GUIs should be fully keyboard-driven
Points and comments are a snapshot, not live.
Keyboard-driven GUIs are feasible and should be prioritized over TUIs.
The author argues that the common preference for TUIs over GUIs because TUIs are keyboard-driven is misguided, as GUIs can and should support full keyboard navigation. They cite the GNOME Human Interface Guidelines, which mandate keyboard-driven access to every action and interface element. The author's own GUI application, Klisi, was designed with comprehensive keyboard shortcuts. They conclude that implementing keyboard navigation is a matter of developer will, not feasibility, and that doing so improves user experience.
The post was inspired by a HN discussion about building TUIs vs. GUIs. The author acknowledges merits in both approaches-GUIs offer richer capabilities, while TUIs keep users in the terminal. However, they reject the idea that keyboard-driven navigation alone justifies choosing TUIs.
What commenters are saying
Commenters broadly agree that GUIs should support keyboard navigation, especially for accessibility and efficiency. There is strong disagreement with a top-level comment favoring web-based GUIs, with many arguing that web interfaces are inconsistent in keyboard shortcuts and navigation compared to native apps. Several commenters cite macOS and Windows as examples: macOS has intentional gaps in keyboard navigation (e.g., Tab-focus in dialogs is off by default), while older Windows components are praised for keyboard accessibility. A specific pro-tip notes that Cmd+Shift+/ in macOS apps opens a full menubar search.