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> If I want to move a file from one folder to another then I just drag it across. Easy. Even this is easier with scripting, especially if you're already used t

> If I want to move a file from one folder to another then I just drag it across. Easy. Even this is easier with scripting, especially if you're already used to thinking in wildcards and tab-completion. Scrolling, hunting for files, dragging, clicking: these are inherently clumsier and slower steps, optimized for new-user intuitiveness and simplicity over efficiency. The upfront investment of making your brain think in CLI is fairly high, but once you've done it, there's vanishingly little reason to bother with file browsers. I don't think I've used one in a decade, even with (eg) Nautilus's ability to match wildcards with ctrl+s.

sdenton4 5y ago
For those who haven't used it, ctrl-r in the command line is the best thing in the world. It does a reverse-search over previous commands. Set your max history size to unlimited, and your CLI will remember /all/ commands you ever type, making it very easy to find long, strange incantations that you figured out once, so long as you can remember some small part of the command. For example, How did I do that magical ffmpeg thing last time? Just hit ctrl-r, type ffmpeg, and keep hitting ctrl-r to find previous examples until I find what I'm after.
- sideshowb 5y ago
  For more complex commands I use often I sometimes comment the end of my line with a keyword I can search on
- jamiek88 5y ago
  Does this work on Mac OS? I’ve got a bunch of saved notes with various incantations that would become redundant if so!
  - sdenton4 5y ago
    Seems like it should! https://stackoverflow.com/questions/41780746/searching-your-command-history-on-macos-terminal https://stackoverflow.com/questions/41780746/searching-your-... Good to double check how to turn off the history size limit before throwing away the post it notes entirely.
  - wutbrodo 5y ago
    > I’ve got a bunch of saved notes with various incantations that would become redundant if so! Throw them in scripts! Another advantage of using a CLI is that it provides a friction-free path from ad hoc commands to saved commands to messy scripts to properly supported tools. I've ridden this gradient multiple times prfoesssionaly, especially now that I work with a bunch of PhDs who are less comfortable around OSes than I am. It's a good feeling to have such a clean pipeline from "this command/series of commands feels awkward to me" to a reviewed, checked-in tool that becomes a critical part of the team's workflow. The best part is that there's value at every incremental step, so you don't need to invest any organizational effort, which is especially useful in a chaotic execution environment.

sdenton4 5y ago

For those who haven't used it, ctrl-r in the command line is the best thing in the world. It does a reverse-search over previous commands. Set your max history size to unlimited, and your CLI will remember /all/ commands you ever type, making it very easy to find long, strange incantations that you figured out once, so long as you can remember some small part of the command. For example, How did I do that magical ffmpeg thing last time? Just hit ctrl-r, type ffmpeg, and keep hitting ctrl-r to find previous examples until I find what I'm after.

sideshowb 5y ago
For more complex commands I use often I sometimes comment the end of my line with a keyword I can search on
jamiek88 5y ago
Does this work on Mac OS? I’ve got a bunch of saved notes with various incantations that would become redundant if so!
- sdenton4 5y ago
  Seems like it should! https://stackoverflow.com/questions/41780746/searching-your-command-history-on-macos-terminal https://stackoverflow.com/questions/41780746/searching-your-... Good to double check how to turn off the history size limit before throwing away the post it notes entirely.
- wutbrodo 5y ago
  > I’ve got a bunch of saved notes with various incantations that would become redundant if so! Throw them in scripts! Another advantage of using a CLI is that it provides a friction-free path from ad hoc commands to saved commands to messy scripts to properly supported tools. I've ridden this gradient multiple times prfoesssionaly, especially now that I work with a bunch of PhDs who are less comfortable around OSes than I am. It's a good feeling to have such a clean pipeline from "this command/series of commands feels awkward to me" to a reviewed, checked-in tool that becomes a critical part of the team's workflow. The best part is that there's value at every incremental step, so you don't need to invest any organizational effort, which is especially useful in a chaotic execution environment.