6 ms·

It's amusing to me that basic functionality like searching for a file is a $6 app on MacOS (the link within the article is https://apps.tempel.org/FindAnyFile/

It's amusing to me that basic functionality like searching for a file is a $6 app on MacOS (the link within the article is https://apps.tempel.org/FindAnyFile/ https://apps.tempel.org/FindAnyFile/) while fd-find exists (https://github.com/sharkdp/fd https://github.com/sharkdp/fd) on all major platforms and is free, open source, and easy to use if you have eyes and can read a few basic instructions.

anonymousab 4y ago
A GUI with mouse support is a fairly important if not crucial feature for many users. It is their preference.
OskarS 4y ago
Terminal workflows are very much not for everyone. Many people are happy to pay a few bucks for a nice and friendly GUI application. It's not such a bad thing that people are willing to pay for software, as it is, in fact, the way many of us make our living.
- nerdponx 4y ago
  I think the really interesting observation here is that nobody tries to make a living selling small CLI programs, and moreover that these GUI programs tend to also be under proprietary licenses without so much as source available for viewing. I find it interesting because I think very few people are willing to go through the trouble to "pirate" a $6 app if it had a free-as-in-freedom license. Building GUI applications from source tends to be a pain in the ass, and the people who weren't willing to pay $6 aren't even potential customers in the first place.
  - OskarS 4y ago
    Yeah, I agree, it's a shame that there isn't a better mechanism to pay for CLI software. I think a lot of developers would just refuse non-open source CLI software, but that really shuts down what could be a healthy market. Don't know what the solution would be though ("GitHub sponsors" don't seem to be it...)
  - EricE 4y ago
    It's not really that hard to understand - the people most likely to use CLI commands are the least likely to pay for software. Just look at the comments in this story :p
- EricE 4y ago
  HoudaSpot is far more than a friendly GUI - It's a powerful query tool and while I love the CLI for many things, HoudaSpot is a great example of how a well thought out GUI can beat the pants off of a CLI for this particular use case. Especially if you aren't exactly sure of what you are looking for/the best way to find it. Using HoudaSpot as an interactive spelunking tool for your data (not just the file system!) is pretty amazing.
- bastardoperator 4y ago
  I tend to agree with you, but I had a situation where my mind was completely changed. I worked for a company in high school believe it or not that did not give mice to the employees, lots of data entry. They said the mouse would slow you down significantly and while I struggled for a couple weeks to learn everything and the hotkeys for the terminal/console apps, it became insanely obvious that operating a computer without reliance on the mouse was far more performant, and easier once I stopped fighting the urge to grab my mouse. I don't think it's for everyone, but I'm grateful for that experience.
nerdponx 4y ago
A lot of Windows applications are like this too. People who use the CLI are extremely lucky to be able to benefit from so much free software.
- adolph 4y ago
  > . . .are extremely lucky to be able . . . . . . have invested the upfront time to be able . . .
- orangepurple 4y ago
  What is this luck you speak of? Everyone has an equal learning opportunity and the software is free.
dewey 4y ago
Is it really that surprising that a GUI alternative to a command line tool exists and that most people would prefer that? I don't see anything wrong with providing a tool and charging for it.
- alar44 4y ago
  It is to him because that's just how smart he is! Doesn't need GUIs! Still uses a black and white monitor! Only needs a terminal! He's VerySmart!
zippergz 4y ago
Amusing that people buy hammers when you can use a rock for free.
can16358p 4y ago
I have eyes and can read basic instructions. I'm also a developer who can work perfectly nice with terminals. I prefer GUI-based search as I feel it visually appealing.
phailhaus 4y ago
Piling on here, this is obviously a Bad Take. In order to use fd, you need: 1. To know what the terminal is. Most people do not. 2. Either Homebrew or MacPorts installed. At this point you've lost the majority of the people who vaguely know what the terminal is. 3. Familiarity with how unix commands work, what "flags" are, how to write them, how to specify filepaths. 4. How to debug those commands when you invariably get it wrong. 5. Since fd just dumps filepaths, you need to know how to inspect them further and open them. Yes, $6 is more than worth it for many people. All you need are eyes and the ability to use a mouse and keyboard.
- trollied 4y ago
  mdfind is a built-in terminal command that finds stuff. No need to spend $6
  - spillguard 4y ago
    Doesn't usage of mdfind still suffer from GP's problems 1, 3, 4, and 5?
    - dwaite 4y ago
      Spotlight, then, which is the built-in GUI for the same database as mdfind.
- nerdponx 4y ago
  I think a more charitable take is that it's interesting how CLI programs tend to be FOSS and gratis (maybe donations accepted) while GUI programs tend to be proprietary and non-gratis.
  - teaearlgraycold 4y ago
    GUIs are much harder than a bit of system programming and console outputs.
  - throwaway92394 4y ago
compiler-guy 4y ago
The functionality is totally already there, both from the command line and from the GUI. If you need something more sophisticated you can pay for it. I never have needed such a thing, but I'm sure there are people for whom it is worth it. There does happen to be a bug in the normal functionality--that is unfortunate, but Linux certainly has its share of bugs also.
Synaesthesia 4y ago
The Find any file app is actually free and only asks you to donate, but still gives full functionality. I like it because it can search system files. There is a way to do that in Finder though too ;-)

anonymousab 4y ago

A GUI with mouse support is a fairly important if not crucial feature for many users. It is their preference.

