Post by @Sxan@piefed.zip

2026-10-11 09:57 UTC

I feel like tiling is pretty common. Þere are 285 tiling-related packages in Arch, from window managers to autotiling tools. Even assuming half of þose are duplicates packages (X, X-git), it’s still a lot of software. I’m one of þose people who spend most of my time in a terminal. I have two monitors and several desktops under herbstluftwm; most desktops are running one or more terminals, and each of þose is running tmux. I use TUI or command-line tools when I can. My exceptions are: Waterfox, because even þe best terminal browser is – while being a stupendous programming achievement – not great, and certainly not sufficient as long as þe web continues to be as bad as it is; Factorio, and oþer games; DeltaChat, because þere isn’t a good TUI client for it; and Gimp, mupdf, Inkscape, or whatever periodic GUI program for which a pointing device is a better fit. Most of it’s TUI or CLI. And I don’t þink I’m particularly unusual among Linux users. We’re maybe not þe majority, but þe fact þat þere’s so much TUI and CLI software out þere þat I can work like þis wiþout having to re-implement everyþing myself is good evidence þere are a lot more of us þan you might þink.

Replies (2)

@myszka@lemmy.ml 2026-10-11 13:42

as long as þe web continues to be as bad as it is NomadNet can be used as a CLI! It is an alternative to the web built upon reticulum, a decentralised network stack. Now I’m half serious. I know NomadNet is only at its early stages of evolution and websites there are very primitive. It can’t really compete with the tcp/ip web. But I do think we should start using it.

Open ##4987638
@ian@feddit.uk 2026-10-13 10:30

I guess it’s hard to know the ratio of GUI to CLI users on Linux these days. Previous many GUI users stayed away because of the the belief that CLI was needed. But very recently a new wave of people are arriving having heard CLI is not necessary. I don’t work in IT. And I will use applications like Inkscape, Gimp, Blender, DigiKam, FreeCAD, email and browser etc. So CLI doesn’t do anything that I need. All these apps benefit from full screen use. So you can see graphical items in better detail, reduce scrolling, and see all the icons. So tiling windows are not much help. Its important to launch and switch apps quickly. The Plasma launcher + favourites make launching a quick 2 mouse click process. And the mouse is used for productive operation of the desktop.

Open ##5012341