UNIX Usage Tips
Posted on by Ruiwen
The IBM developerWorks articles are a great resource for anyone who’s into the world of development. We saw some recently that dealt with tips and tricks for working on the command line. For us Linux users, while we may like our fancy desktops and graphical effects, courtesy of the CompizFusion project, the command line is always available when we need that raw power and flexibility.
The first article, Learn 10 good UNIX usage habits , we learn how to define an entire directory tree using a single-line command , how to execute one command only if another one succeeds , and how to properly use grep .
In the second, Learn 10 more good UNIX usage habits , we learn about file name , and command history expansion, directory navigation using pushd and popd , and also the handy utilities of curl and awk , along with a quick primer on regular expressions .
And yes, while the article does say "UNIX" instead of "Linux", most of the tips are usable on both platforms, since the utilities involved are common between the two. The articles also do take note when certain tips are shell specific, such as the file-name completion tip in the second article. The default shell in most Linux distributions is bash , so unless you’ve specifically changed your default shell, following the instructions for bash should keep you safe.
And if you haven’t already gotten your hands dirty with the command line (Konsole, for KDE users, and GNOME Terminal for, well, the GNOME people), here’s your chance to dive in with these handy tips.