A command-line interface (CLI) is a means of interacting with a computer program by inputting lines of text called command-lines. Command-line interfaces emerged in the mid-1960s, on computer terminals, as an interactive and more user-friendly alternative to the non-interactive interface available with punched cards.
The end of the HELP command output from RT-11SJ displayed on a VT100
A Teletype Model 33 ASR teleprinter keyboard with punched tape reader and punch
DEC VT52 terminal
A computer program is a sequence or set of instructions in a programming language for a computer to execute. It is one component of software, which also includes documentation and other intangible components.
Lovelace's description from Note G
Glenn A. Beck changing a tube in ENIAC
Switches for manual input on a Data General Nova 3, manufactured in the mid-1970s
A VLSI integrated-circuit die