I saw part of a post by Scantron in response to the Rammer Hammer Yellow Hammer hub, and I thought I'd pull it out and respond to it over here. (I may also be extending his argument past his intent, but I think it's interesting to discuss). Here's the original post:
Why do so many things on this site run on command line interfaces? I get that it's easier to represent than a graphical user interface, but the trope is kinda wearing out its welcome at this point.
So, I like the command line, and I have out-of-universe and in-universe reasoning.
Out-of-universe:
- As Scantron said, it's easier to represent in text. That's important for writeability.
- It implies a minimum technical capability to be employed by the Foundation. I like the idea that people in the Foundation are generally competent.
- It's cinematic. I imagine the Foundation as a giant, secretive bureaucracy staffed by highly intelligent people that is deadly serious about everything. People tap-typing away on a command prompt is just the right mental image fur me. A GUI in my head is basically either going to look boring or over-the-top, Mission Impossible movie style.
In-universe:
- The Foundation has been around forever, so I imagine it started out with early terminal systems. Monolithic bureaucracies are resistant to change, even if they're as competent and dynamic as the Foundation.
- The Foundation doesn't *want* it to be easy or efficient to access data in secure databases. I imagine that researchers and agents have all the data they could possibly want in a super-efficient Windows-style in-house OS, with ftml browsing and .fpdfs and .fpt presentations or whatever, but accessing secure databases like the mainlist is actively discouraged.
- A command line has less moving parts than a GUI. Sure, you're going to get more human error with it, but on the security side you generally have a log of exactly what someone was trying to do. Plus, reliance on text means less opportunity for visual memes to spread around.
- I imagine Foundation IT being run by a combination of the kind of massive CS geeks who write their own OSes and crypto geeks/hardcore security professionals. I admit I don't knew too many of either, but with most of the Linux/crypto people I know, writing GUIs is not a high priority. It's something they just kind of throw in if it makes things more convenient for them.
- Also, as far as physical scientists I do know personally, they totally write their own software and run it via command-line. I used to work in a space propulsion lab that ran everything on the most barebones Linux builds possible, and we still had to wait weeks for the simulations to come back.
All of that said, I don't necessarily like a full DOS instance being thrown around every five seconds. (I do like the Rammer Hammer hub, though.) I just support the terminal access/command line systems where I have seen them.
