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2.3 Command Line

Jan 28, 2024, 4 min read

The easiest way to understand the command line:

  • The command line provides a text-based way to interact with the core functions of your operating system. It’s a more direct way of communicating with your computer compared to using a GUI.
  • In graphical user interfaces, we perform actions by clicking icons and buttons. In contrast, the command line relies on text-based commands. For instance, while you might double-click a folder in File Explorer to open it, in the command line, you would use a command like cd directoryName to navigate into a directory.
  • Example: instead of double clicking on a file, you write cd followed by the name of the file.
  • When you understand that things like the ‘desktop’ are just a luxury, - a visual way to navigate your computer instead of having to write commands. The point is: everything originates from the command line, it is the default way of doing anything on a computer.
  • Many tasks that can be done via the GUI can also be performed in the command line, often with greater precision and efficiency.
  • It is not a programming language, but a set of ‘commands’ you can use to complete tasks on your computer.
How would you create a new folder in your Desktop called dsx, and then create a notes.txt file for your notes.
cd Desktop
mkdir dsx
cd dsx
touch notes.txt
ls

Success cd

  • Stands for change directory.
  • Allows you to go into a folder.

Success mkdir

  • Stands for make directory.
  • Used to create a new folder.

Success touch

  • Used to create a new, empty file or update the timestamp of an existing file.
  • In this case, touch notes.txt creates a new file named notes.txt inside the current directory.

Success ls

  • Stands for list.
  • Displays the contents of the current directory.
  • Used here to double check that notes.txt now exists in the current working directory.

You don’t want your friends seeing your machine learning notes (they’re bad). Can you please delete notes.txt?
cd Desktop/dsx
rm notes.txt

Definitions

directory -> Folder terminal/command line -> interface for text commands CLI -> command line interface (think of it like a GUI for an application, but text-based. Instead of clicking buttons, you write commands) mkdir creates a folder (directory), within whatever directory you are currently in. cd -> change directory (the same thing as double clicking on a folder)


Sure, I’ll define each of these terms for you:

  1. Unix: Unix is an operating system, originally developed in the 1960s and 1970s at AT&T’s Bell Labs. It’s known for its multitasking and multi-user capabilities, stability, and efficiency. Unix has a wide influence on other operating systems, including Linux and the various versions of BSD. It’s known for its simple design and the Unix philosophy, which emphasizes building simple, short, clear, modular, and extensible code that can be easily maintained and repurposed by developers other than its creators.

  2. Bash (Bourne Again SHell): Bash is a command language interpreter, or shell, for Unix-like operating systems. It’s a widely used default command-line interface on Linux and macOS. Bash is an enhanced replacement for the original Bourne shell (sh), incorporating features from the Korn shell (ksh) and C shell (csh). It supports scripting and offers various features, such as command line editing, unlimited command history, job control, and programmable command completion.

  3. Shell: In computing, a shell is a user interface for accessing the services of an operating system. Shells can be either command-line interfaces (CLIs) or graphical user interfaces (GUIs). In the context of Unix or Unix-like systems, the term often refers specifically to a command-line shell, which is a program that accepts commands as text input and converts them into appropriate operating system functions.

  4. Command Line: The command line is a text-based interface used to interact with software and operating systems. It allows users to enter commands by typing them on a keyboard, as opposed to using a graphical user interface (GUI). The command line is a direct interface with the system, often providing more control and flexibility than GUI-based tools. It’s particularly popular among developers, system administrators, and power users.

  5. GCC (GNU Compiler Collection): GCC is a compiler system produced by the GNU Project supporting various programming languages. GCC is a key component of the GNU toolchain and the standard compiler for most Unix-like operating systems, including Linux. It originally stood for “GNU C Compiler”, as it only handled the C programming language, but it now supports a wide range of programming languages, including C++, Objective-C, Fortran, Ada, and others. GCC is known for its portability and is a standard compiler on most modern Unix-like systems.

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