Failing to Take Command with Command-Line Interface
We live in a world of not bothering. All we have to do is Google search what we are looking for and hope it gives us the answer. We only pay attention to the visible part of software and ignore what is happening in the background. However, software is what makes everything happen. As Lev Manovich puts it in his book Software Takes Command, “Software is the invisible glue that ties it all together” (Manovich 8). It is easy to live in a world of not knowing. I have lived 20 years of my life not knowing command-line, and I am perfectly fine with that. However, knowing how to operate software, such as using command-line, opens a world of endless possibilities. Command-line enables us to be in control and move out of a world of constraints.
Command-line allows one to communicate with their operating system, or the background software making your computer function. You can create, open, move, delete and so much more through simple syntax typed into a blank window. It is so simple, but so complex at the same time. Although you can simply make a directory, or folder, by entering “mkdir File_Name,” it is a step by step process. After making that directory, you have to learn how to make files to put in it. There are so many options with command-line, and you have to decide which choices to make.
Personally, I do not like to decide. I like when there is only one option. I would rather sit back and let my computer “decide.” However, how does that help me? What do I gain? This assignment made me question the power I give to my computer and its software.
However, I found this assignment challenging. I had to go back and restart my commands twice because I missed a step. The most difficult part of this assignment and the HTML and CSS coding assignment was their step-by-step organization. Typically, if I do not know something, I will skip it and move on to future steps. However, I could not do that with this assignment. I found this challenging and frustrating. It felt too structured.
Why does my brain function this way? Why do I not like making decisions? Why does my brain process things out of order? I think it is due to the human reliance on machines. Humans allow machines to be in command. It is a much simpler way to go through life. If a human cannot do something, the machine is the solution. If I cannot solve a math problem, I’ll rely on a calculator to give me the answer.
I think it is beneficial for people to move out of the constraints and limitations that they set for themselves. However, I find it much harder to unlearn something that I have been doing most of life. All I can do is be more aware and understand the constraints of my relationship with machines. For future generations, I hope children learn how to be in control and more aware of the invisible world of software and machines.
Works Cited
Manovich, Lev. Software Takes Command. N.p.: Bloomsbury, 2013. ISSUU. 29 Aug. 2013. Web. 7 Jan. 2017.
Cheat Sheet (Mac- OS X):
- pwd: tells you what directory (file system) you are in
- q: leave manual page
- help: help available
- ls: list of files in directory you are in
- ls *.txt: lists files of home directory
- cd: change directory / help navigate
- cd- -: if lost
- cd..:go back
- open (filename): opens files
- mkdir : makes a directory
- Rmdir: remove a directory
- cat (filename): shows file in command line
- head (file name): first ten lines of file
- tail (filename): last ten lines of file
- mv (filename): moves file
- cp (file name): copy file
vim: open vim document editor
- a: edit document
- esc: go into reader (non-edit) mode of document
- :w : write file
- :q : quit file and return to command line
