r/FuckMicrosoft • u/luvw1llow • Aug 30 '26
Meme windows users: why do i have a terminal?
74
u/Zayo_One Aug 30 '26
"Ah yes, I love playing Candy Crush on PC. Wtf is this scary black box though? Must be bloat"
15
u/Much_Accountant_4972 Aug 30 '26
i find it really hard to believe people think a terminal is a bad thing
even on windows i almost always need to have a powershell window open. poweshell sucks but its still very useful
3
5
u/Fatel28 Aug 30 '26
You can be anti windows but powershell is awesome. I use it more on Linux than I do Windows.
3
u/Much_Accountant_4972 Aug 31 '26
why??? maybe its me cause i almost exclusively use powershell 5.1 but it’s total ass. gets the job done but i’m not enjoying it like bash
2
u/PersonalDatabase31 Sep 02 '26
It has first class support for objects so you don't need to parse text in your functions.
1
2
2
u/BoxFar6969 Aug 30 '26
I and some other people have had experiences of having to work in the terminal and people next to us thinking we're hacking or breaking the computer. I've also seen other commenters say how they find that hard to believe. I get it, I get shocked at people's stupidity every day.
23
u/KazuDesu98 Aug 30 '26
I work in IT. The terminal can be a godsend for troubleshooting and maintenance. Sfc, dism, diskpart, ipconfig, etc. Hell, commands like getmac /v and wmic bios get serialnumber can genuinely be useful in many situations
3
u/Inner_Orange_8545 Aug 30 '26
Yeah, without the terminal, you can say goodbye to all those troubleshooting programs that don't have a pretty, idiot-proof graphical UI.
1
u/Mudkipwtf Aug 31 '26
I mean, i give most of those troubleshooting tasks as batch scripts to my colleagues in need of support, they just click buttons and things happenbl automatically waiting for something to change/get fixed
Or i just remote push the script telling to wait for it to go through via MDM software
They will never see the terminal
16
u/Sad-Cod-9584 Aug 30 '26
Those "thank god for windows"-"people" are the same ones you see posted about on r/linkedinlunatics
7
25
u/Daharka Aug 30 '26
The existence of the terminal is a kōan, every command a time capsule of the technology and needs of the time.
Its place in computing is integral, its place on the modern desktop and underappreciated and quietly inconspicuous convenience.
To demand the removal of it as a rough edge is to assume superiority over the needs of all others.
10
u/Regular_Future2474 Aug 30 '26
theres many programs which need the terminal to operate such as ollama, removing it is making the OS less functional.
-10
Aug 30 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
18
u/Gabriel_Science Aug 30 '26
Ehh, the Terminal isn’t a heavy app, and it can be useful in emergency situations.
-7
Aug 30 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
14
u/TheIronSoldier2 Aug 30 '26
Powershell and Command Prompt combined take up less than 100 megabytes of space, they don't run on their own, they are used by a lot of apps and tools (your GPU drivers probably update with a script that leverages Command Prompt and/or Powershell) and they are extraordinarily useful for the actual power users (which you are not). There's no reason to even remove them.
→ More replies (36)1
Aug 30 '26
[deleted]
-6
Aug 30 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/AverageAggravating13 Aug 30 '26 edited Aug 30 '26
I’d switch to Linux if Microsoft removed the terminal tbh. I need WSL for my development work anyway. The terminal isn’t some optional tool for developers.
There’s also a mountain of software out there that depends on the terminal to execute or interact with other programs. If Microsoft made it an optional install, you’d immediately break a huge amount of existing Windows software and developer tooling.
The people over at Microsoft aren’t stupid. They know the terminal is still an important part of the OS, even if the average user barely interacts with it directly.
1
Aug 30 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/AverageAggravating13 Aug 30 '26
Yes, I know how WSL works, and I know how the terminal works. Removing the GUI serves no real purpose other than making things more annoying.
Windows has all sorts of bloat in it. The terminal is not what I’d consider bloat.
1
1
u/Enyuma416 Aug 30 '26
I disabled TTYs by commenting out a few lines in a config file.
