I hope that cli/conf files won't be abandoned. The 2 should be able to coexist and honor each others settings.
Regardless of preference: cli utils are needed in lack of X for numerous occasions including... remote ssh, no X (ubuntu-server installs), broken X (happens a lot while testing development branches).
Pardon me if I misinterpreted your comment:
I hope that cli/conf files won't be abandoned. The 2 should be able to coexist and honor each others settings.
Regardless of preference: cli utils are needed in lack of X for numerous occasions including... remote ssh, no X (ubuntu-server installs), broken X (happens a lot while testing development branches).