After last night, which do you prefer? What are the benefits/drawbacks of a graphical user interface? What are the benefits/drawbacks of a command line interface? Why do you think understanding the command line is so vital to your future careers in IT Auditing?
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Shuyue Ding says
Graphical user interface(GUI) benefits people who do not have a deep understanding of command line. It is a lot easier to perform daily life with GUI, and almost anyone is able to use GUI to do computer related stuff and work; however, GUI is not as efficient as command line interface(CLI) in terms of repeated computer work such as every Temple’s computer has a script that deletes every additional thing that created by users when users log off. There is no way that Temple could hire someone to do that by using GUI, but CLI work perfectly. The downside of CLI is just you have to memorialize commands.
After last class, I did see why we need learn command line to perform IT auditing work. IT auditors are able to do things a lot faster with command line such as deleting the last user stuff without actually know/ find the last user; using net user to know who are those people; Net share to find out why share, who has access to it, what inform in shared folder.
Patrick J. Wasson says
Thank you for your comment Shuyue!
Yuchong Wang says
I doubt any regular user would prefer command line because if you typed something wrong it will just not work. But with Graphical User Interface, it is easier for users to identify what objectives they are trying to find. Therefore, I prefer GUI myself. The benefit is obvious and is that it gives people a virtual understanding of where they are going. However, all these GUI are just a virtual version of the command line. Command line is vital for IT Auditors because this is the basis of Windows Server. Hackers will most likely remote control and access your computers through the command line, so understanding command line ourselves is very vital.
Patrick J. Wasson says
Thanks for your comment! I hope you found that the command line can be more powerful than the GUI!
Sarah Puffen says
Understanding command line interface is essential to IT Auditors because it helps us find information through direct communication with the system. While it is less popular with the average user, CLI is widely used by developers and administrators for greater efficiency and accessibility within their computer or programs. CLI is useful in that you can open a command directly, rather than clicking through different icons, drop down menus, and folders to find the same information. While CLI’s concise method of entering commands is convenient, it takes time to learn commands as well as how to use the interface itself considering there is no autocorrect, making human error more probable for command inputs, and creating the potential for repetitious use of manuals to search for commands.
For everyday use, graphical user interface is more convenient for me, since it’s how I’ve always navigated computers. It’s advantageous in that you can search more easily for information using visual aids, however, that is not always the case when trying to access specific files, such as something found under a specific directory. GUI is more generalized than CLI, which is why it is seen as being user-friendly for a typical consumer, and more likely to be used in systems such as POS in restaurants. That being said, IT Auditors must know and understand command line. Through doing so, we will be able to access and review entities within the system that otherwise may not be easily accessible by cycling through images or widgets.
Patrick J. Wasson says
Great input Sarah! Command line is great for automation. Can you think of common use of command line automation in your day-to-day life?
Yuan Liu says
In my opinion, I prefer graphic user interface more than command line user interface. There are many icons and arrows to guide users find their application or document. Graphic user interface rely on the mouse to control the computer, which is easier to learn compared with using command line user interface, because it would be much easier to remember application icon than remember command instruction. When users use the graphic user interface, they do not need to remember whole command instruction, they just need to know how the application or document looks like and what its name is. During the computer technology upgrade, there is searching bar at the main interface. Users can search anything on it, such as document or application. The reason why graphic user interface was created by Apple is that Apple wants to make PC easier to learn. However, there are some person who continuously use command line user face. Most of them are dealing with coding or data analytics. I think the mean reason why they prefer command line better than graphic user interface is that command line user interface do not rely on the computer hardware performance. They can use all computer ability to analyze information or calculate data. Command line user interface do not require high performance CPU, Memory and Monitor. Some users can save cost on them. I think it is important to learn command line user interface for IT Auditors, because it helps IT Auditors to understand and remember command instruction. In some working areas of IT Auditing, they need to use some program based on the Linux or other system based on the command entering system. It would be essential to know how command line works. In addition, command line help IT Auditors to find something which does not show on the graphic user interface and it also tells user the problem why user cannot open it or other reasons.
