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You might not think about using keyboard shortcuts in the command line, but why not?
There are several keyboard shortcuts that can perform functions much faster than if you had to type in the equivalent commands.
There are others that do not do what you might think they should do, based on how they are normally used.
In the Linux command line, working with files is made easy by the multitude of file-manipulation commands that are available.
For each task you need to perform, there is a solution; for many, there is more than one solution.
Among the commands that we’re exploring today — which are all, in one way or another, file-related — you might not only find what you’re looking for, but also something that you never knew you wanted to look for!
Although the availability of commands may vary between different distributions of Linux, most of these are standard enough that they should work for you.
When using Linux, half — or more — of the fun is opening up a terminal, leaving behind the GUI, and immersing yourself in the keyboard.
What this requires is little more than the knowledge of a few basic commands, largely related to navigation and file system manipulation.
Once you use each command, and become more comfortable with each one individually and in combination, it is a simple process to add more commands into the mix.
Those of you familiar with Windows, will have used File Explorer to navigate your file system.
As proprietary software, File Explorer is only available for use on Windows.
But not to fear; the solution is here.
In Linux, the graphical interface for all of your file system needs is called Dolphin.
How do you know where to find files on your computer?
How, for that matter, does your computer know where to find files?
After learning file system fundamentals, the next step is to learn the directory structure of each file system.
The directory structure is the way that directories (also called “folders”) are organized.
By understanding the basics of your operating system’s directory structure, not only will you be able to avoid causing problems, but you should also be able to stay organized more easily.
A computer, contrary to popular opinion, does not actually have a mind of its own.
It is an entity devoted entirely to following the instructions that it is given, whether they be perfect or flawed. (Hint: It’s usually the flawed instructions — or faulty hardware — that lead us to believe that computers are sentient and out to get us.)
As you may imagine, it takes quite a few instructions, all put together, for a computer to function. The more functions it can perform, the more instructions are necessary. By the time you have an operating system installed with a few programs running on it — well, that’s quite a few instructions right there already.
Have you ever wondered how your computer knows where to find all of the instructions that it needs to be able to function? Maybe stop and think about that the next time it takes an extra millisecond for a program to load. It could be much worse!
All of that instructional data is stored somewhere, otherwise it would be lost from memory the first time the computer is turned off.
How is all of that data saved, so that it can be quickly found again when it’s needed?
Today’s subject is, by popular demand, a continuation of last week’s introduction to the command line.
The conversation that I’m calling “popular demand” went something like this:
Mom: You left me hanging! That’s the first time I’ve ever brought the command post up in my life, and now I don’t know what to do with it!
Me: …do you mean the command prompt?
Mom: Yes! That’s what I mean!
So now that you have your command line open (or know how to re-open it), let’s make use of it.
Oftentimes, while in the middle of a conversation, there will be a word that I want to use because it fits the context perfectly, and yet I am unable to remember the word.
It hovers there, right on the edge of my consciousness, taunting me. Usually it comes to me a few minutes — or hours — later when I no longer need it.
It would be nice to have a dictionary in my head, but the next best option is to have one on my computer. For this I use Artha.
Windows and Linux, as two of the most popular operating systems on the market today, are often pitted against one another.
Some people have have very decided opinions on the topic of which is better, but I find myself in the category of ambivalence.
I use both, but it wasn’t always that way. Early on, my experience was limited to Windows, simply because that was what was installed on my PC.
But learning curves, although sometimes difficult, are good exercise for the brain.
Since the 1980s, personal computers have been moving into our lives (and taking over?).
Operating systems became a necessity to manage both hardware and software, as well as provide us with easy-to-use graphical interfaces.
But where did they come from? To answer that question, I worked up a brief history of the three most prominent players in the game.