lugenx

Intentional Terminal

We use technology in two ways: with a clear purpose or just out of habit. When we have a goal, every action we take moves us closer to it. But when we act on impulse, we often get distracted by whatever grabs our attention. Let’s look at these two ways of interacting: intention-driven and impulse-driven.

Intention vs Impulse

Intention-driven actions start with a clear goal. You open your text editor because you need to write something, or you check your calendar to confirm an appointment. On the flip side, impulse-driven actions often happen when we’re presented with too many options. Think about how many times you’ve opened a social media app just because you saw its icon, leading to what I call “impulsive distraction.”

This is where command lines shine. While graphical interfaces are like walking through a grocery store where everything is competing for your attention, using a command line is more like handing someone a shopping list. You know what you want, and you get exactly that. No impulse purchases necessary.

Here’s an interesting observation: while GUIs change with every service or application, command-line interfaces offer a consistent way to interact. Once you learn the pattern, you can apply it everywhere. It’s like speaking a universal language rather than learning a new interface for every conversation.

Imagine being in a dark room and saying “I need a table,” and having it appear right in front of you. Sounds efficient, right? Now compare that to walking to your kitchen and sitting at the table that’s already there. In our homes, having everything permanently visible makes sense because we organize spaces based on function. You don’t need your car in your bedroom. But the internet doesn’t have those kinds of constraints. We don’t need everything visible all the time.

TIP: Hide your cookies in a hard-to-see place on the shelf, but keep your broccoli visible in the fridge. You need to see them to eat them. Cookies, on the other hand, you’ll find when you really want them. No need to be reminded.

Using command lines and keyboard shortcuts does something interesting to our attention: it keeps us engaged and focused. When you need to type a command to switch tasks, you’re making a conscious decision. It’s not just about reducing “impulsive distraction,” it’s about maintaining intentional control over your workflow.

From Screens to Conversations

This focus on intention is also shaping the next wave of technology. Conversational AI builds on the same principles of being direct and intentional, similar to the way command lines help you stay focused.

Think about it: we originally needed screens because they were our window into the digital world. We started with command lines, then added GUIs to make computers more accessible to everyone. But as AI advances, we’re moving toward something that feels more natural—simple conversation.

Coming Full Circle

Let’s trace this journey of human-computer interaction:

  1. In the beginning, we used commands because that was the only way to talk to computers. It was simple but required learning their language.

  2. Then came graphical interfaces (GUIs), making computers accessible to everyone by creating visual representations of real-world objects. We needed screens because clicking buttons was easier than memorizing commands.

  3. Now we’re entering a new phase where commands are becoming natural language. We don’t need specialized syntax anymore—we can just talk to our computers like we talk to each other.

  4. The final step? Removing screens entirely. If we can communicate with computers through natural conversation, do we really need a visual interface between us?

It’s fascinating how this evolution is bringing us back to where we started, but in a more natural way. We began with command-line interfaces because that’s what computers could understand. Now we’re returning to command-based interaction, but this time it’s the computers adapting to our language, not the other way around.

The future might look a lot more like having a conversation than staring at screens. And maybe that’s exactly what we need—technology that fits into our lives instead of our lives fitting around screens.

The best user interface is no interface at all - it always has been. When we strip away the visual clutter and return to pure commands, we’re forced to act with intention rather than impulse. Everything else - the buttons, menus, and screens - just gets in the way of what we really want to accomplish.