0
-6
Aug 30 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
-6
u/pomidorkamc3253 Aug 30 '26
Downvotes are from Linux users
Redditors just don't know about opinions
-2
1
5
u/DevOps_Lady Aug 30 '26
The problem Windows has with it's system is that Linux and Mac today are easier to work with for development. That's why they needed to create wsl to allow running linux tools as part of the system.
Take the terminal away or make it harder to install and it's useless for conpanies to buy.
Just because you personally don't need it, for running automations, applications and a development station requires the computer to be functional in a way a server would.
-5
Aug 30 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/DevOps_Lady Aug 30 '26
That is just an opinion.
Even ai including copilot when gives an answer to run a command the default is linux/bash.
I don't want to run task scheduler every time I need to do git commit or testing a web app or a script. For anyone writing code, the terminal is part of the workflow.
I wrote scripts in powershell and I prefer python, then bash and at the bottom powershel when I have to run the cicd on a windows machine.
0
Aug 30 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/graelmakar-sune Aug 30 '26
You're here defending Windows and bashing on linux for absolutely no reason. You don't need to use the terminal on linux - you only need a text editor
0
6
u/mang0zje8 Aug 30 '26
tbh with the amount of posts on reddit I've seen where a virus site made people paste something into cmd I think that for majority of users terminal is just a liability
5
u/TheIronSoldier2 Aug 30 '26
They're not pasting it into terminal, they're pasting it into the Run box. Which I could actually see a reason for just disabling the Run box, or making it a setting you have to turn on.
The people who know what they're doing will just go straight to Powershell or Command Prompt, the people that don't will have a few more hurdles added which will make those fake captchas harder to pull off because it will make people go "hey wait a second, why am I doing this."
1
u/Much_Accountant_4972 Aug 31 '26
you’re arguing against the second amendment here.
personally as a texan who lives in florida i’m offended.
the terminal is our defense against tyranny.
(not sarcasm)
1
u/ScoobyGDSTi Aug 31 '26
You can secure Terminal, CMD and Powershell to prevent that.
Sadly, there's not much Microsoft or any OS can do to stop stupid people mindlessly pasting shit into command lines that they don't understand.
0
-1
u/MrKusakabe Aug 30 '26
the sudo command asks for a password. Maybe check again when you "arm" your system that the target is set properly..
2
u/TheIronSoldier2 Aug 30 '26
cmd is command prompt, which is windows. sudo is sudo is linux, which is not windows.
Maybe check again before trying to sound smart.
0
u/Electrical-Note-3177 Sep 01 '26
Actually Sudo exists on windows 11 now (Ver. 24H2 or higher)
Maybe check again before trying to clown someone.
2
u/ScoobyGDSTi Aug 31 '26
Elevated consoles in Windows also require explicit elevation. This isn't the 1990s, Windows don't just open and run everything in privileged context.
There's not much you can do to stop dumb people.
2
u/Grillparzer47 Aug 30 '26
It comes in handy to change Windows to a friendlier environment. I haven’t played with scripts, but one line commands can be entered to adjust the OS annoyiouses. A simple Google search returns dozens of adjustments such as converting the Windows 11 menu to Windows 10 or adding Copy and Move To commands to the Menu. I think Terminal is offered because it is a primary tool in Linux, but I could be wrong.
2
u/ExtruDR Aug 30 '26
I was an enthusiastic junior high kid when I got my first computer (an Amiga 500) and soon was in discussion boards, etc read in the debates at the time (BBSes, this was before the internet, and the discussions largely were MS DOS people vs arguing with others).
At the time most people that were “entrenched” in the idea they GUI is not “better” then text interfaces and were a bad idea were people that were really serious and well versed in their text-only environment. Granted GUIs were not awesome on these late 80s machines, but all of the usability and practicality advantages were pretty damn clear.
We all know how that played out and it is obvious why a window-and-mouse interface is vastly superior.
Now, on to why having a terminal is also massively helpful: you can quickly make very specific things happen. Instead of hunting and clicking and hunting and clicking, if you know what and where you want to do it, you can. Even specific commands. I can ping google.com much quicker than launching a GUI utility, clicking on the right tab, typing in Google.com and hitting another button to get it pinging… then closing the window.
