I have enjoyed your recent videos of definitions of technical terms. As a recent Mac user I would like to see defining videos of Terminal mode and AppleScript. Are they the same? When would you use one or the other? Why would you need to use one or the other? Is Terminal like DOS Command Line on a Windows computer? How would one learn how to use Terminal or AppleScript? Etc.
Thanks
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Gene Hollaway
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What Is the Difference Between Terminal and AppleScript?
Comments: One Response to “What Is the Difference Between Terminal and AppleScript?”
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They are very different things.
Yes, Terminal is like the DOS command line on a Windows computer. You can get under the hood and look at the file system, change settings, and run command-line apps. Not something the typical Mac user ever needs to do, but developers use it often. There are many development tools, particularly for creating web apps, where you would need to use command-line programs as part of development.
AppleScript is a way of automating your desktop apps. You could write a script that controls an app so it can perform repetitive or difficult tasks. For instance, an AppleScript can be written to convert images or makes changes to documents. Much of what AppleScript does is something that most users would use Automator for today. A "workflow" in Automator is like an AppleScript except Automator uses building blocks to visually create a script, whereas AppleScript is actually written lines of code.
Most Mac users never need to mess with either AppleScript or Automator. But some who have a bit of programming experience can find them useful to automate tasks.