Overloading/Inheritance issue

[Jascha Wetzel]

Walter Bright wrote:
> I'm a command line interface curmudgeon. The reason is simple- it's more 
> productive, since:
> 
> 1) I can touch-type. There's no such thing as using a mouse without 
> looking. Using a mouse is like being forced to type using only your left 
> pinkie, and every program you use has a different keyboard layout.
> 
> 2) I have muscle memory in my fingers, meaning a lot of complex commands 
> can just spew out with no thought required.
> 
> 3) Pipes are cool. Can't do the equivalent with a gui.
> 
> 4) I routinely write simple batch files to automate whatever I'm doing 
> at the moment. Can't do that with a gui.
> 
> 5) Ever tried to do a series of repeated actions with a gui? Like, one 
> by one, save all the emails in a folder to a text file? It's agonizing. 
> With CLI, I'll just dude up a quick batch file using cut & paste, and 
> it's done.
> 
> 6) Most of the time I need a command, I've already done it, so I just 
> type the first couple characters then F8, bam, I'm flying.
> 
> Guis have their uses - mainly for programs you aren't familiar with. But 
> once you are familiar, CLI is faster.
> 
> P.S. I use microEmacs, not vi. Mainly because I have the source to it 
> and just fix it to work like I want.

what you say assumes that GUIs imply mouse usage. i consider a GUI buggy 
if it can't be fully and efficiently controlled with the keyboard only 
(as i hate using the mouse as well). i agree with all your points, but 
they can apply to GUIs as well.

regarding the batch-file issue: an IDE should actually help you to write 
more effective batch files by providing you more environment variables 
(for project management for example) and assign shortcuts to them.

developers of older editors appear not to adapt more recent features 
like "goto declaration", member auto completion, supporting the debugger 
for navigating at source level or refactoring stuff. i guess there is 
little doubt about the usefulness of these features.

i'm using a pretty bare bones editor plus a command line myself, but i 
consider it a temporary solution. i'd like a bare bones editor with 
"goto declaration" so i dont have to mock around with search and 
bookmarks all day :)