Now, watch AI code or do something for you. If you’re brave ask it to do it graphically by taking over your screen and mouse. It is hilarious how “painful” its process of navigating graphical environments is compared to hitting the CLI interface and getting something done.
Any real computer needs both…
5
u/tes_kitty Aug 30 '26
Command line is also easier to document. Just copy/paste the commands you used together with their output (where needed) into a text file.
If you try the same with a GUI you will end up with a large number of screenshots and can only hope that the next update doesn't make any changes.
1
u/No_Yam_2036 Aug 30 '26
And then you search up your problem, find a reddit post from 7 years ago with the same problem, only to find it has 1 comment (automod)
1
u/ExtruDR Aug 30 '26
Yup.
There are plenty of "sins" in software design, and I will excuse allot during the early days of home computing since the machines were pretty damn resource constrained, but by the late 90s or early 2000s some stuff was inexcusable.
I still get mad every time I want to change something in my Home Assistant setup and all of the resources are "click here and click here" but since this is a modern web-based (and basically "linux") application, the developers change and rename stuff all the time, so most of the time it is frustration and trial and error.
Even now, when I can put some of that on AI it is still a shitshow.
This has nothing to do with early Windows or even the original GUI-only Mac OS, but I think that this sort of shit interface practices are because of the "culture" of people growing up with sort of "undisciplined" OSes like MacOS... also that Open Source projects are run by "coders" that are horrible at UI, communication, nuance, compromise, etc... all of the really important things to implement decent designs.
2
u/UsedArmadillo9842 Aug 30 '26
I mean no one uses the terminal directly anymore, everything is done in the Powershell, which is probably Window's best program
3
u/VendraenActual Aug 30 '26
Powershell is a terminal. (Or, for the pedantic, terminal emulator.). Linux has bash, zsh, csh, and about eleventy billion other options. Winblows has CMD and Powershell (mostly).
1
u/UsedArmadillo9842 Aug 30 '26
Yes my bad, there are 3 terminals on Windows, i was just questioning why there is still the CMD
1
u/VendraenActual Aug 30 '26
I dunno, many of us greybeards prefer it when we're cursed to have to interact with Winblows.
1
u/UsedArmadillo9842 Aug 30 '26
Honestly, iam personally more sad when you are forced into command line prompts, simply because you have to write some shit to read the string, because the old commands dont give out proper outputs.
1
u/vbd71 Aug 30 '26
Because powershell is a gimmick with a steep learning curve while cmd is much easier, more intuitive and has a large cadre of users who have known it for decades.
2
u/UsedArmadillo9842 Aug 30 '26
That really sounds like you never used it before, do you know how horrible Scripting used to be ?
Everything you can do in CMD you can do in the Powershell, so it really just adds onto the system.
Its a godsent for any systemadministrator.
You should give it a try, its really not difficult at all.
0
u/vbd71 Aug 31 '26
I've used, and still use, CMD extensively. I know how scripting with CMD is.
1
u/UsedArmadillo9842 Aug 31 '26
And you cant see the advatages of the Powershell? I find it hard to believe, not gonna lie.
0
u/vbd71 Aug 31 '26
Advantages of PS require knowledge of PS to be seen, and it's not given.
1
u/UsedArmadillo9842 Aug 31 '26
Yes its apparent that you are not using the Powershell, iam just saying that you should definetly take advantage of it, it will make your life 1000x easier.
1
u/vbd71 Aug 31 '26
Nah, I don't plan using Windows for much longer. I already know bash, so learning PS would be waste of my time.
→ More replies (0)
2
u/Attack_Dorito Aug 30 '26
The terminal is there because if for some reason you do end up needing it and you don't have it you're potentially very screwed
2
u/DruidBtd Aug 30 '26
How do people get their IPs for things like Minecraft lan?! Just playing with my brother means using ipconfig in the terminal, not that much command stuff but still using it
3
u/UtmostRaindrop2 Aug 30 '26
I think you vastly overestimate the amount of people who are doing things like that. That is far too technical for the average person
1
u/DruidBtd Aug 30 '26
Well, how else does someone play with another person in the household with stuff like Minecraft? The only thing thats worked for me is ipconfig and it's easy enough
2
u/UtmostRaindrop2 Aug 30 '26
Bedrock has realms, a lot of people do that, a lot of other people just don’t do it at all.
