In the desktop world, we have the option to use the command line: a uniform interface for a multitude of apps that would otherwise be very different when implemented as GUIs.

Using the same interface, I can move or edit files, cross out tasks on my to-do list, retrieve my password for my email account (using Bitwarden or pass), etc. All in the command line. The GUI for each of those are wildly different.

The other benefit is it is very easy to create a new command line app, as opposed to a GUI.

Is anything like this possible for the smartphone world (even if it doesn’t or will never exist)? What would it look like?

Since smartphone typing is much slower, we can’t simply reuse the command line. We’d need something different. An interface that can still support a various spectrum of different operations, yet ergonomic for a smartphone. What are your thoughts?

  • fuckwit_mcbumcrumble@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    2 months ago

    There’s no way to fix that on a phone unless you brough back the physical keyboard, and even then a phone keyboard doesn’t compare to a “real” keyboard. That’s why the gui is used for almost everything, and the CLI is only used by the high power nerds.