Jeff Atwood on the Location Field as the New Command Line

The title is similar to my “The Location Field Is the New Command Line” essay from 2004, but the topic is very different. Atwood focuses on the ways that modern browsers such as Chrome allow you to type Google queries directly in the location field, which allows for classic command-line style commands.

The big difference between old-school command lines like the Unix shell or DOS prompt and new-style command-line interfaces like browser location fields, LaunchBar, or Quicksilver is that the new ones aren’t dangerous. With the old ones, you’re playing with a live wire, never more than one mistake away from deleting or modifying something important. Location fields aren’t dangerous, they’re just convenient.

★ Tuesday, 12 May 2009