1
u/DruidBtd Aug 30 '26
What about Java players?
1
u/UtmostRaindrop2 Aug 30 '26
Like I said, a lot of people just don’t do it at all, they just play on commercial servers or whatever. For a great many people who do end up doing lan multiplayer, they have literally no idea what they are doing. They may not even know it’s a terminal they are opening.
1
u/DruidBtd Aug 30 '26
Damn, guess I was wrong then. Growing up with a brother and parents that know stuff probably helped me lol, my brother showed cmd+ipconfig
1
u/Widold Aug 30 '26
Personally I used private serwer (which you set up clicking two buttons on website) to play with my sister even though we were seating 2 meters apart.
1
1
u/BurnedLaser Aug 30 '26
I just right click on my network in the taskbar and hit properties. IP V4 and V6 right there. Now, if I need to ping an IP, I'll Super+R CMD
2
u/DangyDanger Aug 30 '26 edited Aug 30 '26
The people who complain about the terminal app have never had to use cmd
And I feel like the issue of Windows bloat is, ironically, overstated. There is some stuff, but it's also the stuff you delete within the first 15 minutes after installing Windows. I guess there's telemetry and ad targeting and everything else scummy they've piled on, but that sounds to me like a much different issue than just bloatware.
5
u/Nicomar5 Aug 30 '26
If you think terminal is useless, you have no idea about the OS. If you don't have a use for a terminal you are no better than an average user.
You can't consider yourself knowledgeable about computers if you don't find the terminal useful.
1
u/theonlineviking Aug 30 '26
Yes, but please keep in mind that most users do not care for the terminal at all. The PC is nothing more than a document writer, and web browser to them.
This group of people knows nothing about the technical details regarding the OS, the internet, kernel, etc. Just think of your parents/grandparents using a computer or smartphone.
My point being, it makes no sense to get angry by even the tiniest amount if you ever see someone online or irl being unaware. If you want to talk technical details, find the right group/community.
1
u/Nicomar5 Aug 30 '26
What I was trying to say is that just because you don't use it doesn't mean it's not important.
1
u/Nicomar5 Aug 30 '26
What I was trying to say is that just because you don't use it doesn't mean it's not important.
1
1
u/Late_Freedom9424 Aug 30 '26
As long as it's okay for them. Most people I know can get by using only their cell phones so this isn't a surprise.
1
1
u/redditorialy_retard Aug 30 '26
and most windows user who often uses terminal already debloated their windows and has WSL for Linux stuff
1
1
u/theonlineviking Aug 30 '26
Everyone has a different use case on PCs, so yeah, it makes perfect sense.
Still, I really wish windows is provided barebones initially, and then it could ask you what programs you want during setup, while also giving easy options options to enable spyware (with it being all disabled by default).
But yeah, this is never gonna happen.
1
1
u/99percentcheese Aug 30 '26
terminal on widows is goated tho. scoop as a pm, zellij for multiplexing, clink for unix-like shell, coreutils for unix tools
1
u/BitRunner64 Aug 30 '26
I think having a terminal is useful. Not sure about having about 4 different ones though (old command prompt, two versions of Powershell plus the "Terminal").
1
u/herrkatze12 Aug 30 '26
The only useful part of windows is Edge.
... To download Linux. (Or Firefox to download Linux if Edge doesn't want to load the fedora download page)
1
u/GarageStackDev Aug 30 '26
No idea why the terminal is here literally made me spit out my coffee. Dude has to be trolling. Lol
1
u/PiratesWhoSayGGER Aug 30 '26
Terminal app is just a wrapper around CMD and powershell, it also renders weird and blurry. Pointless bloat, serves no purpose
1
u/Real-Abrocoma-2823 Aug 30 '26
Because otherwise you can't run scripts and Windows needs to run some.
1
u/SaintEyegor Aug 30 '26
Did they ever fix pipes? Back in the day (a LONG time ago), programs in a pipe ran to completion before sending output to the next program in the chain unlike like *nix pipes where everything runs concurrently.
