Using the Linux Command-Line Interface
While graphical user interfaces are generally easier to use, many, if not most, of the
tasks you must perform to administer and support a Linux system must be done from the
command line. Basically, end users use the GUI; administrators use the command line.
Therefore, we will spend a great deal of time working with the Linux commandline
interface in this book. In this chapter, we will give you a brief introduction to
FIGURE 1-3 The Linux command-line interface
FIGURE 1-4 The Linux graphical user interface
Use the Linux User Interface 17
the command line. In later chapters, we will
investigate the Linux CLI in more depth. In this
chapter, we will discuss the following topics:
?– Linux shells
?– Running commands at the shell prompt
?– Commonly used CLI commands and
utilities
Let??™s begin by discussing Linux shells.
Linux Shells
To fully understand how the command-line interface works under Linux, you need to
understand the concept of a shell. A shell is a command interpreter that allows you
to type commands from the keyboard to interact with the operating system kernel.
Back in the days before Windows, most computer users had no choice but to be
familiar with command-line shells.
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