Tell me about: Command line interface

I recently got an itch to learn more about using the command line and what it's capable of, as well as the workings of computers in general. I noticed the command line seems to be much more important in linux OS's as far as getting the most out of it (I installed a netbook variant of Ubuntu on my EEEpc 1000h but so far haven't done too much with it)

I'm aware that you can do most everything and more through a command line (and more) but I never really hear what exactly it is you get more control over or what tools you have at your disposal. I usually just find '5 neat tricks with the cmd' or other such things that do a few 'fun' commands or so.


-Is the Windows XP cmd still useful or are they really implemented better for Linux/Unix OS's?

-Do you prefer a command line over a GUI? Why/Why Not? For which OS?

-What kinds of tasks do you use the command line for?

-Anything you'd want to give me a rundown on as far as Command lines go (or OS's or anything related really)?

There's gotta be at least one person out there who's dying to convert those lost souls from their clunky GUI's So come on out. :P

The CLI is a tool to get a job done, just like a GUI
you can't really compare the two, as they are suited to different things
You wouldn't compare a hammer with a screwdriver, would you?

*nix gives you both tools
Windows only has the GUI (the command prompt in windows is immensely stupid, and isn't really worth the effort)

Navigating around your photo collection?
Use a GUI file manager (pretty, lots of visual feedback)
CLI not well suited for this

Need to find all documents created by user "Anna" within the last 30 days, containing the word "Apple"
Use the CLI

Want to view a webcomic?
Use a GUI web browser

Want to automate comic retrieval, so no human interaction is needed (so you can read the latest one everyday on the train)?
Write a script (CLI)


You can't automate a GUI application
It always needs a human to operate the application

Given the choices available for GUIs, and the multitude of ways to customise any chosen GUI, it's hard to write generic instructions - You end up with
If you have Gnome, do this
If you have KDE 3.5, do this
If you have KDE 4.0, do this
If you have.....
......
......
CLI is (with a few exceptions) universal


As I said, 2 tools in your toolbox
No more, no less

Well said by Ynot.

Also, the command line is much faster than a GUI. For example, Shift+Click two files, open new folder window, drag over? Or type:

Code:

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cp folder1 folder2

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And for developing software/running it, it is also very fast. Instead of Menu1->compile, set options, find file, double click, be dissapointed with result and go back to programming, you could do:

Open a terminal, move to project directory, and make a script to compile, simple as:

Code:

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#!/bin/bash
g++ main.cpp -o main

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Save as something, preferably a short name, and do:

chmod +x nameoffile

Now, whenever you save the main.cpp file, just do "./build" or "./comp" or whatever you called the script, and run it, be dissapointed, and go back to programming :). It's a bit more work to set up, but after you set it up once, you don't have to do it again. Unlike GUI programming.

I use MSYS only when I'm using Windows. It's a UNIX interface for Windows.

What about cygwin?

Powershell is also pretty good if you need a CLI for Windows...

Ynot: Screw that, hammers totally own screwdrivers :chuckle:

Thanks for the replies and information. I wasn't aware there were alternative CLIs for windows, although in retrospect I don't know why not. I'll have to look into them.

I'm still working on getting a grasp of my laptop's CLI; it's been one of my main barriers in using anything useful on linux. We'll see what happens.



::Hmm, I'll probably add another question here at some point, but I don't have anything right at the moment.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Grunkie7

Ynot: Screw that, hammers totally own screwdrivers :chuckle:

Thanks for the replies and information. I wasn't aware there were alternative CLIs for windows, although in retrospect I don't know why not. I'll have to look into them.

I'm still working on getting a grasp of my laptop's CLI; it's been one of my main barriers in using anything useful on linux. We'll see what happens.



::Hmm, I'll probably add another question here at some point, but I don't have anything right at the moment.

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Cygwin and others are UNIX terminal emulators. Powershell is an upgrade to CMD made by MS that is built-in to Windows 7, and is free for download on the other OSs. It's a bit better than CMD, but don't expect some kind of god-like tool.

As you increase your understanding of your CLI, the more useful it becomes and the more powerful it becomes for you for simple tasks. I can't really tell you how you should use it because it depends on the system you are running and what you want to accomplish, but if you can tell when to use one and not the other, you will reap the benefits and efficiency. But basically, if what you are doing requires visual, the obvious answer is GUI. If what you are doing does not require more than text, CLI is there and more efficient. Experiment and find the perfect workflow

Well I don't know if you can do it now..probally not, but I used to use command prompt to hack websites. I used telnet or it might have been ftp command to get access to websites.

Well I wasn't really HACKING the websites, because I didn't know the ftp password to get in. But if i knew how to crack passwords, I would have been able to destroy/deface any website through command prompt. An aim buddy gave me his ftp password to his old site, and let me destroy it...it was only for fun, and I was really just looking up commands on the internet :p

I wonder what their using to hack nowadays