[dleslie]

The necessary alternatives, in CLI, are consistent and human readable syntax in a consistent and pleasing layout; and those alternatives are generally either present or not.

Moreover, they're useful to anyone regardless of their ability, and consistent syntax is easier to automatically colourize. Starting with colourizing is backwards.

[a1369209993]

At what point did I suggest starting with colorizing? I pointed out that[0] colorizing was sometimes so effective at drawing attention to important information that it was reasonable to describe it as needed, with the implication that coloring should be available in addition to other information channels.

0: for some people, which I perhaps should have explicitly noted, but it really ought to go without saying that no tool is equally effective for everyone.

[dleslie]

You didn't; and neither did I suggest that colorizing was ineffective. It's bad because when using other tools it's unnecessary.