That's the silliest justification of GUI I've ever read. I seriously doubt you need my joint, you seem to have a more than adequate supply of your own.
By command line language I mean a scripting language you can use on the command line, for e.g. I use ipython as my system shell which lets me use the full expressive power of python at the command line. Bash script is pretty powerful as well though it's a little awkward for more complex tasks. So the command line language is Turing complete and if you take the time to learn it as well as you learn a human language (and it's a lot easier to do) you will realize just what I'm talking about. Know any Turing complete GUIs?
As for using new applications...the only reason you find new GUI applications easier is because you haven't taken the time to really use a commandline and you seem to work in windows...
I'm not going to get into a "proof by example" fight with you. If you want to argue about the relative merits of two user interface paradigms, examples aren't going to cut it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by alex_d
P.S. kovigdoyal... command-line is like talking to the computer? Pass me your joint. Even if i play along, (and the analogy is rather apt), using the command-line is more like trying to speak a backward language you barely know and that no one is teaching you. Some phrases you've memorized in entirety, a number of sentences you can piece together, but for the majority of syntax you have to stop and take out a stupid dictionary. But that only works if you already know what you want to say.
No matter how good you claim you are at unix or dos, you're still extremely fundamentally limited (although you probably don't realize it, because you do know how to do what you know how to do). With a GUI, though, I can open up any program I have never used in my life and get things done. More importantly, I actually do this every week because it's easy and convenient. In programs i've used for a long time it's easier to venture out and explore functionality i've previously overlooked. With the command-line, the more you use a program the less chance you're going to learn how to use it any differently (to say nothing of switching to a different program that does the same thing better). That's why command-line tools are still the same as they were 20 years ago, while GUI tools continue to evolve at lightning speed.
I do like the keyboard, however. But, it's easier to use the keyboard with a GUI than with a command-line. Take the simple task of navigating to a file using Windows Explorer vs BASH. I can use the keyboard to type folder and file names in both, but in windows explorer they highlight automatically (in bash I have to keep pressing TAB like a monkey), and I can right away see all the filenames starting from those characters (in bash, double TAB). I can also see all the filenames which DON"T start from those characters (in bash, forget it. you have to start a new command and fire 'ls'). Not to mention I automatically see file size, modification date, and other attributes (in bash, more 'ls' commands). If I want to move two files with distinct names, I can do it using CTRL and SPACE (in bash, you have to retype each filename from scratch). And should I need it, I can always just pull out the mouse. Oh, and what if I'd like to see thumbnails? ALT+V+H. What if I forget this combination? There's underlined letters and it's 100x superior to having to do 'man.' BASH, Linux, Unix, POSix is pathetic in comparison. But it's too bad most users don't know the power of the keyboard in Windows.
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