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Ask HN: Any Example of a Good TUI (Text User Interface) You Would Recommend?

3 points by rixed ↗ HN
Every now and then I question the value of text user interfaces over web user interfaces over native user interfaces. To fuel this neverending quest for the perfect UI, I'm wondering what great TUI others have encountered and would recommend, and why.

So, what's your favorite TUI?

3 comments

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[dead] voodoochilo
What do you mean by recommend a TUI? A program with a TUI or a framework for building TUIs?

mc has a great ncurses-based TUI.

smush
Also interested to hear this. I'll start with my admittedly limited perspective:

I started with a Win 95 computer so I cannot claim to have loads of experience with with TUIs even though I love the idea of text-focused UIs that can be memorized. The idea of say an IBM POS terminal where workers can key items at a blistering rate without even looking at the screen (or the Bloomberg Terminal recently discussed in a recent HN entry).

I can say, things like DOS's EDIT mode, Deskmate (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeskMate), or the old LCARS 24 clock/shell were always a pleasure to learn and made keyboard function keys, erm, "great again".

I now try to design my own little helper applications to conform to a keyboard-first role, where the mouse is a fully supported sidecar but not a required feature. I'm happy when I can get an application to be as easy to use with memorized keyboard shortcuts or sequences as with Mouse Keys.