The main commands of the Terminal
Operating systems are very special software that can put the computer hardware in communication with the user. There are various types of operating systems and certainly the most widespread and used is Windows produced by Microsoft.
But if we want to try something different, we can install one of the many Linux distributions, which often are much more efficient and make the computer faster and more stable. If we are beginners with this type of operating systems, we will be able to search on the Internet for guides that will show us step by step how to perform the operations of our interest.
In this way, we will be able to learn very easily how to use this operating system. In the following steps, in particular, we will see, which are the main commands to be used on the Terminal.
Shell opening : We start with the opening of a Shell (Terminal) usually present in the Applications > Accessories menu of any Linux distribution. It is a graphic Shell that is generally the most used. After performing the above operations, on the screen we will have a BASH, acronym of Bourne Again Shell, that is the default and simple structure of each Linux shell.
Main Commands : Let’s now see a series of commands that we can use inside our terminal to interact with our operating system:
- man [command]: we will have been available for each command your manual eg. Man cd.
- ls : in a specific directory, launching this command, we will have as a result the complete list of files contained.
- ls -l : we will have a detailed list with size, date and extension.
- ls -a : equivalent to the dos of the dos will also show us the hidden files.
- cd [foldername]: Change directory: it will allow us to move through the various directories of the root.
- cd ~ : takes us to the user’s home.
- cd .. : salt of a direcory.
- cd – : goes to the directory used previously.
- mkdir [foldername]: make directory, create a dir.
- mkdir mv [source file] [fileid]: we can use this command to move the folder from one destination to another.
- cp [source file] [destinationfile]: used to copy files.
- cp -r used to copy folders. We can use * to omit the file name (eg Cp * .pdf / xxx / you will copy all Acrobat files to a specific folder).
Useful tips : At this point, we just have to try immediately to use the terminal present on any Linux distribution, simply by following all the above instructions. At the beginning, these operations could be quite complicated, and we will need to always consult the guide to find the command we are interested in, but with a little practice be able to memorize the various commands and use the terminal very quickly and easily.
