| Article demystifies "top ten" Linux shell commands |
Oct. 19, 2005
In the dark days before GUIs (way, way back in the '70s and earlier), command-line instructions were all a computer could understand from a human. Technically, it's still all they understand -- but the instructions have been obfiscated by the use of the point-and-click GUI interface.
However, there are still times when users find a need to drop down to a Linux shell prompt, and enter the strange and wondrous world of the CLI (command line interface). To that end, Linux developers Steve Campbell and Sunil Patel have put together a list of the "Newbie's Top Ten Commands." These are the most-often used -- thus the most important -- command-line instructions that exist, according to the authors.
Here's the list itself, in "David Letterman-style" 10-through-1 order:- Number 10 -- ls
- Number 9 -- tar
- Number 8 -- permissions suite
- Number 7 -- RPM
- Number 6 -- locate
- Number 5 -- grep
- Number 4 -- cat
- Number 3 -- pico/nano
- Number 2 -- man
- Number 1 -- apropos
Anybody who's ever commanded a command line will recognize at least several of those terms. Campbell and Patel, however, are betting that most readers -- veterans and newbies ailke -- will learn a thing or two by reading their top-ten list, and the detailed description of each command.
For further elaboration, read Campbell and Patel's informative (and humorous) article here.
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