Do You Use Command Line/Terminal?

[c07vus]

So

I'm relatively new to Linux Mint (which I think is the best OS I have ever used) and up to this point I have been pretty lazy when it comes to Command Line/Terminal so thought I'd but in more effort to learn and use it properly. Wow. I love it! It makes me feel techy when in reality I'm still learning the basics and it has given me a whole new interest in my own PC and the way it works.

Here is a question though, just for questions sake - are there any experienced Linux users who prefer using the GUI to Terminal? If so, why?

[Pjotr]

are there any experienced Linux users who prefer using the GUI to Terminal? If so, why?

That depends.... For simple tasks (installing or removing applications, moving or renaming files, etc.) the terminal is definitely easiest and quickest.

But for tasks that become easier with graphical feedback, I prefer a graphical application. A good example is partitioning a disk: for that, GParted is by far the best tool.....

[jimallyn]

I suppose I could be called an experienced user; I have been using Linux since 2002. I use the GUI most of the time, but I do use the terminal now and then. It can be very powerful.

[Cobber]

I wouldn't say you're lazy if you haven't used the terminal. It is there to help you do things you can't with point-and-click.

The fact you haven't used it, just goes to show how far Linux has come in the last few years. People are scared of Linux because they think everything needs to be done using command line language, that only makes sense to geeks. As you have found, you probably might never use it during installation and configuration.

I'm certainly no expert, but have learned a few useful commands. The beauty of Linux is, you have this ability if you need it, or want to play with it, giving you much more control over your installation. You don't even need it to install new software, you just select it in Synaptic, and it's all done for you.

Would I prefer it? Not really. I much prefer to use the GUI if possible. It's amazing what you can do by right-clicking on something. But sometimes you don't have a choice, and do have to use it. That's where the freedom of Linux kicks in. You can delve deep into the inner workings if necessary. But I always make sure I have made a backup before playing supernerd, and use the friendly people in this forum if I need advice.

One of Mint's favourite sayings is, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". I say, if you are going to break it, make sure you have a backup first! After bricking my system several times playing geek, I have added a line of text in big letters on my wallpaper that says, "Backup root before making any system changes !!" It always reminds me to think twice before fiddling with a live installation.

[niowluka]

Freshly after install I spend a lot of time in terminal: installing, configuring, tweaking stuff, etc. Especially if it's a new distro I try and understand workings of it, I like to know what's happening in the 'background'.

After a few months I use it very rarely (usually forgetting everything over the years ... nothing better than trying to figure out what on earth I have done to make something work some 5 years earlier ...)

[Pjotr]

After a few months I use it very rarely (usually forgetting everything over the years ... nothing better than trying to figure out what on earth I have done to make something work some 5 years earlier ...)

I know the feeling....

My own solution: write your how-to's in a blog or on your website. Very handy for yourself, and maybe for others as well....

[Ark987]

The terminal is inevitable. But if I find GUI tool for a specific task I'll go for GUI 100%, why?

When the GUI is properly developed it gives you much better overview of what's going on at glance, in the command line you have to carefully read your 600 lines of configurations, God forbid that you have dyslexia.
Details like this are forgotten by many Linux communities, that there is a human behind the screen.

So yes I have to use command line, specially when I need to fix errors, and it is a good idea to learn how to use it because GNU/Linux is popular of not having GUI tool to do trivial things because is too easy to modify a text file.

[kc1di]

I too use the terminal for simple tasks , installing packages I know the name of etc. moving files around , deleting them quickly, etc.

other than that use the gui
Terminal can be your friend though.

[Habitual]

http://www.linuxtopia.org/online_books/ ... -zone.html
vs.
http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/TimePrecision ... l#tz.linux

I am a command-line commando.
This is my kung fu.

GUIs make things 'easy' for the unwashed masses.
I've used things like Webmin for managing DNS zones that needed replication and webmin made this super-easy.
But in the end, I learned that an "scp /path/on/zone1/* user@host:/path/to/zone2/' was adequate, faster, and easier.

I wish people understood that GUIs are front-ends to 'statements' that are processed by the system, and those
results are usually logged
So when stuff doesn't 'just work' via GUI, a inexperienced user won't know what to check, or do next, except react.

An experienced soldier of Linux knows he can use both, but in the end, it all comes down to firing up a shell and
having a look at /var/log/something.

