Summary

In this chapter, you learned about the scientific discoveries and inventions that led to the creation of the CLI and the remnants of the past that still exist within the terminal today.

Besides a detailed breakdown of the CLI into its parts, this chapter also discussed what a CLI is, overall, and what it is used for. The co-creator of UNIX and Golang, Ken Thompson, influences the philosophy around CLIs and programming in general. This philosophy has been influenced by human and computer interaction over the decades. As with anything with a long history, some ancestral baggage has followed. We learned that in the past, CLIs were primarily written for computers, and today are primarily written for humans. A new element to the UNIX philosophy had to be added: empathy as a cultural norm.

This chapter dug into the guidelines that ultimately embody the UNIX philosophy and why Golang is the best language to implement such a design.

In Chapter 2, Structuring Go Code for CLI Applications, we will discuss the first step of project creation: folder structure.