this post was submitted on 15 Nov 2024
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Why are distro communities turning linux more and more into Windows and Mac OS clones?

This is why I use Arch.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 12 hours ago (2 children)

Oh, I have. Now imagine giving those people a command line.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

It is literally easier to explain to them how to do something on the command line than in a GUI, both in documentation and over the phone. That doesn't mean they will ever discover how to do something in either interface on their own but I don't really expect that from the people who make paper notes of the step-by-step process in GUI workflows anyway.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 hours ago

Just try to verbally describe the difference between a bracket, brace, or parenthesis, or forward slash vs backslash. I'm sure it will be fine. But absolutely, a text-based interface is easier to describe in text.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

At least there's only a single way to tell the computer "ok, execute this command". And you see the command written in plain text before you.

And, no, no useful interface is intuitive because computers just have too many functions. There's no intuitive appliance in the world with more than a temperature knob and a timer knob. Knowledge is always required, be that cultural or by RTFM.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 hours ago

Unfortunately, for the scenario I was replying to, a lot of the times when you're doing support, you can't see the user's screen and are limited to verbal communication, so verifying what they typed or the output can lead to just as many problems. Any support scenario where you're talking the other person through a series of tasks will be very dependent on how familiar each person is with the task you're supporting. And no one Rs TFM these days, if you even get one.