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The manual exists for a reason. I find it much easier to type `man program` then `/whatever` until I find what I'm looking for rather than scanning the screen f

The manual exists for a reason. I find it much easier to type `man program` then `/whatever` until I find what I'm looking for rather than scanning the screen for the correct icon. There are also some conventions and after a while you get to a point where it's intuitive to use any new program. Just like with a GUI and icons, what does the wand do?

IshKebab 3y ago
"You just have to read the manual" and "you get used to it" are basically synonyms for "the UX is bad". 1 second of googling: https://fstoppers.com/opinion/stop-telling-people-read-manual-512473 https://fstoppers.com/opinion/stop-telling-people-read-manua... I'm sure there are better articles if you search more. If you have time for a book, I highly recommend "The design of everyday things". If you don't agree with me that book will change your mind.
- worksonmine 3y ago
  You get used to it as in "used to how CLI programs are usually designed". Just as you get used to what the select icon in a GUI does. Without any prior experience in any both seem like alien technology, but coming from GUI to CLI you have the bias of already knowing one when comparing. People claim macOS is intuitive and everything works the same, but I'm handicapped in it. I just call it inexperience not being bad UX. Regarding the manual, does GUI programs have a unified way to access guides and documentation? Can I scroll to the bottom with G and find the configuration files and example uses?
  - bitwize 3y ago
    The difference is, you can teach a user who's never seen a computer before to work with a GUI in an afternoon, maybe a weekend -- and if the GUI is well-designed, the skills they learn on one program will transfer well to others. Meanwhile, there are XKCDs about how even experts can't remember how to work tar: https://xkcd.com/1168/ https://xkcd.com/1168/ Before 1984, computer UX was, universally, sucky. As Alan Kay put it, the Mac was the first computer worth criticizing.
    - worksonmine 3y ago
      Ease of use isn't the only metric for "peak UX" though, composability and how the programs interact should also be taken into consideration. Selecting a filter on instagram is very easy, with the caveat that you're limited to those filters alone. The subject is more complex than clicking buttons vs typing commands.
curt15 3y ago
That assumes that you can already articulate the action you are looking for in the program's vocabulary. For people who think more pictorially, they may have a sense of what they want but benefit from visual cues.
- worksonmine 3y ago
  I don't target specific options, but different words of what I'm trying to achieve, crop/cut/extract as a pretty bad example. It takes me to the description of the option I'm looking for where it will also have useful extra options to combine. I can't say the same for GUI icons, many times hidden behind dropdowns. If I hover it will say select, then I have to find how to crop that selection, behind another dropdown, probably a few levels deep. And none of them searchable. If I need help there's no one place to find a guide, my best bet is google or the website. For both an intuition has to be learned from use, but GUI people act like they were born with computer literacy. I used to think the CLI was stupid as well, but now that I've seen the light I can't imagine going back.

IshKebab 3y ago

"You just have to read the manual" and "you get used to it" are basically synonyms for "the UX is bad". 1 second of googling: https://fstoppers.com/opinion/stop-telling-people-read-manual-512473 https://fstoppers.com/opinion/stop-telling-people-read-manua... I'm sure there are better articles if you search more. If you have time for a book, I highly recommend "The design of everyday things". If you don't agree with me that book will change your mind.

worksonmine 3y ago
You get used to it as in "used to how CLI programs are usually designed". Just as you get used to what the select icon in a GUI does. Without any prior experience in any both seem like alien technology, but coming from GUI to CLI you have the bias of already knowing one when comparing. People claim macOS is intuitive and everything works the same, but I'm handicapped in it. I just call it inexperience not being bad UX. Regarding the manual, does GUI programs have a unified way to access guides and documentation? Can I scroll to the bottom with G and find the configuration files and example uses?
- bitwize 3y ago
  The difference is, you can teach a user who's never seen a computer before to work with a GUI in an afternoon, maybe a weekend -- and if the GUI is well-designed, the skills they learn on one program will transfer well to others. Meanwhile, there are XKCDs about how even experts can't remember how to work tar: https://xkcd.com/1168/ https://xkcd.com/1168/ Before 1984, computer UX was, universally, sucky. As Alan Kay put it, the Mac was the first computer worth criticizing.
  - worksonmine 3y ago
    Ease of use isn't the only metric for "peak UX" though, composability and how the programs interact should also be taken into consideration. Selecting a filter on instagram is very easy, with the caveat that you're limited to those filters alone. The subject is more complex than clicking buttons vs typing commands.

curt15 3y ago

That assumes that you can already articulate the action you are looking for in the program's vocabulary. For people who think more pictorially, they may have a sense of what they want but benefit from visual cues.

worksonmine 3y ago
I don't target specific options, but different words of what I'm trying to achieve, crop/cut/extract as a pretty bad example. It takes me to the description of the option I'm looking for where it will also have useful extra options to combine. I can't say the same for GUI icons, many times hidden behind dropdowns. If I hover it will say select, then I have to find how to crop that selection, behind another dropdown, probably a few levels deep. And none of them searchable. If I need help there's no one place to find a guide, my best bet is google or the website. For both an intuition has to be learned from use, but GUI people act like they were born with computer literacy. I used to think the CLI was stupid as well, but now that I've seen the light I can't imagine going back.