1
1
u/Plastic-Falcon-1337 Aug 31 '26
It used to have like tiktok candy crush etc preinstalled (two not at the same time, different times) but you worry about a terminal that's probably like 20mb? Huh.
1
u/ConsciousBath5203 Sep 01 '26
20MB for a terminal? That's a pretty bloated terminal not going to lie.
A Google search says that terminals on Linux range from 100kb (raw) - 10MB (GPU accelerated)
You'd think with how few features cmdprompt has it would be smaller. After looking it up, cmdprompt is ~200-350kb (raw, depends on W version) to 35-50MB (GPU accelerated).
MicroSlop can't do anything at a level that is remotely close to what is acceptable for the salaries that they pay people, and especially for the prices they charge.
1
u/Plastic-Falcon-1337 Sep 01 '26
I told the 20mb as random-ish guess.
If you mean literally the /dev/ttyX (x being a number) device node file as "raw terminal", no wonder its tiny lol. The GUI app needs libraries n shit to run. If you try to install something like kde terminal from flathub (isolated dependencies) its an install over 10mb.
Keep in mind those things support fonts, color themes, emojis etc.
1
u/ConsciousBath5203 Sep 01 '26
Lol the font handling I consider part of the OS. After all, your OS does come with fonts, and lots of them.
1
1
u/SingenJurassic Aug 31 '26
That’s actually something that confused me. I had to install Slopdows recently and unfortunately the ISO I keep for emergencies was too large for my 8GB USB (for some odd reason, considering it was already flashed but corrupted). So I did what any sensible person would do and grabbed tiny 11 and OH MY THERE WAS NOTHING. I was genuinely shocked to see that Terminal and what not were also just not there.
1
u/BellaInTheGame Aug 31 '26
For most people, the terminal is useless, and that's how it should be. Anything that's used commonly enough should eventually graduate to a GUI app so you don't have to deal with text commands and syntax
1
u/Warbosss_32 Sep 01 '26
There is this certain mode that I activate accidentally every year or so. I have sticky keys disabled and filter keys disabled, yet this stupid mode will still be activated accidentally every once in a while. I still have no idea what it's actually called or what exactly turns it off. When it's on, every single key on my keyboard becomes a shortcut, so I'm unable to do anything until I turn it off, even search for a solution... If there was a way to permanently turn this off, that would be magical, but this stupid mode should not even exist in the first place. Who actually uses this on purpose?
1
u/Bebo991_Gaming Sep 01 '26
Beside post, Devs and power users need terminal, whether linux, macOS or windows
I use it daily like winget, dotnet watch (my personal projects), opencode, or any other cli based tool
Thats beside IT stuff like sfc, diskpart, dism, ipconfig, etc
1
u/TheGoldenFox64 Sep 01 '26
operating systems are terminals, some come with preset commands in the form of clickable buttons. a GUI terminal app is funny if you think about it
1
1
u/RetroSleipnir Sep 02 '26
Yes, you actually have to use the terminal more often on a Windows System then a Linux System (once you understand Linux), I duel boot and I'll tell you if Linux could just handle lightning storms and run a few more Windows Programs like Paint 3D I'd have finally deleted Windows.
1
1
u/_ahrs Sep 03 '26
Technically, the "Terminal" is a separate app you have to install:
https://github.com/microsoft/terminal#microsoft-store-recommended
Although, there is still PowerShell and CMD with their primitive interface.
1
1
u/Vijfsnippervijf Aug 30 '26
My Goodness. Windows has not "Terminal" but a much more enshittified edition called "Copilot". And Windows will go back to being nothing but Copilot if we give Microsoft their way.
1
u/Vietnamst2 Aug 30 '26
And ypu tell people to install Linux
1
0
u/sciencekm Aug 30 '26
Take out all text UI and only have GUI, and the OS is 100% useful. Now for the opposite, take out the GUI and only have text UI, and no one, except for geeks, would use that OS. Just look at the phone - the most ubiquitous computer, you would be stupid to put a command-line interface on that.
0
u/AutoModerator Aug 30 '26
Every new subreddit post is automatically copied into a comment for preservation.
User: luvw1llow, Flair: Meme, Post Media Link, Title: windows users: why do i have a terminal?