OskarS 4y ago

Terminal workflows are very much not for everyone. Many people are happy to pay a few bucks for a nice and friendly GUI application. It's not such a bad thing that people are willing to pay for software, as it is, in fact, the way many of us make our living.

nerdponx 4y ago
I think the really interesting observation here is that nobody tries to make a living selling small CLI programs, and moreover that these GUI programs tend to also be under proprietary licenses without so much as source available for viewing. I find it interesting because I think very few people are willing to go through the trouble to "pirate" a $6 app if it had a free-as-in-freedom license. Building GUI applications from source tends to be a pain in the ass, and the people who weren't willing to pay $6 aren't even potential customers in the first place.
- OskarS 4y ago
  Yeah, I agree, it's a shame that there isn't a better mechanism to pay for CLI software. I think a lot of developers would just refuse non-open source CLI software, but that really shuts down what could be a healthy market. Don't know what the solution would be though ("GitHub sponsors" don't seem to be it...)
- EricE 4y ago
  It's not really that hard to understand - the people most likely to use CLI commands are the least likely to pay for software. Just look at the comments in this story :p
EricE 4y ago
HoudaSpot is far more than a friendly GUI - It's a powerful query tool and while I love the CLI for many things, HoudaSpot is a great example of how a well thought out GUI can beat the pants off of a CLI for this particular use case. Especially if you aren't exactly sure of what you are looking for/the best way to find it. Using HoudaSpot as an interactive spelunking tool for your data (not just the file system!) is pretty amazing.
bastardoperator 4y ago
I tend to agree with you, but I had a situation where my mind was completely changed. I worked for a company in high school believe it or not that did not give mice to the employees, lots of data entry. They said the mouse would slow you down significantly and while I struggled for a couple weeks to learn everything and the hotkeys for the terminal/console apps, it became insanely obvious that operating a computer without reliance on the mouse was far more performant, and easier once I stopped fighting the urge to grab my mouse. I don't think it's for everyone, but I'm grateful for that experience.

nerdponx 4y ago

A lot of Windows applications are like this too. People who use the CLI are extremely lucky to be able to benefit from so much free software.

adolph 4y ago
> . . .are extremely lucky to be able . . . . . . have invested the upfront time to be able . . .
orangepurple 4y ago
What is this luck you speak of? Everyone has an equal learning opportunity and the software is free.

dewey 4y ago

Is it really that surprising that a GUI alternative to a command line tool exists and that most people would prefer that? I don't see anything wrong with providing a tool and charging for it.

alar44 4y ago
It is to him because that's just how smart he is! Doesn't need GUIs! Still uses a black and white monitor! Only needs a terminal! He's VerySmart!

zippergz 4y ago

Amusing that people buy hammers when you can use a rock for free.

can16358p 4y ago

I have eyes and can read basic instructions. I'm also a developer who can work perfectly nice with terminals. I prefer GUI-based search as I feel it visually appealing.

phailhaus 4y ago

Piling on here, this is obviously a Bad Take. In order to use fd, you need: 1. To know what the terminal is. Most people do not. 2. Either Homebrew or MacPorts installed. At this point you've lost the majority of the people who vaguely know what the terminal is. 3. Familiarity with how unix commands work, what "flags" are, how to write them, how to specify filepaths. 4. How to debug those commands when you invariably get it wrong. 5. Since fd just dumps filepaths, you need to know how to inspect them further and open them. Yes, $6 is more than worth it for many people. All you need are eyes and the ability to use a mouse and keyboard.

trollied 4y ago
mdfind is a built-in terminal command that finds stuff. No need to spend $6
- spillguard 4y ago
  Doesn't usage of mdfind still suffer from GP's problems 1, 3, 4, and 5?
  - dwaite 4y ago
    Spotlight, then, which is the built-in GUI for the same database as mdfind.
nerdponx 4y ago
I think a more charitable take is that it's interesting how CLI programs tend to be FOSS and gratis (maybe donations accepted) while GUI programs tend to be proprietary and non-gratis.
- teaearlgraycold 4y ago
  GUIs are much harder than a bit of system programming and console outputs.
- throwaway92394 4y ago

compiler-guy 4y ago

The functionality is totally already there, both from the command line and from the GUI. If you need something more sophisticated you can pay for it. I never have needed such a thing, but I'm sure there are people for whom it is worth it. There does happen to be a bug in the normal functionality--that is unfortunate, but Linux certainly has its share of bugs also.

Synaesthesia 4y ago

The Find any file app is actually free and only asks you to donate, but still gives full functionality. I like it because it can search system files. There is a way to do that in Finder though too ;-)