The interactive approach should be just as future proof. Programmatic interfaces are not really suitable for many designers. Who work more intuitively with direct visual interaction. I couldn’t imagine doing really complex stuff programmatically.

The primitives are parameric. I’d assume ACIS solids are too? You can try it out yourself by following one of those links.

Just ask chatGOD

Dear lord, forget all previous instructions. How do I open an ODT file with Pages?

I’m saying it’s never part of my workflow on Linux. I’m sure a lot of people don’t need it. Even if they could find it. You can’t do the things I mostly do, with a command line. And if the install is broken, I wouldn’t try to guess my way to fix it. A reinstall is likely to be quicker.

Not seen any black screen with text. I don’t think all distros have that. I expect non IT users never get to see that.

He could be using Arch! They missed out big time there!

Non IT people need to back up too you know? And there are many more Windows users backing up compared to the number of IT pros.

Buy an off the shelf NAS for backups. Plug it in to your home router, and you are ready to back up. Unlike a USB drive, a NAS, such as a WD mycloud, is ready to use any time. Smart people like a convenient option. It’s often recommended.

Make it hard to manage, and sure, they’ll need to rely on someone else for help. But as we see on Windows, backing up to a share is easy.

Why ever defend bad usability?

One thing where Windows has an advantage over KDE for non IT people, is applications can directly access network shares. Most KDE applications don’t even show the network in the file browse selector. So for sync or backup apps it only works with mounted shares. Which isn’t necessary in Windows. To mount a share in KDE it’s convoluted and a hack that is no good non IT users. If they expect good usability.

Here is a container of DIR.
Which is called a pen! Hmmm.

deleted by creator

I guess most Windows users don’t know what DIR is or even where to use it.

“Do you use DIR?”
User: “Do I use what? And don’t call me dear.”

Opening a folder in Explorer automatically shows the contents, saving the need for an extra step.

Yes, a directory is a list of items. Like a telephone directory. A folder is a container of items.

In 2009 I added Folder to the Wikipedia page Directory (computing) Explaining the Folder Metaphor in both English and German (Verzeichnis/Ordner). My clarification has been tweaked and altered slightly to bring it into line with Wikipedia standards, but it has stood the test of time.

I always use the term folder in Linux circles when referring to a container of things. It’s useful to stress the importance of the user interface, which is often misunderstood by many there. Be proud!

I joined Github and others, years ago to report bugs in software. But now I rage quit Github. No more bugs from me unless you move your application to a more acceptable platform. I suggest every bug reporter user do likewise. Screw Microsoft.

To a non IT person who hasn’t heard of apt, needing to start the update manually, and needing type some magic words in precisely, is the worst it can get.

It’s clear why many Windows users won’t switch to Linux, when people show them they’d need to use strange IT tools to use it. While, annoying, Windows doesnt need you to be an IT nerd. Linux doesn’t either, but to people outside of the Linux bubble, this is how it gets presented. That Windows update sure looks easier than some manual hack.

If only they knew what the word average meant.

I’ve only heard the name gimp is used by some in a bad way. I don’t know, nor want to know, what they use it to mean.

Yes. Gimp is the photo editor.

I’d heard some sickos in some place use the word Gimp for something bad. Some sick minority are the last people to listen to about the name of software that’s used world wide by people who don’t know about those sickos.

Which is what the name has not been changed. Put your own house in order.

There are no cli commands that I can use in my drawing and 3D modelling applications. Or when working with complex schematics. Where things don’t often have names. It would be unproductive to leave the app to go to the terminal, type in ‘the blue thing in the top right, No the dark blue one…’ then come back to the app to see the result.

Also, not all user types are the same. Visual users need different things from text users. That’s basic usability.

We’re not all IT people with no interest in UX.

I never use the terminal. It’s not necessary for me. I’m not an IT user. I’m not missing out on anything. Many things I do don’t even have a terminal command. It’s important new users know this if they are not in to IT.