We all know what FOMO is, but have you heard of FOCL: Fear of the Command Line? OK, maybe I made that up, but many who might want to take advantage of high-performance computing resources, such as Firebird, are deterred by the traditional command-line interface. In an era where icons and pleasing graphical interfaces drive most devices, the seemingly archaic command line, requiring cryptic commands and arcane knowledge to master, can be daunting.

Firebird offers a web interface via Open OnDemand that removes some of the complexity of accessing its resources. It is possible, for example, to create a virtual desktop, providing an interface similar to a standard laptop or desktop, complete with a file manager. Graphical versions of certain applications, such as R Studio, MATLAB, Stata, and Mathematica, can be launched, affording a more intuitive and familiar user experience while providing the computational power of Firebird. Open OnDemand makes it similarly straightforward to open a Jupyter notebook. For those wishing to work within a traditional command-line environment, it is also possible to launch a terminal.

While Open OnDemand may not be a total replacement for the command line, for many users, it can enhance productivity and enable graphical applications when a traditional personal laptop or desktop is insufficient. If you have any questions, please reach out to Jason Simms (jsimms1@swarthmore.edu), or if you’d like to get started, you can request an account on Firebird.