How Ya Gonna Get 'Em Down On the UNIX Farm? 606
theodp writes "In 1919, Nora Bayes sang, "How ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm after they've seen Paree?" In 2013, discussing User Culture Versus Programmer Culture, CS Prof Philip Guo poses a similar question: 'How ya gonna get 'em down on UNIX after they've seen Spotify?' Convincing students from user culture to toss aside decades of advances in graphical user interfaces for a UNIX command line is a tough sell, Guo notes, and one that's made even more difficult when the instructors feel the advantages are self-evident. 'Just waving their arms and shouting "because, because UNIX!!!" isn't going to cut it,' he advises. Guo's tips for success? 'You need to gently introduce students to why these tools will eventually make them more productive in the long run,' Guo suggests, 'even though there is a steep learning curve at the outset. Start slow, be supportive along the way, and don't disparage the GUI-based tools that they are accustomed to using, no matter how limited you think those tools are. Bridge the two cultures.'" Required reading.
Re:I wonder . . . (Score:4, Funny)
How fast can you rename all files whose names contain the string 'numbskull' in a different directory without leaving the current directory using Windows Explorer?
I'll be down at the dock with my fishing pole. Come find me when you're done.
Re:Stop trying (Score:5, Funny)
The "standard windows commandline" is now powershell, and it is wonderful in many ways despite its quirks.
Absolutely. Indeed, it is approaching the Bourne shell of the 1970s, almost approaching late '70s C shell.
Re:It's an Exclusionary Club (Score:5, Funny)
Well, sure, but what about when you first started getting into computers?
Um, there really weren't any GUIs back then...
Re:Stop trying (Score:4, Funny)
destroyed by typos and autocorrect stupidity
You see how powerful a GUI is! Good thing your typing is perfect, I am sure the command line never gives you syntax errors.