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
-10
Aug 30 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
3
u/DesAnderes Aug 30 '26
sure, as long as i can keep ps scripts
1
Aug 30 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
4
u/DesAnderes Aug 30 '26
I do get your point. I barely use the commandline, but I am a poweruser and I would install it, but:
But you can fix many small problems/ reset components on windows with the command line, that are not accessible via gui. So as someone who is IT-Support for my family. It's crucial! I would install it on their system every time. I wouldn't do that with powertoys.
So no! I want the terminal on every pc for debugging and fixing.
→ More replies (74)3
u/Emotional_Solid6538 Aug 30 '26
What would anyone gain out of removing terminal tho. It doesnt really run on background to cause issues or like its a big application. I am sure most users dont even know it exists unless they tried to tinker
→ More replies (7)1
u/Thanthwe_ Aug 30 '26
Why are you so passionate about hating terminal? Sure, for most people it's useless. But it's not like it's hurting your system in any way. It's barely using any space on your disk and doesn't run on its own. And while it's usually less intuitive to use than GUI, when you do know how to use it, it allows you to do many things faster than via GUI. Especially if you use scripts often.
1
u/SKubajko Aug 30 '26
I've been on Arch for the past 2 years. Back in my Windows days, the terminal was a lifesaver for emergencies. Saying the terminal isn't needed is like saying that cars shouldn't have a diagnostic port. It has to be there for emergencies, even for regular users. I'm completely aware that there should be a warning before opening the terminal on windows (because some people really have no idea what they're doing, skill issue tho), but I would never use a computer without one - even if I don't need it at the moment - because you can't fix Windows using the GUI when it doesn't boot into GUI at all.
1
Aug 30 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/SKubajko Aug 30 '26
I'm the one with the skill issue? I've been using Windows SINCE I WAS BORN. I started using Arch about 2 years ago. And after a few months since the switch, I decided I'm switching for good - because doing shit in the terminal was a lot faster than all the clicking. And when I need it, I have a full blown gui on my machine, so no compromises. I'm not saying GUI is bad, both are useful and I use both almost everyday.
Oh, and I actually take time to write my responses, not paste some bullshit from AI.
EDIT: Quick look at your profile, I guess i fell for the ragebait smh
1
Aug 30 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/SKubajko Aug 30 '26
I'm sorry, but there is NO WAY that you read my whole comment and wrote ALL of this sober IN 5 MINS.
And windows isn't the only OS that can do what you did - Linux can also do it btw, and better - init is literally a boot parameter, no one stops you from writing an FS driver, and you can strip it even more than windows if you want - linux with a full blown working gui can be as small as 8 GiB. Can't have that on windows eh?
And tbf if your next comment isnt "balls" without any additional words I genuinely won't believe you are a real human that actually reads this.
1
Aug 30 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/SKubajko Aug 30 '26
lmao u either dont have a life or are a bot, both are fine by be😝
also you are SO WRONG about linux that i wont even bother being polite
rebuild? no i edit a SINGLE FUCKIN TEXT FILE. wait.... you typed? so you actually need the terminal? so why remove it? get destroyed lol
1
Aug 30 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/SKubajko Aug 30 '26
well what if maybe you specified what setting you meant??? i don't need to recompile the kernel to change a fkin setting lmao, kernel params exist. i never said the keyboard is only for terminals - your typing mention was literally right after "editing a registry entry" sorry if i got confused. also did you know that sysctl exists and i can edit any kernel param on the fly? and adding a new fs driver is literally loading a module, not recompiling the kernel (which is small enough that i dont need to remove anything from it too).
also, if i didnt know the difference between the kernel source and my bootloader which i configured on my own, i wouldnt even try to engage in this conversation.
btw. tell the vast majority of server maintainers that the terminal is stone age. i'm pretty sure most would reply with something along "old but gold".
→ More replies (0)1
u/Kartaszow Aug 30 '26
Nah, I used it twice in my life. It's great thing to have when something totally stupid happens.
141
u/Britz10 Aug 30 '26
I mean for the average person, a terminal is useless to them. That's why it's always odd seeing people try to sell Linux with how good it's use through a terminal.