Comments on: Links 30/09/2009: Dell and Linux, Garmin Out http://boycottnovell.com/2009/09/30/garmin-out/ Exploring the reality behind exclusionary deals with Microsoft and their subtle (yet severe) implications Sun, 21 Mar 2010 19:05:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: David Gerard http://boycottnovell.com/2009/09/30/garmin-out/comment-page-1/#comment-73798 David Gerard Sat, 03 Oct 2009 21:01:05 +0000 http://boycottnovell.com/?p=19270#comment-73798 A good GUI interface beats a terminal, but a terminal beats a bad GUI interface. Just saying "terminal bad, GUI good" tends to result in the sort of GUI where someone thinks the job is done if they put a button for every command-line switch. (AcidRip is an egregious example.) But then, this is an example of how there's no substitute for good design. And a reason good designers get paid a lot. In providing support on a forum, answering with a few lines that can be cut'n'pasted into a terminal is often quicker than giving directions through a GUI ... often quite a bad GUI. A good GUI interface beats a terminal, but a terminal beats a bad GUI interface.

Just saying “terminal bad, GUI good” tends to result in the sort of GUI where someone thinks the job is done if they put a button for every command-line switch. (AcidRip is an egregious example.)

But then, this is an example of how there’s no substitute for good design. And a reason good designers get paid a lot.

In providing support on a forum, answering with a few lines that can be cut’n'pasted into a terminal is often quicker than giving directions through a GUI … often quite a bad GUI.

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