The article describes what a console is, where this device is used and what the meaning of this word is.
Digital age
Just some 15 years ago, not everyone could afford to buy a home computer, not to mention other digital technology. But fortunately, now everything has changed, and for a long time you will not surprise anyone with a smartphone, tablet or laptop. Such technologies are developing every year, and some inventions, which until recently seemed like a breakthrough, are quickly becoming obsolete. This also applies to input-output devices and other controls. The console itself also refers to them, or rather, its first implementation. This word has several meanings at once, and we will analyze the most common options in this article. So what is a console?
Definition
According to official terminology, a console is a collection of different devices that ultimately provide work and interaction between a computer and its operator. Simply put, in the modern world, a console is all those interactive devices that are connected directly to a computer, and not through a network. The person’s working hours for a PC with such peripherals is called a console session.
So now we know what a console is. Also, at the time of the first computers, the console called various types of system messages output devices, but then they were completely replaced by the usual monitors.
However, those readers who are familiar with computers probably know that nowadays, the console is most often called the window for displaying system messages and entering commands in various games, programs, and individual operating systems. It can also be called software that implements only a text-based interface for working with it and receives commands from it again. So we sorted out the question of what is a console. Let us consider in more detail their latest variety.
Appointment
Recently, the text console, which is needed to work with the operating system or a separate program, has been strongly associated with Linux users by people, and this is well deserved. Unlike Windows, users of the Linux OS variants have to work in console mode much more often. This applies both to interaction with the OS itself, and with specific programs. And the latter sometimes do not even have a graphical interface and only understand manually written commands. So now we know the meaning of the word "console".
There is a similar command line in Windows. It serves exactly the same purposes, but it is used mainly only by very experienced system administrators, since it opens up wider and faster access to the system settings. But there are almost no console programs in Windows, since they have long been supplanted exclusively by those that use the graphical interface. But why such difficulties? After all, not everyone can work in it, unlike the usual graphic program.
Advantages and disadvantages
The main advantages of console programs and console management of the system as a whole include the speed of command execution. A program without a graphic layer and accepting commands directly executes them much faster, more stable, and requires much less computing resources. Also, such software has a smaller size, and its installation is quick.
The disadvantages include the fact that it is difficult for an unprepared user or accustomed to a certain interface to learn how to work in console mode at first.
How to enable the console? On Linux, it is called from the quick access toolbar or application list. In short, the terminal in Linux is a program that emulates the operation of the console, but allows the user to remain in graphical mode. And on Windows, the command line (which, like the console, allows you to work in text command mode) is called up via the Start panel search. You just need to type “cmd”.