Originally downloaded 7/29/06. This software sounds a little like Clix from Rixstep, but it’s not free. Its name also clearly isn’t the product of a major brainstorming session geared to coming up with something pithy and catchy. 
Whether it’s worth $15 or not can only be decided by trying it out. Certainly, it makes claims that Rixstep doesn’t about Clix… for example: “Quickly see what each tool does and which options are available,” and “Skip the manual and have correct command lines built for you.” Cool! This first version handles 20 different command-line tools in 4 usage categories.
Update 9/16/06. I have to say that this software didn’t quite meet my expectations somehow. It certainly is a good way to learn more about important Unix commands like grep, ps, ln, head/tail, etc. And the interface offers useful instructions that explain what the commands are doing, as well as peripheral information you’ll need to know, such as a reference on regular expressions.
However, Aqua Command-Line Tools uses basic Finder settings for navigating the file system, which means if you can’t see hidden files in the Finder, you can’t see them here. Unlike some other tools (e.g., BBEdit), there’s no way to configure the file browser to show hidden files. This is pretty critical when you’re working with Unix commands. Even more exasperating to me, unlike CLIX, you can’t execute the commands once you’re finished building. The tool only builds the commands… you then have to copy and paste them into the Terminal and execute them there. Too many unnecessary extra steps for me. Also, I found that the software crashed regularly when running under my regular user account… never did figure out why.
Version as tested: 1.0.
