LIS5362 - On Text

Which is "primitive?"

THIS v.

Which is "primitive?"

Why Command Line?

Because you can very quickly say/relate complex concepts in a concise way, by combining a series of simple symbols.

Why Command Line?

Because you can very quickly say/relate complex concepts in a concise way, by combining a series of simple symbols.

You know, like talking. Or writing.

Why Command Line?

Command line is the act of literally talking to the computer....unlike...

What's so bad about the mouse again?

"Caveman interface."
Pre-linguistic/animal-like
"Point and grunt"

(Tablets and even "Minority Report" are cool and fun...but why is Charades a game?)

It's so easy, even...

On Intelligence

Buttons and gestures are frequently convenient for repetitive tasks...

...but to do anything intelligent,
you need LANGUAGE.
TEXT. Numbers and Letters.

Controversial idea:

The mouse is the worst thing to ever happen to computers.
Most real work = communication = text.

- Tablets (and mouses) arguably didn't do much for productivity...

- Siri, et al, on the other hand...

Are you saying what I think you're saying?

That..what, the entire field of UX/UI Design is
just a MASSIVE waste of time?

I wouldn't take it that far...but I'd think about it.

Are you saying what I think you're saying?

That..what, the entire field of UX/UI Design is
just a MASSIVE waste of time?

I wouldn't take it that far...but I'd think about it.

e.g. a *very* simple, if not easy, way to solve ADA compliance?
Only allow text.

Note: this is also "why Linux"

1) Free and open
2) Language/Text Based

(These two are completely related; newer stuff tries to allow for more of 2 and/or 1; e.g. Mac OS X, Android)

More on "Text"

In fact

All files can be thought of as either "text" or "binary"

Can you kind of read it even though you are a human? That's "text," then.

The Unix Way

Write programs that do one thing and do it well.

Write programs to work together.

Write programs to handle text streams, because that is a universal interface.

Linux (or GNU/Linux, redux)

Linux stands for...

Linux (or GNU/Linux, redux)

Linux stands for...
Linux Is Not UniX

(remember, "Linux," most precisely, is like the engine"

Linus Torvalds

"I'm doing a (free) operating system, just a hobby, won't be big and professional like GNU..."

GNU/Linux

GNU? What's that?

A bunch of other stuff on top of the engine,
but still ESSENTIAL to operation. Dash, transmission etc...by

Richard Stallman

Weird, picky guy who says crazy things

Richard Stallman

Weird, picky guy who says crazy things
THAT END UP BEING TRUE.

Richard Stallman

Weird, picky guy who says crazy things, e.g.
Don't call it "Linux!" Call it "GNU/Linux"
and
They're going to go into your home and burn your books!!

We covered the first one already...but

Burn your Books?

I'm bringing this up for a reason.

Burn your Books?

I'm bringing this up for a reason.

When I was young and naive; this sounded silly.

Yes, there will be handheld computers, but
Why would you ever let a third-party have the power
to delete the files on your computer?

Burn your Books?

ah. You, in part, make them stop thinking about "files."

Where you see "Text?"

In Files and Folders

Quick reminder:

"Everything that isn't Windows" can be called something like

I'll just say "Linuxy"

A Basic Linuxy Filesystem