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   Anil Dash (anildash@me.dm)'s status on Saturday, 25-Oct-2025 07:10:43 JST Anil Dash

   LOL I stepped away from Mastodon for a couple hours and everybody is VERY MAD that I made jokes about CLIs. I use them every day, guys, it's gonna be okay. I promise I did not hurt Zork's feelings. It is, however, a factual statement that CLIs are not discoverable user interfaces and they are a poor choice for mainstream audiences; this debate was settled long ago.

   • Embed this notice
     Janne Moren (jannem@fosstodon.org)'s status on Sunday, 26-Oct-2025 01:43:23 JST Janne Moren

     in reply to

     • Steve Leach

     @stevenaleach @anildash
     I use CLIs every day and have been for 40+ years. I also teach how to use the CLI and I support beginners and advanced users alike.

     And while it is powerful - and, arguably, necessary in my field - the CLI also sucks.

     There's no discoverability. Users live in constant fear they will break something and never even notice.

     The CLI is fine *as a complement* to a GUI. Lean into its strengths. But it was never a viable interface for computing in general.

   • Embed this notice
     Anil Dash (anildash@me.dm)'s status on Sunday, 26-Oct-2025 01:43:23 JST Anil Dash

     in reply to

     • Janne Moren
     • Steve Leach

     @jannem @stevenaleach I think that’s exactly it

   • Embed this notice
     Steve Leach (stevenaleach@sigmoid.social)'s status on Sunday, 26-Oct-2025 01:43:25 JST Steve Leach

     in reply to

     @anildash We *used* to have *documentation* and things didn't have to be "discoverable".

   • Embed this notice
     Anil Dash (anildash@me.dm)'s status on Monday, 27-Oct-2025 03:16:29 JST Anil Dash

     in reply to

     • synlogic4242

     @synlogic4242 there is a lot of research on this! It’s easy enough to test, hand someone an iPhone and a Linux prompt and ask them to send you a photo

   • Embed this notice
     synlogic4242 (synlogic4242@social.vivaldi.net)'s status on Monday, 27-Oct-2025 03:16:30 JST synlogic4242

     in reply to

     @anildash that is *not* a fact, btw. CLIs are no less discoverable than GUIs. both CLIs and GUIs can be designed with newb-friendly and newb-unfriendly features. I've personally designed, built, shipped many of both kinds for 40 years.

     I'll shutup on this point, now. but I saw "someone wrong on the Internet" and had to chime in, per XKCD. :-)