A black box is a machine that does what it does with a push of a button. We are surrounded with them, cell phones, microwaves, laptops and tablets and even the advanced technology in our cars operates with minimal input from us. They are designed to be as user friendly as possible.
CNCs are not back boxes. Understanding how they operate and learning the software required to run them is not easy. To say the learning curve is steep, if not vertical, is an understatement. However, if you are not afraid of the challenge and understand that making mistakes is a part of learning, then owning a CNC will take your creative skills to an unimagined level.