The command line is a special program with which a direct connection between the user and the computer's operating system is carried out. It represents an environment in which various programs with a textual interface can run. The result of their work will be displayed on the screen.
There are the following reasons for using the command line:
- much less memory consumption compared to using the menu system;
- often, typing a command for an application is faster than using its graphical interface;
- in the command line, a regular text file can be executed containing a sequence of commands, which is much faster than their sequential execution.
The command line is actively used in:
- operating systems;
- computer games;
- other programs.
The operating system is the most used environment for the command line. With its help, many tasks are implemented, and in some operating systems the user can work with it even more often than with a graphical interface.
Initially, the use of the command line in games was driven by the need for debugging. After that, text quests appeared. The console is also used in many GUI games. A prime example is Quake, which uses the tilde (~) button to invoke the command line. Using the console, it is possible to change the game settings much faster than using the graphical menu.
The command line is also used in other software products, for example, computer-aided design systems, text editors, some browsers, etc.
The advantages of using the command line are as follows:
- a small number of clicks to call any command;
- almost instant access to the commands of various executable files;
- the ability to automate any task using a shell script or batch files;
- management of programs that lack a graphical interface;
- remote connection to a computer with minimal traffic costs;
- large capacity of text on the page compared to the graphical interface.
The disadvantages of the command line include:
- unfriendly for users accustomed to working with a graphical interface;
- Difficulty entering long commands in the absence of automatic completion;
- lack of "analog" type of input.
