To paraphrase Marcus Brigstocke:
The relationship between Linux and CLI is very similar to the relationship between Ant and Dec - You could have one without the other, but I'm not sure anyone would see the point.

Something neat about not using a GUI. The machine is just kicking along using something like 50MB of RAM? Of course that's just a file/print server in my home, but it illustrates a good point. That's probably off topic. I've just been looking for an excuse to post that to be quite honest.

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I just remembered a blog entry I posted some time back...

This LQ thread illustrates one reason for using the CLI for Linux sysadmin -- one day you may have no choice!

I have tried Gui,s that remind me of the electric hammer invented by Homer Simpson ..... they sometimes work ... but then wonder what is the point?

Have you not considered using aliases for such short commands? Seems easier than having to remember the script names for everything - you can just type "alias" and it will show you them all!

I sometimes use aliases. For instance with google-chrome so that the useragent is customized, but aliases are on a per user basis (correct me if I'm wrong), and by doing it as scripts, I can just scp them box to box (I run 4 slack boxes) and have them available since nothing in my linux life is very static and something is always transforming into something else.

Also it's easier to remember the custom names of a few commands which I get to name.

@damgar: or you could scp ~/.bashrc for equivalent users so have the same aliases on all 4 systems and use the alias command to list them.

True. I've just never really used aliases for much so my way is more comfortable to me. Then I'd also have to remember to change the makeflags so that I'm not trying to do a "make -j9" on my old celeron machine!

Slackware 3. Only available in CLI mode. You could run X afterwards, no problem, but with only few programs... Those were the days, in 1997. Or was it 1994? Forgot it. I'm becoming an old man.

To close this topic, I'd say there are many reasons for using Linux. Being a system admin is only one of them. Myself, I'm considering Linux (specifically Kubuntu) because I'm really tired of paying for Windows and we have four computers around the house meaning any new system that comes out requires as many discs. To people like me, who are used to Windows and having everything done in one-click using shortcuts, the idea of shell commands may be powerful, but seems cumbersome, unless there is a process where no other means will do.

I've used C++ code, some html, and other code. But the only code I actually like using rpg maker 2003 code (which needs WINE to run, when it's compatible). I think I agree with your spouse.

This topic was closed for a long time, you've just reopened it

I think ignoring/refusing to use CLI on linux might mean you're missing out the power of linux which definitely doesn't lie in GUI. I'm just wondering how poorer my everyday linux experinece would be if I stopped using cli.

btw, welcome to LQ.

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this dose beg the question
" Why would one want to ?"

Even on MS Windows i install MinGW JUST to have a REAL terminal to use .

Wow this thread was a blast from the past... Looking at that old screenshot brought back fond memories of that old machine in the living room I built for my kids that were 4 and 6 at the time...... and the ssh/vpn chops I learned in the process that wound up getting me my divorce a lot cheaper than a private investigator would have! HA!

Just another reason the command line is incredibly useful?!