Patrick J. Wasson says
Great comment Yuan!
Haixin Sun says
I prefer graphical user interface but I think command line interface is cool after studying. As I researched, The GUI (graphical user interface) is a graphical computer. It allows users to interact with electronic devices through graphical icons and visual indicators instead of text-based user interfaces. The advantage is that it is easier to use for general public and the disadvantage is that it takes more time to process due to the high load of tasks. The CLI (command line interface) is a text based representation in which the user types the commands to operate the software or devices. It is more convenient for the IT professional to use. But some tasks are hard to be done in command line interface. The reason why understanding the command line is so vital to our future careers in IT Auditing is it is fast, easy, effective and accurate for IT person.
Patrick J. Wasson says
Thanks for your comment!
Xinye Yang says
Graphical user interface (GUI) is simply a way to present information to a computer user, and they can obtain the information and interact with through performing actions by clicking, tapping to visual indicators and icons. GUI benefits a lot to computer user, especially for beginner. it make it more possible for anyone to open menus, move files without using command line to carry out a function. In another hand, since GUI uses graphic to lead computer users, it will be time consuming and slower. also it needs high quality screen to meet the requirement of daily work.
Command line interface (CLI) is a text-based user interface used to view and manage computer files. even CLI is less popular than GUI among computer users, but CLI offers faster management of a large number of operating system. to be honest, I would prefer GUI before attending the class, but now I understand that just basic command line knowledge could make office work faster and easier, it also help with network connection issue.
CLI is the better way for office work, such as staff management. its faster to open files, search objects or deal with complicated actions, you just need to type the code. and the most important is that CLI is more secure than CUI. so I think CLI will be my top priority when I do IT auditing .
Patrick J. Wasson says
Thanks for your comment! I hope you found that command line isn’t overly complicated as long as you can research the commands!
Ryu Takatsuki says
I prefer Graphic User Interface since it would be easier to use. GUI is a graphical representation in which the users can interact with software or devices through graphical icons. The benefits of GUI are users do not need to memorize the command line and just need to use a mouse to click the application. However, GUI might be slow when you try to find a document or some information. CLI would be quicker than GUI. In a CLI, the users only need to utilize the keyboard and may need to execute only a few commands to complete the task. For an IT auditor, I think understanding how to use the basic command line is really important. We can check the computer system by simply type “systeminfo”.
Patrick J. Wasson says
Thanks for your comment!
Yuqing Tang says
Graphical user interface seems easier for me to use since it has clearer icons for me to understand each function. I think GUI is easier for starters or who are not familiar with all the command because of its visual impression. But for developers or other technical people, they prefer CLI because of its high efficiency. For CLI, people almost don’t need to click the mouse, and all command can be done by using keyboards. CLI has totally black background with white command, this monotonous interface is undisturbed for developers to focus on the most important information. All command can be executed by CLI, but on the contrary, GUI cannot do every command. Also, the commands of CLI are the same using all operating systems. I think it’s important for us to learn to use command line because we can easily have an overview of the system by just having some command, which would save a lot of time.
Patrick J. Wasson says
Thanks for your comment!
Jason M Mays says
The benefits of GUI’s is that they are generally easier to use. They simplify processes automatically for the user and provide visual feedback to help the user understand what’s happening without expertise in computers. The drawback is that it treats the user like a novice and prevents or deters certain user actions due to concerns that the user will create critical errors out of ignorance.
The benefits of CLI is that it allows for direct access to processes. This can mean faster performance and a stronger assurance that data you retrieve will be authentic. The drawback is that you could create irritable harm to your device.
As an auditor, you want to know if your log data is authentic or if a process is completed correctly. At the cli you are getting raw and there for an unobstructed view of the data or process execution.