Console Foundations
The console is an important skill for any developer. Many programs can only be used via a command line interface, and often the only access you have to a server will be over a command line interface. Once you are familiar with the basics of the console, you will be able to perform very powerful tasks quickly and easily.
Getting Started with the Console
The command line and console can be a scary thing to get started with. Once you understand the history of the command line, and what it's good for, you can get familiar very quickly. The command line provides you the ability to interact with your computer using text commands, often making actions that would be difficult with menus or mouse clicks simple.
- Introduction5:39
- Introduction3 questions
- Running Commands12:36
- Running Commands3 questions
- Moving Around the Filesystem11:44
- Moving Around the Filesystem3 questions
- Reading Files6:55
- Reading Files3 questions
- Editing Files3:35
- Editing Files3 questions
- Moving and Deleting Files11:30
- Moving and Deleting Files4 questions
Extra Credit
Try creating a folder that contains several text files. Try organizing notes using these files.
Users and Permissions
Almost all computers have the idea of user accounts. Along with that comes permissions which define which users can interact with the different files and programs on the computer. It’s important to know how to setup and manage users, and how permissions are applied to files and folders.
- Creating Users8:25
- Creating Users3 questions
- File Permissions11:31
- File Permissions3 questions
- File Ownership4:28
- File Ownership3 questions
- Sudo8:03
- Sudo3 questions
Extra Credit
Create a new user with your name, and give it a password. Try logging into that user with the
sucommand.
Processes
A process is the building block of how our computers run programs. It represents an instance of a program running. You can run multiple instances of a single program by creating multiple processes. Anything that is running has a process, and understanding how to manage your processes will keep you in control of your computer.
- Processes9:26
- Processes3 questions
- Pausing and Resuming6:21
- Pausing and Resuming3 questions
- Killing Processes9:39
- Killing Processes3 questions
Extra Credit
Open a few different tabs to the console. Run programs from different tabs, and use
topandpsto observe how processes are created and destroyed.
Environment and Redirection
The environment is a general term that refers to a particular configuration of hardware or software. It defines where the computer should look for programs, where your important folders are, and other configuration data. We will look at how to manage your environment and how to do other useful things, like finding files on your computer.
- Environment Variables16:53
- Environment Variables4 questions
- Find and Grep9:31
- Find and Grep4 questions
- Pipes and Redirection16:07
- Pipes and Redirection4 questions
Extra Credit
Learn about the special characters you can use in your bash prompt, and customize your command prompt.
Installing Software
A common thing you may do using the command line is installing and configuring software. There are two main ways you can install software from the command line. You can build the software from its source code files, or you can use a package manager to install software for you.