I type like a blind chimp missing 3 fingers. And for some perverse reason, I seldom copy/pasta commands. I enjoy typing like monkey at a keyboard until I accidentally get it all right.

Evidently, I have unresolved monkey issues…

I don’t really care. GUI or Cli, it don’t matter. But sometimes GUIs are far better even in Linux.

A real gripe I have with the Cli is when you install nVida drivers in Fedora from the terminal. Whether you are newb or a grizzled veteran of the Unix wars, you are going to enter, (or copy and paste for newbies), all the proper commands and things will go well until you get to the very end. When you are all done entering all the commands it says to reboot and you are looking at that blank blinking cursor, you would think you were done and ready to go.

But if you are in a hurry and missed the ‘fine print’, you probably missed the part where it says to wait for a while like 5 minutes or more BEFORE you can reboot. And no one knows how long for sure because the computer is recompiling your new kernel.

So there you sit, staring at your screen and a blank, blinking cursor without the slightest hint when the compile is done and wondering if it’s safe to reboot. Me, I go make a cuppa and go look out over the lake for a while. But it catches the beginners at least once.

Bring on the GUI and a bloody progress bar!

Most home appliances can be repaired even yet today. They all still work on the same principles that they did 60 years ago. Sure, the mechanical timers, switches and simple single phase motors have been replaced with solid state control boards, touch switches, and 3 phase motors, but those are also simpler to replace, if a bit harder to diagnose. The parts are a mere goggle away and for sale to even to the likes of me. About the only ‘impossible’ to repair at home appliance is your refrigerator. And that’s because of the sealed nature of the cooling system.

The biggest issue isn’t that they can’t be repaired, but rather you can’t be bothered to. You would rather spend $1000+ to get a new washing machine delivered to your house than spend $500 to fix the old one. You might consider fixing the old one if it would only cost $50 total and if the pump wasn’t $300+ labor and a $100 just to get a repairman to knock on your door. Plus the probable wait for a week or two to get the part. And you sure as hell ain’t going to get your fingers dirty or your knuckles skinned to do it yourself.

I’m still shaving with the same Gillette Slim Adjustable razor I learned to shave with as a youngster. It cost me about $10 in the early 1970s. The blades still only cost me about 15 cents per blade. I’ve had that razor for longer than I’ve been married to my wife of 40 years. I doubt few of you here would be able to make that kind of commitment to a simple razor, let alone a dishwasher.

So, let me get this straight. It’s less about your dietary regime and more about getting up off your ass and getting out and burning off the calories you consume?

It’s not so much about users switching, it’s more about the ones that will stick with it. And that we can’t know for a few years yet.