implemented feedback.
This commit is contained in:
parent
c3c5c434f5
commit
1b6a59e952
|
@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
|
||||||
+++
|
+++
|
||||||
title = "A modern CLI renaissance?"
|
title = "The modern CLI renaissance."
|
||||||
date = 2024-03-04T12:20:02-06:00
|
date = 2024-03-04T12:20:02-06:00
|
||||||
draft = true
|
draft = true
|
||||||
+++
|
+++
|
||||||
|
@ -83,10 +83,9 @@ xsel -bi
|
||||||
ls specifically can trace its history to 1961
|
ls specifically can trace its history to 1961
|
||||||
-->
|
-->
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Take a look at this [table](#appendix-the-tools) at the bottom of the page.
|
Over the past few years, it seems like the rate at which new CLI tools are being written has picked back up again,
|
||||||
I'll wait.
|
accelerating after seeing relatively little activity between ~1995 and ~2015.
|
||||||
Notice the relative scarcity between ~1995 and ~2015?
|
I'd like to talk about this trend I've noticed,
|
||||||
Id like to talk about a trend I've seen these past few years,
|
|
||||||
where people are rewriting and rethinking staples of the command line interface,
|
where people are rewriting and rethinking staples of the command line interface,
|
||||||
why I think this trend might be happening,
|
why I think this trend might be happening,
|
||||||
and why I think this trend is a good thing.
|
and why I think this trend is a good thing.
|
||||||
|
@ -112,14 +111,6 @@ Terminal programs now coexist with graphical user interfaces,
|
||||||
and only a small subset of computer users even know they exist,
|
and only a small subset of computer users even know they exist,
|
||||||
whereas in the past, terminals were the only way one interacted with the computer.
|
whereas in the past, terminals were the only way one interacted with the computer.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Perhaps more importantly, our knowledge has expanded:
|
|
||||||
our knowledge of user interfaces,
|
|
||||||
of what works and what doesn't,
|
|
||||||
of what usecases are common and what usecases are niche,
|
|
||||||
the way that error messages can teach,
|
|
||||||
the value of a good out of the box experience,
|
|
||||||
and the value of documentation that is easy to find and digest.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
These changes to the environment surrounding CLI apps in recent years have
|
These changes to the environment surrounding CLI apps in recent years have
|
||||||
led to a resurgence in development of command line utilities.
|
led to a resurgence in development of command line utilities.
|
||||||
Instead of just developing completely new tools or cloning old tools,
|
Instead of just developing completely new tools or cloning old tools,
|
||||||
|
@ -187,15 +178,15 @@ whats there.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Vim (top right) greatly improved on Vi, adding things such as syntax highlighting, line numbers, spellchecking, split windows, folding, and even basic autocompletion.
|
Vim (top right) greatly improved on Vi, adding things such as syntax highlighting, line numbers, spellchecking, split windows, folding, and even basic autocompletion.
|
||||||
However, everything but syntax highlighting is either extremely clunky or outright disabled without configuration.
|
However, everything but syntax highlighting is either extremely clunky or outright disabled without configuration.
|
||||||
(for example, the earliest things I did when I first made a `.vimrc` was to enable indent folding,
|
For example, the earliest things I did when I first made a `.vimrc` was to enable indent folding,
|
||||||
make some better keybinds for navigating windows, and adding a line number ruler to the side)
|
make some better keybinds for navigating windows, and adding a line number ruler to the side.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Neovim (bottom left) further improved on Vim, adding support for Treesitter and the Language Server Protocol,
|
Neovim (bottom left) further improved on Vim, adding support for Treesitter and the Language Server Protocol,
|
||||||
but the out of the box experience is the *exact* same as vim!
|
but the out of the box experience is the *exact* same as vim!
|
||||||
In order to take advantage of the LSP and Treesitter support, you have to install plugins,
|
In order to take advantage of the LSP and Treesitter support, you have to install plugins,
|
||||||
which means learning a Nvim package manager, learning how to configure LSPs,
|
which means learning a Nvim package manager, learning how to configure LSPs,
|
||||||
and configuring a new LSP for every language you want to use it with
|
and configuring a new LSP for every language you want to use it with
|
||||||
(or finding out about Mason and being OK with having multiple levels of package management in your Nvim install alone).
|
or finding out about Mason and being OK with having multiple levels of package management in your Nvim install alone.
|
||||||
Don't get me wrong: Neovim is a great editor once you get over the hump.
|
Don't get me wrong: Neovim is a great editor once you get over the hump.
|
||||||
I still use it as my daily driver, but so much of its functionality is simply hidden.
|
I still use it as my daily driver, but so much of its functionality is simply hidden.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
@ -205,8 +196,8 @@ Helix doesn't have plugin support [yet](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/di
|
||||||
but it has so much stuff in core that,
|
but it has so much stuff in core that,
|
||||||
looking through my neovim plugins,
|
looking through my neovim plugins,
|
||||||
pretty much all of them are in the core editor!
|
pretty much all of them are in the core editor!
|
||||||
(Ironically, the one feature that I feel helix is missing, [folding](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/issues/1840),
|
Ironically, the one feature that I feel helix is missing, [folding](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/issues/1840),
|
||||||
is a core part of neovim, albeit one that requires some configuration to get good use out of).
|
is a core part of neovim, albeit one that requires some configuration to get good use out of.
|
||||||
Helix does have a config file where you can change a huge amount of settings,
|
Helix does have a config file where you can change a huge amount of settings,
|
||||||
but its an extremely usable IDE out of the box thanks to having all of its features enabled by default.
|
but its an extremely usable IDE out of the box thanks to having all of its features enabled by default.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
@ -221,7 +212,7 @@ In the worst case, they can even point you in a completely different direction t
|
||||||
Git is a good example of this. As much as I love git, sometimes its error messages are the opposite of helpful.
|
Git is a good example of this. As much as I love git, sometimes its error messages are the opposite of helpful.
|
||||||
To borrow an example from [Julia Evans](https://jvns.ca/blog/2024/04/10/notes-on-git-error-messages/#git-checkout-asdf),
|
To borrow an example from [Julia Evans](https://jvns.ca/blog/2024/04/10/notes-on-git-error-messages/#git-checkout-asdf),
|
||||||
if you run `git checkout SomeNonExistantBranch`, you get:
|
if you run `git checkout SomeNonExistantBranch`, you get:
|
||||||
`error: pathspec 'SomeNonexistantBranch` did not match any file(s) known to git`.
|
`error: pathspec 'SomeNonexistantBranch' did not match any file(s) known to git`.
|
||||||
This is confusing because you are trying to checkout a branch, you arent thinking about files.
|
This is confusing because you are trying to checkout a branch, you arent thinking about files.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Another example, I covered [before](../nushell) is the contrast between Bash and Nushell.
|
Another example, I covered [before](../nushell) is the contrast between Bash and Nushell.
|
||||||
|
|
Loading…
Reference in a new issue