Linux Bash... what else to do besides administrative tasks..?

Question

Im reading about Linux and playing around with Ubuntu.
Im very new to it..
But i am doing a lot of things using Bash.
I see that everything i am doing is about changing system configuration all the time..
I understand then why learning to use the shell is so important.
I see it a must for someone having to administer a server or something alike... but here is my question:

At the "user level", why and what for is the need to use it so much?
Everything i am reading strongly suggest to use the terminal and a lot of things look to me very old fashioned and time wasting.
I read somewhere that on a GUI enviroment, is not possible to do everything and blah blah blah...
But what things are you then going to do besides administrative tasks, that are going to be better in the shell than using a GUI?
What can't a desktop user do on a GUI having those millons of packages available, to be forced to use the shell...?

I think you got my point...

Thanks

Answer 1

In programming, making a GUI doesn't add to the program functionality. It's intensive work simply to make a GUI, which does nothing but create eye-candy. Which means any program that has a GUI is either mature or past maturity. Or it is a very very widely used program. Or GUI somehow adds to the functionality.

In Linux, even at the user level, that's not always the case. Many programs an ordinary user may want to use are experimental, cutting edge, or may not have high levels of maturity. Which means they are only accessibly through terminal.

Second, unlike in Windows, there is a concept of separation of display and functionality. In Windows, you associate the program with its GUI. In Linux, a GUI can be separate program from what it controls. So you have the GUI, and the program which can be controlled through terminal.

Finally, unlike in Windows, Linux and other Unix systems have a very powerful set of tools. Using the command line, it is possible to do something (for example complex text manipulations) otherwise impossible through a GUI or in non-Unix based systems (Windows).

Answer 2

If you are using Linux at such a low level you might do better with Fedora or some other distribution. Ubuntu is designed to be friendly. The idea is to eventually make Linux as friendly as Windows and in that sense, Ubuntu has made HUGE strides particularly with applications like Automatix. On the other hand, Ubuntu makes it a difficult to log in as root (I hate SUDO); The cool thing about both Ubuntu and Fedora is both have a wealth of available software which can be loaded from the GUI. As for running from the command line, it's only necessary for the most advance functions. my advice is to get a good book on your version of Linux and read up.

Good luck.

Answer 3

You're right, the shell is basically for administrative tasks, and many administrative tasks can actually be done more easily from a GUI. However, GUIs suck at programmatic automation. If you want to (for example) modify permissions on lots of files at once, you'll start seeing the benefits of a command line.

In other words: both the command line and GUI have their strengths and weaknesses. Learn to use the best tool for the task at hand.

Answer 4

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