Yeah, obviously which interface is "best" depends on a huge number of factors, context, task, user, etc, and there is no universally best choice. Even in the c

Yeah, obviously which interface is "best" depends on a huge number of factors, context, task, user, etc, and there is no universally best choice. Even in the context of a graphics editor, though, where a GUI makes a lot of sense generally, I often find myself wishing for a way to actually specify operations using some language rather than using the GUI. For instance, I select a layer, and then want to move it exactly 50 pixels down, and then rotate it 45 deg and halve its intensity. Using the GUI for that is often a cumbersome, if straightforward series of steps that require a lot of busywork, and in many cases I have to very careful if I want precision (e.g. carefully looking at the edge guides to make sure I move the mouse exactly 50 pixels). For an experienced user, an equivalent textual command to do the same thing would probably be far quicker and more precise (assuming a halfway decent implementation). Really you often just want a system that's flexible enough to seamlessly integrate both types of interface[+], and let the user choose which is best for them and the specific task at hand, hopefully allowing the user to use the GUI at first (for ease), and learn equivalent textual commands as he gains more experience... Unfortunately that's not only more work to implement, but runs afoul of those usual villains in any human endeavour, religion (not "real" religion :) and tribalism... >< [+] Of course, there are actually more than just two choices. For instance there's a common split between "quick and simple" textual commands, like a typical unix shell, and "real language" textual commands, e.g. allowing commands to be specified in Lua or some other "real" language. Similarly GUIs can come in a wide variety of flavors.