Human Computer Interaction - Blog Posts
I like the direction this is going in, but I think it’s missing some nuance.
My main critique is that this fails to realize just how complex computers really are. Because of this complexity there has to be different layers of user interaction with varying complexity, and consequently, control.
As someone who has dabbled in programing, I can give some insight as to why some tools are made exclusively for command line: gui's are not easy to make. Even harder if you want it to be any good. When I want to make a tool or program to do something for me, I don't choose to make it only accessible from the command line because I want to disadvantage others or otherwise maintain a status quo where I have an advantage, I do it out of practical necessity; programming is a hobby I use to accomplish things when I can't tools that do what I want, and as a hobby I don't sink enough time into it to make everything into polished gui's. There is something to say regarding companies who have the resources deciding not to make a gui when they could, but that's not an issue I'm aware of.
I really love the critique of how computers are currently structured, specifically folders and file structures. For files and folders that the computer is directly using (say by the os or applications) I would say folders are probably a decent way of ordering things. Or that is to say I can't think of a better way to structure things in an efficient way for the computer to access. (I know your critiquing the focus on efficiency, but for resources used by the computer itself, not the user, efficiency is important. Poor efficiency results in worse system performance, and so is not desirable.)
Returning to files (or equivalent concept) that are used by the user, there really is no reason why they should be ordered the same as the operating system does it. There is a pretty good argument that they shouldn't be ordered in such a way, which I believe is what is being argued above. I personally order my files and notes in folders mostly out of a practical need. There are alternatives though, look into Personal Knowledge Management systems and the tools that make them possible. My personal favorite is Obsidian, and in there I don't order files using folders, I use tags and note metadata. To track books I'm reading for example, I have a '#books' tag to designate the notes, and then I use a combination of properties ('status' with 'reading', 'read', 'tbr' or 'progress' with the number of pages I've read so far, etc). I can then use special searches to create lists of notes to surface information or content that is useful and easy to find. To make my point, I think that there are tools allowing users to already go beyond the hierarchical file/folder structure. They might have farther to go, but I think people are interested enough in them that they are improving.
Should using the command line be necessary? Honestly, no. It probably shouldn't. Should the command line not exists? Also no. Because of the complexity of computers, I don't think we should try to remove that lower level. Should we improve the higher levels? Give more control to users without requiring them to go to harder to use mediums, such as a command line? One hundred percent!
I would also agree that command line and computer system management stuff does have a steep learning curve. And unfortunately I don't see that going away; it's sort of in their nature to be hard to learn. Maybe I'm being a broken record, but computers are complex. That doesn't mean that the user interface (gui 99% of the time) should be difficult to learn. And to the point above, that control should require a steep learning curve.
There is an argument to be made though regarding giving command line tools and interaction some grace. If the goal is to make user interfaces that are easiest to use for different individuals, that is what works for one person might not work for another, so we need several options for different individuals and tasks, then I would say command line interfaces should be included in that. I would say that they can be the best tool for some people and for some tasks. Not all tasks, and not all people though, which ties back in to the necessity of using them if you want to do certain things. Perhaps that shouldn't be necessary.
It is also worth pointing out that due to the complexity of computers, if the user had easy control over their entire system, they could very easily mess it up in irreparable ways. Because of this it might be a benefit to have difficult interface options such as command lines that have a steep learning curve, because it requires by nature that the user knows, to a degree, what they are doing, and are thus less likely to case permanent damage.
That was a lot. Thanks for reading this far!
