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Harish
Harish

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First step toward becoming a Linux Wizard.

#linux

To become a Linux Wizard you must conquer Command Line Interface,

Part 1

Watch Video

Start with, what is a CLI?

  • It is a user interface, which doesn't have pretty graphics.
  • We'll use the commands to mess around.

  • Let's say if you want to open a folder on your PC, we'll be using commands for that, don't freak out, its easy than it seems just bear with me,

  • By the way, CLI uses BASH as a programming language.

CLI

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  • here, haris is PC admin name
  • cosmos is name of my PC
  • ~ is representing Home directory
  • $ means we're in the system shell, and ready to type commands

Understand Directories and their Path

  • All folders are like Tree Hierarchy, starting from Root Directory,

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Basic Commands

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  • pwd present working directory
  • ls check the content of the directory
  • cd change directory
  • cd.. change directory to previous directory
  • cd../..change directory to previous two times
  • cd~ change directory to Home Directory
  • flags are arguments/options
  • ls -a to list all the hidden files
  • ls -l show detailed versions of files
  • ls -la show detailed version of all hidden files
  • clear clear the terminal (ctrl+l)
  • . current directory
  • .. parent Directory
  • ~home Directory
  • - previous Directory
  • mkdir make a directory
  • touch Create a new file
  • file give info about file
  • gedit edit file
  • cat view content of a file, concatenate files
  • historydisplays history of commands that were executed
  • uparrow display previous commands
  • ctrl + r reverse search
  • ctrl + cexit
  • Autocomplete - type first letter of the directory then press tab
  • cp copy files
  • mv move files
  • rm remove files
  • mkdir -p make a directory in the subdirectory
  • rm -r remove recursively
  • rm -rv remove recursively and display removed directory
  • find ~ -name find a file in home directory

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or find it only with file type or only with file name

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  • find ~ -type d -name find folder
  • man find the manual of any command
  • whatis tells about command

Now you are ready to become a Linux Wizard,
See you in Part 2

Top comments (1)

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n8chz profile image
Lorraine Lee •

I dunno I'm not quite ready to equate Linux wizard with command line wizard (but Unix wizard, maybe). I'd like to think there's some level of Thunar-foo (or other GUI file manager) at which I can match wits with the cleverest bashers, at least on filesystem tasks. Dragging and dropping can be a sublime art, you know. Certainly when my task is to "merge" two directories I find the GUI file manager far more useful than bash, although I suppose that may be a symptom of a bash-fu deficit on my part.