In the Beginning was the Command Line

Every Linux geek I’ve met recommended an essay called “In the Beginning was the Command Line” by Neal Stephenson. I suppose that it’s a bit dated because some of the things that were true back during the time it was written don’t necessarily hold true anymore. In any case it really is an interesting read because it gives new Linux users insight and humor at the same time.

From that essay, you could learn something about Linux and other operating systems as well. I didn’t really know about BeOS until I read that essay. And there were other analogies that Neal Stephenson gave that made it easier for me to learn about Linux as well as free and open source software. You also learn about, well, the command line. I think that what he wrote here made me appreciate it a bit more.

For example,

The command line interface makes it easy for programs to dribble out little comments, warnings, and messages here and there. Even if the application is imploding like a damaged submarine, it can still usually eke out a little S.O.S. message.

And I have noticed my friends who would try to figure out errors by running applications with a graphical user interface on the command line. As the program runs, one could see on the command line what’s going on. Unlike in the GUI, it simply quits or exits. In that sense, the command line does win.

Also, in Neal Stephenson’s essay you will find comparisons between Linux, Windows and the Mac OS. I think that this was pre-OSX so it might look a bit weird to you. But he also mentions differences in how these operating systems are perceived by users. He also mentions how these operating systems are being marketed. Perspectives and paradigms associated with computers and these operating systems are noted. In some ways, I think that these perspectives still reflect society today. Windows and their marketing strategies, as well as their not so polished products that sell quite well; Apple and how different their business is from Microsoft; and how much Linux gives freedom to hackers.

For me, this essay gave me some kind of historical background as well as social and cultural aspects of operating systems. I hope you would enjoy reading it too. Check out these links if you want to read them:
In the Beginning was the Command Line 2004 (with annotations)
In the Beginning was the Command Line .zip file download.