Intro to the Linux Command Line
The power of Linux lies in its ability to be infinitely modified to suit the individual user. To do this, you'll need to master the command line, a daunting task for most, but don't worry, Techorials is here to help!
The command line is the text-based interface allowing you to talk directly to the computer hardware using a set of commands you'll quickly master. By knowing these commands, you'll be able to start any program, check hardware status information, see any and all files on your computer, and manipulate those files in any way imaginable. Some functions are only accessable through the command line, making it that much more valuable to master.
To begin, fire up whichever terminal client came with your Linux distribution. Konsole, Gnome-Terminal, and others. XTerm is almost always available too.
When you open the terminal client, you'll be met with a mostly-blank window, containing a hash mark (pound sign) or dollar sign, followed by a blinking box, or line-shaped marker. This is called a prompt, since the aforementioned mark is prompting you to enter a command.
Start with a fun, simple command. Enter "whoami" and look at the return information. The terminal should return your username, or the name you log in to the system with, and then prompt you for another password.
All commands have a specified syntax, or an order in which you must construct the commands. The command is entered first, and generally followed by a modifier, called an option. Options change how the command is executed, and are usually preceeded by a hyphen. Commands often also include the name of the file or directory the command is operating on. Finished commands often look like the following:
command -option file
Some of the most commonly used commands are:
cp - Copy, makes a duplicate of a file and moves it somewhere else. Syntax: cp /path/to/original/file /path/to/copied/file
mv - Move, does exactly what it says. Moves the targeted file from the original location to the new location. Same syntax as cp: mv /path/to/original/file /path/to/moved/file
rm - Remove, deletes the original file. Remember this: "rm is forever." Syntax: rm /path/to/file
cd - Change Directory, moves your position in the file system to the given location. Syntax: cd /path/to/location
ls - List, lists all the visible files in a directory. To execute this, just run it alone: ls
mkdir - Make Directory, makes a directory in the current location (shocking!), somewhat like creating a folder.
Finally, the all-important sudo. Sudo, or su, tells Linux to run the command you specify as if you were the super-user, or system administrator. Run this before a command, but be prepared to enter the superuser's password for confirmation. Note that this gives you access to literally everything in the system, so use it wisely, and sparingly if possible.