In this edition, we're talking the command-line and terminals, or should I say, "The rise of the terminal...ator"?

Okay, maybe we'll edit that one in post.

There was a time when the terminal, also known as the command-line, was seen as the realm of system administrators and hackers only, and not the good kind either. Once we adopted Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) en masse, we collectively forgot that text-based user interfaces, also known as "TUIs", were in fact the original way we interacted with our computers for much of our computing history.

In fact, even as Microsoft Windows became the dominant player in the personal computing market, the command line quietly lived on: first in the form of DOS in Windows 3.1 to 98, and later in the form of Command Prompt (CMD.EXE) in Windows NT and onwards. Decades later, in 2019, Microsoft would introduce Windows Terminal — a more modern, tabbed host that still sits on top of that same command-line tradition.

Quietly, the command-line continued to live on quite strongly among server administrators and "power users": those who often understood its true power. In the open-source realm of Linux, the BSDs, and even macOS (built on the open-source Darwin, a UNIX-like OS with BSD roots), the terminal became, in essence, an essential part of life as many tasks could only be done through this interface — and today, there’s a resurgence even among casual users, driven in part by greater computer literacy and the rising visibility of both computer programming and Linux/open-source in popular culture, even if adoption still trails behind somewhat.

Simultaneously, we're seeing the rise of keyboard- and text-driven interfaces in general, not just in the proliferation of AI tools and natural-language processing, but in the popularity of desktop environments like Hyprland and distros like Omarchy.

Even the "average Joe user" who may have never considered the likes of a terminal is now the top candidate for diving in and experimenting or even adopting the command-line, TUIs, and keyboard-driven interfaces as primary drivers.

All of this brings me to this edition's insight.

Insight: TUIs need good UI/UX too

Now, I'll admit, this probably isn't the first thought that comes to mind when you think "terminal" or "text-based interface". Let's be honest — most of us don't think of these interfaces as being user-friendly to begin with. If we had to classify the overall user experience, we'd probably come up with some version of "bad", basically.

Yet the truth is that even in a terminal, design is crucial, because design is an act of empathy. A tool that respects your time and experience is a kindness (and less likely to make you curse, if we're being honest). Using the example of common CLI tools we all know in the Linux/open-source realm: how many times have we run ls, du, or df and been left scratching our heads when the output didn’t make a lick of human sense?

P.S. I know I probably just lost anyone who is not familiar with this world, even among the Linux crowd.

If you've used these tools, you've probably had to throw in a handful of flags, use grep, or do some other magical incantation to get something a human being could appreciate. Many of us are now so familiar with these tools that we no longer notice, but those following behind us most definitely do.

The reality is, in the CLI world, once something is baked in, you can’t easily "bake it out". But TUIs offer some compromise — and we should capitalize on this. I’ll use the example of a tool I recently reviewed for Its FOSS: Calcurse.

Calcurse is a terminal-based calendar app with a slick TUI. It's fun to use and surprisingly featureful — and I don’t mean “for a text-based app,” I mean generally. I’m using it here because it’s a great example of how even strong TUIs can stumble on small UX details.

One quirk caught me by surprise: Calcurse mixes 12- and 24-hour time formats in different places. On its own, it’s not a dealbreaker at all. But coming from a 12-hour locale, I found myself occasionally switching mental modes to parse the times. That tiny bit of cognitive friction in an otherwise excellent app is exactly the kind of thing TUI designers might want to keep an eye on.

Be sure to check out my Calcurse review down below.

It reminded me that good UX isn’t just something for graphical interfaces; whether on the web, mobile, or desktop. Every layer of the computing stack should meet the same standard: serve users well and reduce friction wherever possible.

Whether that means sane defaults, reasonable configuration options, or simply solid, accessible documentation, it's imperative that the tools we use in the terminal are just as comfortable (and human-friendly) as the ones we use on our PCs and phones.

Practical Tip: Get familiar with your keyboard

You don't need to memorize every keybinding your system has to offer, but even knowing a few handy keyboard shortcuts can make your computing experience a breeze. On Windows, you can tap the Windows key to quickly pull up the Start menu and search for any app or document you need. On macOS, Spotlight gives you the same instant access.

On Linux and the many BSDs, your options are endless — put that Super key to good use and see how quickly you get things done! My personal favourite tool for this purpose is Synapse. It's a little dated at this point, and no longer maintained, but still works well on all desktop environments. With a quick CTRL+SPACE I can launch anything with a few keystrokes, thanks to it learning my favourite apps and even featuring fuzzy search.

Here’s what I’ve published recently:

It’s FOSS

• Command Your Calendar: Inside the Minimalist Linux Productivity Tool Calcurse A classic way to stay organised in the Linux terminal with a powerful, scriptable TUI calendar. → https://itsfoss.com/calcurse/

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