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):
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |