Vocabulary
CLI
Command-line interface: talking to software by typing in a terminal instead of clicking through a graphical UI.
Also called: command line · terminal
The CLI is having a moment again because prompts are already text, scripts compose cleanly, and agents can drive tools without a mouse. A black window looks old-fashioned until you watch a model chain three commands faster than you can find the right settings panel.
It is not morally superior to a GUI. It is often the shortest path when the work is compositional and repeatable.
Cups that use this term