[BenTrabetere]

I switched to Linux a little over a year ago, and over the past six months I have forced myself to work from the command line. My reason is simple: I want to know how things work.

I like the way Habitual put it.

I wish people understood that GUIs are front-ends to 'statements' that are processed by the system, and those results are usually logged
So when stuff doesn't 'just work' via GUI, a inexperienced user won't know what to check, or do next, except react.

I use the GUI for most of what I do. I install with Software/Package Manager and I use Update Manager for updates, but I have learned how to do this from the terminal.

I am an advanced amateur photographer, and I do almost everything from the GUI - from transferring files to processing images. I recently discovered ImageMagick, and I am trying to learn to use it. It is helping me to understand what a program is doing - before, I never thought about it. One day IM may have a place in my workflow, and I will be a more informed photographer.

[lmintnewb2]

Both serve their purpose(s) came to generally prefer terminal for many tasks. I like the way Habitual phrased it too. Someone is going to use what works best for them, thank the open source gawds for gnu/Linux.

PS, btw heya Habitual hope things are well with you fellow nixer.

[Habitual]

PS, btw heya Habitual hope things are well with you fellow nixer.

Thanks for the well wishes. How can I go wrong with an avatar like mine?

[killer de bug]

I use the terminal on a daily basis. It's so easy to perform simple tasks with it!

[Fred Barclay]

Do You Use Command Line/Terminal?

OF COURSE!

I'm certainly not up to, say, Habitual's level, and I really do like GUIs. I'd also be lost without a decent DE (Cinnamon or MATE, and some Gnome Shell on Kali)--so no DWM or Fluxbox yet. But I do love the terminal. It's often easier to use than a GUI and a bit "geekier".

BTW: I don't know about the rest of you, but I prefer "terminal" to "command line/prompt". It sounds so much more ominous...

[niowluka]

After a few months I use it very rarely (usually forgetting everything over the years ... nothing better than trying to figure out what on earth I have done to make something work some 5 years earlier ...)

I know the feeling....

My own solution: write your how-to's in a blog or on your website. Very handy for yourself, and maybe for others as well....

I'm far too lazy for that, unfortunately ...

GUIs make things 'easy' for the unwashed masses.

I use gmpc to control my mpd server. Does that make me a part of 'unwashed masses', because I don't use mpc in terminal ?

Without a doubt, terminal is essential in configuring your OS, and some things are easier, faster, more reliable, and in some cases possible only in a terminal. But ultimately it's a tool, tool to set up the system, so that in every day running it can be used very rarely.

[BlueKnight]

...are there any experienced Linux users who prefer using the GUI to Terminal? If so, why?

I like using the GUI for things that requires many commands or is too much to type and I just want to do that fast, such as formatting/partition disks or burn a CD/DVD and for trivial things like move a folder, file, create a link and ordinary file compression.

But I like to use the terminal and I use it quite often because it is very important, especially when you find a case where the GUI isn't there to help you. LOL!

Another advantage of command line/terminal is the automation possibility, you can automate tasks and/or create a script for a specific case.

[Night Wing]

I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum.

The last time I used the terminal in linux Mint was in Mint 14. I never used the terminal in linux Mint 16, 17, 17.1 and I still haven't used the terminal in (17.2).

[ras47]

I developed a healthy respect for the Terminal as a Mac user. There were times when I couldn't open Apple's Disk Utility to repair it because everything was so screwed up. But I found I could invoke Disk Utility from the command line and run it without the GUI. I could also use it to force basic scheduled system maintenance whenever I felt it was necessary. Ever since then I've used the command line whenever possible. The GUI might be easier for some tasks, like opening email programs and web browsers, but other things scream out for shell scripts. I also think the terminal is a more elegant way to do a lot of things - skip the GUI and deal directly with the OS itself.

[lexon]

NO.
L

[Reorx]

So... are there any experienced Linux users who prefer using the GUI to Terminal? If so, why?

I don't know that I qualify as an experienced Linux user as I have only been really using Linux Mint for about 4 years but - I use GUIs a lot. I use GUIs whenever possible. The reason is that GUIs are very intuitive and therefore easy to use compared to command lines which are very non-intuitive and very typing and case sensitive (not so easy to use). Having said that, most GUIs are designed to make common tasks easier and work pretty well... but there are frequently no GUIs for uncommon tasks that are sometimes essential so some command line stuff is a necessary evil at least some of the time...