On computer interfaces

The first computer user interface consisted of a large button on
  the front panel, labeled "0".  By pressing this button repeatedly, users
  could "program" the computer to do all kinds of tasks.  Sadly, none of
  these programs worked, and the scientists could not figure out why.
  Then, in 1962, some dweeb finally had the idea to add a "l" button,
  and the Computer Age officially began.
 
        But pressing "0" and "1" buttons was not anybody's favorite
  pastime, so some other dweeb invented the computer terminal.  Thanks to
  this clever device, with over 50 different keys, users were able to
  create bugs and cause crashes dozens of times faster than before.
  But at least the hardware was now in place, so it was time to address the
  software issues of user interfaces.
 
        First, there was the command-line interface.  This allowed users
  to type a line of text representing a "command", press the RETURN key, and
  receive a response like "0x38754: ERROR NOTEXT PETUNIA".  Thanks to this
  handy software tool, the suicide rate rose almost overnight.
 

with thanks from <http://www.funhouse.com/jfw/Blazemonger.html>