In the desktop world, we have the option to use the command line: a uniform interface for a multitude of apps that would otherwise be very different when implemented as GUIs.

Using the same interface, I can move or edit files, cross out tasks on my to-do list, retrieve my password for my email account (using Bitwarden or pass), etc. All in the command line. The GUI for each of those are wildly different.

The other benefit is it is very easy to create a new command line app, as opposed to a GUI.

Is anything like this possible for the smartphone world (even if it doesn’t or will never exist)? What would it look like?

Since smartphone typing is much slower, we can’t simply reuse the command line. We’d need something different. An interface that can still support a various spectrum of different operations, yet ergonomic for a smartphone. What are your thoughts?

  • @[email protected]OPEnglish
    -16•2 months ago

    Termux is awesome, but it is not what I’m looking for. Using Termux lacks the ergonomics of using a terminal on desktop. The keyboard / typing experience is far worse.

    • @[email protected]English
      22•2 months ago

      How would your ideal solution overcome not having a full-sized keyboard in your pocket?

      • @[email protected]OPEnglish
        1•2 months ago

        By not relying on typing speed. Maybe the interface could heavily leverage gestures for example, or auto complete, etc. There are many possibilities.

        But also this kind of is the core of my question 😄

        • @[email protected]English
          3•2 months ago

          The last paragraph in your post should have been the only paragraph in your post. People aren’t getting as far as your last paragraph before they give up and make a comment about command lines on Android.

          You didn’t need to spend 4 paragraphs telling everyone things they already know. You should have gotten right to the point.

          • @[email protected]OPEnglish
            4•2 months ago

            You’re right, thanks for pointing that out. It does seem that almost no one read to the end, and that’s on me.

      • @[email protected]OPEnglish
        0•2 months ago

        As long as the keyboard is constrained by your screen size, the ergonomics in typing speed and error rate are far worse than desktop terminal. If the keyboard is not constrained by screen size, like a sufficiently large physical keyboard, by definition that is no longer a smartphone or mobile phone experience.

        • @[email protected]English
          3•2 months ago

          I think the most confusing part is that you want both the backend and gui to exist, yet don’t like the current back end.

          Realistically you could create some super weird controller using all your sensors at once and just wrap it around termux/adb.

          Things like termux’ first goal is to work both programmatically and via a user, a wheel that would be pretty difficult to recreate just for phones

    • @[email protected]English
      4•2 months ago

      There’s no way to fix that on a phone unless you brough back the physical keyboard, and even then a phone keyboard doesn’t compare to a “real” keyboard. That’s why the gui is used for almost everything, and the CLI is only used by the high power nerds.

      • @[email protected]OPEnglish
        -2•2 months ago

        The keyboard experience is limited by the small size

        I have not tried the keyboard you linked. Does it solve this issue?

          • @[email protected]OPEnglish
            -2•2 months ago

            Edit: sounds like you meant software keyboard. That is constrained by screen size and hence cannot be as big as I want.

            Below is my original comment which assumed you meant a physical keyboard of sufficient size.

            If you’re carrying around a big keyboard with your phone, you’ve officially exited mobile phone territory.

            Mobile phone is hand-held and pocket sized by definition.