Post AZS2d2XRMlIRHFFRxo by cstross@wandering.shop
 (DIR) More posts by cstross@wandering.shop
 (DIR) Post #AZS2d1laEh10sorEMy by hywan@fosstodon.org
       2023-09-01T08:41:22Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       The case for Nushell, https://www.jntrnr.com/case-for-nushell/.Relevant article about shells, and how Nushell pushes the boundaries further. I highly recommend reading it.#shell #nushell
       
 (DIR) Post #AZS2d2XRMlIRHFFRxo by cstross@wandering.shop
       2023-09-01T08:50:07Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @hywan @Keltounet Question: "can the state of shells be improved enough to overcome the inertia of sticking to what you know?"This is the wrong question. It presupposes zero cost of transition, while the cognitive workload of learning a new shell rises exponentially with age (hint: I'm nearly 60, shells are harder to adapt to than a new GUI). Stability and continuity are essential prerequisites to productivity!
       
 (DIR) Post #AZS2d3SrvFEY9M7JTc by Keltounet@mastodon.social
       2023-09-01T08:54:50Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @cstross @hywan we could say the same for languages, both in real life and computing. I'm 56 and enjoying learning both Rust and Japanese 😅And looking into nutshell too.
       
 (DIR) Post #AZS2d4NwV2t50MotRA by cstross@wandering.shop
       2023-09-01T08:59:50Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @Keltounet @hywan Computing is not my job. It hasn't been my job for over two decades. Time spent learning a new shell or thinking about computers is time *wasted* from the non-compsci point of view.Thing is, the question about the utility of switching to a new shell has embedded ideological assumptions that implicitly privilege computing over applications. To 99% of the world applications of computing are the priority; the machines and software are just an annoying drag on getting stuff done.
       
 (DIR) Post #AZS2d54Twsun8Iirk8 by Keltounet@mastodon.social
       2023-09-01T09:01:33Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @cstross @hywan I see your point 😁 I'm a lower level kind of guy anyway
       
 (DIR) Post #AZS2d5oDCrUjQ87O1Q by cstross@wandering.shop
       2023-09-01T09:11:17Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @Keltounet @hywan There's a deeper point: the past 70 years of computing have focussed on a spurious vision of progress that forgets to consider the utility of a stable platform. Operating systems in particular are driven by commercial goals (sell more software! Get more Linux desktops out there!) that are actively inimical to the needs of their users. Forcing users to learn a new way of working every year—even if they don't need to—is crazy. And it renders computers inaccessible to the elderly.
       
 (DIR) Post #AZS2d6h9uZRmAXpGfQ by cstross@wandering.shop
       2023-09-01T09:14:15Z
       
       1 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @Keltounet @hywan I watched my mother progressively (and completely) lose the ability to use her iMac during her final decade because Apple kept f*cking around with the Mac OS X user interface, the way Mail worked, the colour of the window maximize/minimize buttons, and stuff that probably looked trivial to a 30-something UI designer but was deeply disruptive to an 80 something with impaired memory. And by losing that access, she lost touch with friends (via email).