[lug] GUI support, can I help you?

[rotering at animalcules.com]

Preface: Whoever said "the right tool for the right job" (whether it
has a GUI or a CLI) was, of course correct.  If we all go around being
reasonable all the time, however, life would be pretty dull.  So...

On Fri, Oct 26, 2001 at 12:14:03PM -0600, Riggs, Rob wrote:

> I'm really sick of the CLI worshipping so prevalent in the Unix
> community.  [...] Some of the CLI interfaces I've seen are ridiculous and
> should have been stillborn.

While I'm a CLI True Believer I must confess that your second
statement is certainly true.  Perhaps I can state my position in a
less inflammatory manner.

My beef is with those who assert that GUI == better.  Full stop.  No
qualifications.  Any dissent instantly tars you with the Dilbertesque
balding, bearded, suspendered CLI-bigot brush.

It's very interesting that two examples of good GUIs given here ('make
xconfig' and xcdroast -- both of which I use and really like) are
actually *poor GUIs* (stay with me for a minute).

The ultimate role of a GUI is to hide (possibly confusing) information
from the user [See Neal Stephenson's "In the Beginning was the Command
Line" for an entertaining essay on this, and other topics].  While
both xconfig and xcdroast make using those tools physically easier
(single mouse clicks replacing typing several characters) and
(possibly) more esthetically pleasing, *you have to know just as much
what you're doing whether you're using the GUI or the CLI of these
tools.* Therefore, the GUI "fails" (in these cases).

I have great respect for those who can design a good GUI.  I've made
several attempts over the years and in each case my personal
prejudices about how software should work have indelibly colored those
interfaces.  A good GUI grants access to powerful tools that would
otherwise be too unwieldy for those unable or, more likely, unwilling
to learn how to use them.  I believe that's a noble effort.

On the other hand, I also believe that overwhelming prevalence of the
GUI in mainstream software has lead to designed obsolescence in
software (and hardware) and learned helplessness in the average
computer user.

Epilogue: Just to make sure everyone understands - I like GUIs.  There
          are several problem domains where GUIs clearly outstrip
          CLIs.  In most of those cases, CLIs don't even make *sense*.

          2-D Image editing software (not mere manipulation, I'm
          talking about content authoring), any sort of hardware
          interface emulation (e.g. xmms, mixing boards, lab
          instruments, etc.), CAD, twitch games, and many others are
          the natural habitats of the GUI.