- HEADLINE: GUI Everything (real control panel GUI)
- DESCRIPTION: command line is good to give commands sequences, like "do this and do that and also more", and it works only if you already know the commands.
Command line is really bad to configure stuff, which is the act of telling the computer how to do stuff. It is also the worst thing ever when it comes to exploring and finding commands and configurations.
Some people argue that the cli is faster but the saved time is not always worth the brain power or the pleasure to get stuff done "slower" but intuitively with a GUI. Also the time spent to learn a certain command rarely matches the time saved using it.
It is much more difficult to screw stuff up using a GUI, because you can go back with a simple click, while a command to go back rarely matches the one that put you forward toward something you didn't want.
A general rule for good software is "don't hide functionality". If you are putting a lot of important stuff behind a command line, you are hiding stuff, even if you can ask for a command list.
Since Ubuntu, for what I understand, wants to be an OS for a wider audience, I hope you will consider doing putting a lot of effort in improving the UI and UX of the OS, and a good, complete GUI are a great way to start.
My hopes are that if a user searches "how to do X in ubuntu", he won't get just a list of commands, but also a step by step guide. Just like it happens on windows.
- HEADLINE: GUI Everything (real control panel GUI)
- DESCRIPTION: command line is good to give commands sequences, like "do this and do that and also more", and it works only if you already know the commands. Command line is really bad to configure stuff, which is the act of telling the computer how to do stuff. It is also the worst thing ever when it comes to exploring and finding commands and configurations. Some people argue that the cli is faster but the saved time is not always worth the brain power or the pleasure to get stuff done "slower" but intuitively with a GUI. Also the time spent to learn a certain command rarely matches the time saved using it. It is much more difficult to screw stuff up using a GUI, because you can go back with a simple click, while a command to go back rarely matches the one that put you forward toward something you didn't want.
A general rule for good software is "don't hide functionality". If you are putting a lot of important stuff behind a command line, you are hiding stuff, even if you can ask for a command list.
Since Ubuntu, for what I understand, wants to be an OS for a wider audience, I hope you will consider doing putting a lot of effort in improving the UI and UX of the OS, and a good, complete GUI are a great way to start.
My hopes are that if a user searches "how to do X in ubuntu", he won't get just a list of commands, but also a step by step guide. Just like it happens on windows.
ROLE: software developer, former UX/UI designer