
## CLI or the Command Line Interface

The Command Line Interface is the most common and pervasive interface directly linking fingers typing on a keyboard (text) and the computer (commands). The CLI is a legacy mode of operating computing system which can be traced back to early telegraphic devices. In this lesson we will look at your computer's own CLI and present ways in which you can use it to write, manipulate, analyse and transform text on your own computer system.


![](img/rkwk101.gif)


### Goals

The aim of this lesson is for readers to develop an appreciation of the advantages of using the CLI for certain types of work involving text editing on a computer. As the CLI itself is text based, our goal is to present the history of the CLI and discuss how text-based computer interfaces are still up to this day on of the most important ways to communicate with the computer systems.

The goals of the lesson are:

1. Understand the historical precedents leading to the development of modern CLI.
2. Acquire basic knowledge on how to operate the CLI of your own computer. 
3. Develop the ability to recognize where and when the CLI is a better alternative than other types of computer interfaces (mainly graphical).
4. Develop a critical perspective on why the CLI matters in some situation and when it does not.
5. Acquire just-enough basic CLI vocabulary to be used in future (research) work.


### How

Command Line Interface ---> Command Line Interpreter (shell)

Prompt

Commands

<!--
<ls>

<mv>

<cp>

<file>

<fmt> <fold>

<iconv>

<wc> + <nl>

<grep>

Results

### Extra

<banner>
-->

[^1]: Something that is easily forgotten in the era of ubiquitous computer screens. For a discussion on the topic see Nick Montfort's essay [Continuous Paper: The Early Materiality and Workings of Electronic Literature](http://nickm.com/writing/essays/continuous_paper_mla.html).

[^2]: [Datapoint 3300 brochure](http://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/text/Computer_Terminal_Corporation/ComputerTerminalCorporation.Datapoint3300.1969.102646159.pdf).

[^3]: In fact Victor Poor from CTC devised the architecture and instruction set. The instruction set is, to this day, found (a revised version of course) on Intel's flagship x86 architecture, the most pervasive microprocessor architecture of all time (typing this text was processed by a x86 microprocessor).

[^4]: And subsequently the legacy 8-bit Intel 8080, 16-bit Intel 8086 and the whole x86 family of microprocessors. For all the details of the development of the Intel 8008, please refer to [this document](http://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2012/07/102657982-05-01-acc.pdf).
