Silly rabbit, Unix is for kids!!
Disclaimer: I am not a
computer expert. I am not even "fairly knowledgeable". But,
as a result of spending a considerable amount of time having to deal
with the computer system of one university mathematics department
(Waterloo) or another (Penn State), I've learned a few Unix commands
that I really would've appreciated someone telling me at the
getgo. So if you're in that position, here they are (in no
particular order - make sure you read the very last one at least, cause
it's immensely useful):
The very basics
| man [command] |
Brings up the manual page for [command]
- e.g. "man ls" |
| ls |
Lists the files in the current
directory |
| cd [dir] |
Changes the current directory to [dir] |
| mkdir [dir] |
Creates a new directory called [dir] |
| mv [source] [target] |
Moves a file from [source] to
[target] |
| rm [file] |
Deletes [file] |
| lpr [file] |
Prints [file] - use this with
PS and DVI files. For a PS file, use "-Fl" (that's a lowercase
ell), for a DVI file, use "-Fd". That is, "lpr -Fl file.ps", or
"lpr -Fd file.dvi". Also, add "-Pmb103" to use the printer in
McAllister Building room 103, or "Pmb415" to use the one in room 415...
you get the idea. |
More stuff you'd better know, especially
if you're trying to build a web page and/or make LaTeX files.
| ls -l |
Lists files along with the
permissions associated with them - see the man files for "ls" and
"chmod" for more details |
| chmod [permissions] [file] |
Changes the file permissions for [file]
to [permissions] - for instance, "chmod
644 *" makes all the files in the current directory readable by anyone
(good if you're building a web page) and modifiable only by you. |
| pico [file] |
Opens a text editor to modify [file].
One rather important command within pico is CTRL-O (save). |
| latex [file] |
Runs LaTeX on [file] and
outputs a DVI file |
| xdvi [file] |
Opens [file] in a DVI viewer |
| dvips [file] |
Sends [file] to the printer,
or to a PS file [target] if you add the option "-o[target]" |
| dvipdf [file] [target] |
Converts a DVI file to a PDF file |
| acroread [file] |
Opens [file] in a PDF viewer |
| xterm |
Opens a new terminal window.
Use in conjunction with the "&" option to get multiple windows at
once, i.e. type in "xterm &" so that you retain your current
prompt, then you can open pico, pine, maple, or whatever you like in
the new window. |
Other programs we have that you've
probably already found, and nifty tricks I like
| pine |
A recursive acronym that stands for
"Pine is not Elm" (at least according to some). This gets you
your email. |
| netscape |
The fantabulous interweb |
| maple |
The most wonderfullest computing
package ever, from the absolutely most terrificest university town. |
| [command] & |
Performs [command] while at
the same time returning your prompt to you. So "netscape &"
opens Netscape and lets you continue using your terminal window.
"xdvi quiz1 &" lets you look at the file "quiz1.dvi" while at the
same time continuing to use your Unix prompt. Most useful. |
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