My machine isn’t the fastest, so I’m always on the look out for simple and powerful CLI tools instead of the prettier, GUI driven ones. Having said that, I like these so much that I don’t intend to really switch, even if I get the hardware eventually. Here’s a short list of my favourite ones:
centericq: This neat little IM client is what I use for Google Talk. It also supports Yahoo, MSN, IRC, and some other protocols. This is an ideal example of how a good CLI app should be.
orpheus: From the creator of centericq comes this nice little mp3 player for the shell. Apart from mild problems in playlist loading/saving, this one is pretty comfortable to use too. Another nice player I’ve tried is mp3blaster.
snownews: I’ve mentioned this already, and its worth a look. Nice pleasant feedreader, allows opening the news with any browser and stuff like that.
lynx: This is a pretty popular shell browser and probably needs no introduction.. I use it with snownews, it even opens sites like gmail, and I like the purty colours.
mc: The GNU midnight commander filemanager doesn’t really need any introduction either. I used to use ROX Filer before, but I fell in love with mc once I got used to it. This one is a must have. I just love the sensible function key mappings, directory hotlists & emacs-style bindings.
Well these are the most common ones I use. Emacs might count in the list, but I usually run the GUI version. If you like tools like these, and know other similar ones that I might like, let me know!
P.S. Things like mutt and irssi didn’t make this list because I like gmail and don’t use IRC respectively, so my experience with them is limited.
Hej – I like your choice of applications 🙂
Perhaps I would have some additinal hints for you:
1. You can use mutt with gmail – my mutt is “a living example”…lol – just install f.i. esmtp! (the link with additional useful hints on the subject: http://mogrify.homelinux.org/2006/01/03/using-mutt-with-gmail/)
2. Command line apps can be also pretty…Try here f.i. here: http://princ3.wordpress.com/2006/10/18/transparent-consoleprogramms-for-linux-i-use/
Have fun and best seasonal greetings,
tami
I’ve actually started using mutt+gmail recently, and I love it!
And thanks for the ‘mc -b’ trick, my (slightly) dull desktop does look much prettier suddenly 🙂