What is Linux?

Linux is an operating system that appears very similar to UNIX which is an operating system built by AT&T.

It was created by a man named Linus Torvalds. The idea was to create an operating system that is open source unlike other operating systems that have software licenses.

Linux comes in many flavors such as Ubuntu, which are customized versions of the operating system with additional features.

NOTE Linux is not Unix. Linux is modelled very closely to UNIX but it is not the same operating system or an operating system built on top of UNIX.

General Terms

BASH - Born Again Shell

This is the terminal that is used to interact with the computers features, such as copying and creating files, running applications, find information about your computer, and etc.

Note that it is used in addition to the Operating System's GUI which is the buttons and colorful interactive environment people commonly use.

Command Explanation

1 pwd

Print working directory - shows you your current directory (where am I currently)

2 ls

Show me what is accessible from my current directory. (Where can I go, what is available to me)

3 cd

Change Directory - change the folder that I'm in or currently viewing.
NOTE: "cd" is generally followed by the name of the directory you want to move to or a path to another directory relative to where you are currently located.

4 touch newfile.txt

Touch - this command allows you to create a file that can be specified as a specific type by addding the extension.

5 cp filename.txt

Copy - the command is used to copy a file specified after "cp" as well as a directory for the copy to be stored.

6 rm filename.txt

Remove/Delete - This command deletes the file from your computer

7 rm -rffolderIc folderIChose

Similar to the above command, this variation allows you to remove/delete the directory specified after "-rf".

8 mkdir newFolderName

Make Directory - creates a folder in your current directory.

9 man commandIwantInfoOn

Manual - Command that provides an explanation and information on a command you specify

10 top

Top - Shows the processes/software/applications that are consuming the most CPU.

11 ps

Basic Command viewing the processes running on the system. It provides a snapshot of the current processes along with detailed information like user id, cpu usage, memory usage, command name etc.