You've experienced the shiny, point-and-click surface of your Linux
computer--now dive below and explore its depths with the power of the
command line.
The Linux Command Line takes you from your very first terminal
keystrokes to writing full programs in Bash, the most popular Linux
shell (or command line). Along the way you'll learn the timeless skills
handed down by generations of experienced, mouse-shunning gurus: file
navigation, environment configuration, command chaining, pattern
matching with regular expressions, and more.
In addition to that practical knowledge, author William Shotts reveals
the philosophy behind these tools and the rich heritage that your
desktop Linux machine has inherited from Unix supercomputers of yore.
As you make your way through the book's short, easily-digestible
chapters, you'll learn how to:
Create and delete files, directories, and symlinks
Administer your system, including networking, package installation, and
process management
Use standard input and output, redirection, and pipelines
Edit files with Vi, the world's most popular text editor
Write shell scripts to automate common or boring tasks
Slice and dice text files with cut, paste, grep, patch, and sed
Once you overcome your initial "shell shock," you'll find that the
command line is a natural and expressive way to communicate with your
computer. Just don't be surprised if your mouse starts to gather dust.
