Published on : 2026-05-06 09:13
       
       There is something oddly comforting about software that does not 
       beg for attention with:
       
        * badges
        * animations
        * floating buttons asking to upgrade
        * clunky UIs that take centuries to load
       
       A terminal brings:
       
        * text
        * keybindings
        * and a blinking cursor.
       
       For years I treated the terminal like a utility closet: a place 
       to run commands and, more often than not, break things. Once I 
       began to understand what pure text can do, the terminal feels 
       more like home.
       
       There are a lot of things that a terminal can do, keeping in mind 
       most of it is text. In this post I will show you how easy it is 
       to manage your files, chat, email, edit files, listen to music 
       and organize - all within your terminal.
       
       File management: yazi
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 (HTM) yazi
       
       Yazi makes moving through files feel fast in a way graphical file 
       managers rarely do. Jumping across directories, previewing files 
       (even images if you are using kitty), bulk renaming, opening 
       archives is all easily done  without touching the mouse.
       
       It feels less like "managing files" and more like thinking in 
       paths.
       
 (IMG)  Screenshot of yazi
       
       chat: weechat
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 (HTM) weechat
       
       Weechat is not trying to be a social experience. It is an 
       efficient pipe for conversation with notifications if you want 
       them. Yes, WeeChat can connect to XMPP and many other chat 
       protocols in addition to IRC. While WeeChat is primarily known as 
       an IRC client, its modular architecture allows it to support other 
       protocols through plugins and scripts. Open weechat and type
       
           /script
       
       to see the current 322 scripts at the time of writing this post 
       (2026-05-03 - 2026-05-06).
       
 (IMG)  Screenshot of weechat
       
       mail: aerc
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 (HTM) aerc
       
       E-mail is already text. Rendering it inside a browser-like 
       interface always felt slightly absurd, or maybe, to much. Aerc 
       respects that. Multiple accounts, threads, patches, vim-like 
       workflows. Composing mail in your editor is still one of the 
       better ways to write. And if your editor is not vim, keep on 
       reading.
       
 (IMG)  Screenshot of aerc
       
       Read my post on how I setup aerc with my Gmail account:
       
 (DIR)  Email with aerc, pass, gpg and khard - Modern Email in the Terminal
       
       editing: vim
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 (HTM) vim
       
       At some point vim stops being an editor and becomes muscle memory. 
       Editing config files turns into navigation. Navigation turns into 
       editing. Vim is often mocked as an ancient trap for users who 
       can't figure out how to quit, but this frustration ignores its 
       true power. While critics laugh at its steep learning curve, they 
       miss that Vim is actually a language for editing. By treating 
       keystrokes as "verbs" and "nouns," it allows you to manipulate 
       text with surgical precision and speed. Those who dismiss it as 
       outdated usually haven't experienced the fluidity of "flow" that 
       comes when your hands never have to leave the home row to reach 
       for a mouse.
       
 (IMG)  Screenshot of vim
       
       music: ncmpcpp
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 (HTM) ncmpcpp
       
       ncmpcpp connected to mpd is one of the cleanest music setups 
       available. Library browsing, playlists, visualizers, lyrics, 
       metadata editing. Music without recommendation algorithms 
       hovering nearby. Just your library, organized how you want it. 
       You can view a screenshot below or read my post on how I listen 
       to music from my tiny server using mpd and ncmpcpp:
       
 (IMG)  Screenshot of ncmpcpp
 (DIR)  Listening to Music From My Tiny Server
       
       tasks: todo.txt
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 (HTM) todo.txt
       
       A task manager can be a plain text file. That is still slightly 
       radical. todo.txt keeps things embarrassingly simple: priorities, 
       contexts, projects, done. You can view screenshots below or read 
       my post on how I use todo.txt:
       
 (IMG)  Screenshot of how I add tasks
 (IMG)  Screenshot showing overdue tasks
 (DIR)  Staying Organized with todo.txt and the todo CLI
       
       Why is the terminal still important
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       The terminal is not nostalgia. It is a place where software can 
       still be small, understandable, and enough. Beyond file 
       management, chat, mail, editing, music, and task tracking, the 
       terminal can become an entire working environment: development, 
       system monitoring, backups, container management, note-taking, 
       automation, media processing, even controlling remote machines 
       halfway across the world. With a few well-chosen programs and 
       some shell scripts, repetitive tasks disappear into aliases, cron 
       jobs, and tiny workflows built exactly the way you want them.
       
 (DIR)  Back to my phlog