sweeping proclamation. Whereas I've avoided making sweeping proclamations, repeatedly describing the many cases where CLI is poor. Usability analysis needs to know about the user and the situation. It's not one size fits all.

    I've used various command line systems a lot in the past.

    I'm saying it's more productive for many to invest in extending learning their home environment than learning a completely unfamiliar and inappropriate environment.

  • Can You Use Linux Without the Terminal? (How to Geek article)

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  • I launch favourite commands with 2 clicks. Once on the App launcher button, and once on the App itself. My hand is on the mouse anyway. So it's fast. Way faster than typing a whole bunch of characters. For less used apps It's 3 clicks as I'd open a category like "Media" or "Games". And doing that, I get to see what I have in there. This builds up a picture in the users head for future use. Learning "Add to favourites" is time well spent. It can even be called "Pin to Start" or "Bookmark on Launcher" it doesn't matter. You don't need to memorise that exactly like the CLI. And right-clicking things is already second nature to huge numbers of users.

    So I have no incentive to use text commands. It's not faster. My hand is on the mouse for my apps anyway. And the CLI has terrible usability, via poor learnability, zero tolerance, and poor visual feedback. And completely useless for most things I do, like working with 3D models, images or drawings. I'm not a "text-worker" like IT tend to be. Plus, I want more non-IT people to use Linux, so discovering the easy ways to do things can help spread the word to them.

    For me it would be like stepping off a high-speed train and walking over uneven ground instead.

  • Can You Use Linux Without the Terminal? (How to Geek article)

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  • Memorising does not need to be precise with a GUI, as you are given visual cues and can see the next step to click. You don't need to remember precisely every letter or it fails. You don't even need to remember the name of an application. The desktop app launcher shows you which apps you have installed. I often pin apps to favourites as a reminder. Some Appimage apps don't appear in the launcher. I forget I have them installed and they don't get used.

    Differences between Desktop Environments are easily found when you change. As GUIs are in many users comfort zone. We use them all the time. People know their home environment, and differences need only just that discovering. Not a whole new environment.

  • Can You Use Linux Without the Terminal? (How to Geek article)

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  • For many people it's not quicker or easier. If they've not used CLI before, they'd need to learn multiple new things. Going to a Web browser for help every time, before doing something is not quick. Memorising precise command strings that mean nothing to the user, is not easy for many either. For them it's bad usability.

  • Can You Use Linux Without the Terminal? (How to Geek article)

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  • It's better to learn how to do it in your own environment, than having to learn a whole new strange environment. Especially one that is not user friendly, with poor visual feedback, intolerant of any mistype, and requiring memorising.

  • Can You Use Linux Without the Terminal? (How to Geek article)

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  • Yes. I've been using Ubuntu and now Kubuntu for about 12 years and I don't use the CLI. I don't play computer maintenance guy, so don't need any weird hacks. I just use my applications, which all have GUIs. I don't need the CLI despite people telling me I need to use it. They have never tried GUI only. So they don't know what they are talking about. The next lot, who typically have no idea about usability, tell me I'm missing out on something. But it's always something I've never needed. If I were to use the CLI, I would need to spend ages researching not just some command, but a whole lot of other concepts that I have no clue about, only to forget it all if I ever need that again. So not as fast as people claim. Luckily, Desktop Environment developers know this and put a lot of effort into making them user friendly. They understand usability. And that different users have different needs.

  • Here's How to Declutter Your Google Search Results (And Make It Your Default)

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  • Ecosia search. For the trees. Think of the trees.

  • someone tell them

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  • GUIs, even the Registry Editor, are familiar territory for a lot of users. Give them a blank screen cli, and there is no hint of what to do next. There are good reasons why the vast majority clearly prefer GUIs.

  • Ads in the Start Menu

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  • I blame the Linux gatekeepers, keeping people on Windows. By pushing out misinformation to Linux newbies who ask a question online, and scaring them away.

  • Get drunk, not high at Oktoberfest, Bavaria says

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  • Yes. Oktoberfest is enjoyable if you drink at a measured pace and avoid crowded weekends. Guzzling lots of beer quickly means you'll miss all the fun, and you could guzzle beer anywhere for less money. Adding cannabis to an already tricky evening will not help you enjoy the event. Security for families and visitors is already currently very tricky. They do an amazing job keeping it going as it is. I also like the Munich local village and town beerfests. No crowds, no problem getting tables, and lots of tradition. Sadly the Munich Spring beerfest now gets as crowded as the Oktoberfest. The Dachau beerfest needs reservations too. But the rest are great.