I brought up PC building because it gave me a better understanding of how a PC works and I know how to troubleshoot in large part thanks to it, which puts me in the 50% of users who could be considered “above average.”
I think for the average to below average user, learning console commands is much more intimidating than learning a GUI. Hell, I’d even bump that up to a majority of users who are scared off by the concept. Programming is often seen as a form of magic by those who don’t know how to program. I agree that Windows isn’t better because of its GUI (especially with how it’s gotten more obtuse with each new version) and that most people are just used to it, but I think a GUI is also inherently easier for more people to learn. Learning commands is more akin to learning a new language (new words with different meanings that probably require a certain mindset in order to comprehend as a whole - learning a new skill) while a GUI should (keyword there, one Microsoft has forgotten) be fairly intuitive to navigate with a consistent design language and interface. I use Blender, and while the vast majority of useful tools are accessible via shortcut keys as well as the UI, people need to keep an image of a keyboard with all the shortcuts mapped out because, my God, it’s a lot to remember.
Basically, I agree that a GUI isn’t fundamentally better than a console, but the original post was from the perspective of the average user, and I think that a GUI is more accessible for the average user than a console. I think a well designed GUI is why Windows took off in the way that it did and why Apple has the staying power that it does. It’s important to remember that 50% of users are considered above average, but that means that the other 50% are below average.
Personally, I’m prepping a fairly major upgrade for my computer that includes a new SSD that I’m going to dual boot Bazzite on instead of switching to Windows 11 (at least until I can migrate everything to Bazzite, then I intend to kick Microsoft to the wayside), and apart from the increasing compatibility of games with Linux and Valve’s work in that area, I attribute even considering Linux to things like the immutable distros and flatpak. I know how to tinker, but I don’t want to have to do that with my daily driver. I get enough of that from my 3d printer!
I brought up PC building because it gave me a better understanding of how a PC works and I know how to troubleshoot in large part thanks to it, which puts me in the 50% of users who could be considered “above average.”
I think for the average to below average user, learning console commands is much more intimidating than learning a GUI. Hell, I’d even bump that up to a majority of users who are scared off by the concept. Programming is often seen as a form of magic by those who don’t know how to program. I agree that Windows isn’t better because of its GUI (especially with how it’s gotten more obtuse with each new version) and that most people are just used to it, but I think a GUI is also inherently easier for more people to learn. Learning commands is more akin to learning a new language (new words with different meanings that probably require a certain mindset in order to comprehend as a whole - learning a new skill) while a GUI should (keyword there, one Microsoft has forgotten) be fairly intuitive to navigate with a consistent design language and interface. I use Blender, and while the vast majority of useful tools are accessible via shortcut keys as well as the UI, people need to keep an image of a keyboard with all the shortcuts mapped out because, my God, it’s a lot to remember.
Basically, I agree that a GUI isn’t fundamentally better than a console, but the original post was from the perspective of the average user, and I think that a GUI is more accessible for the average user than a console. I think a well designed GUI is why Windows took off in the way that it did and why Apple has the staying power that it does. It’s important to remember that 50% of users are considered above average, but that means that the other 50% are below average.
Personally, I’m prepping a fairly major upgrade for my computer that includes a new SSD that I’m going to dual boot Bazzite on instead of switching to Windows 11 (at least until I can migrate everything to Bazzite, then I intend to kick Microsoft to the wayside), and apart from the increasing compatibility of games with Linux and Valve’s work in that area, I attribute even considering Linux to things like the immutable distros and flatpak. I know how to tinker, but I don’t want to have to do that with my daily driver. I get enough of that from my 3d printer!