Debian Linux

Debian Linux is the reliable, versatile LTC OS. Linux is a penguin!

• ~ specifies a user's home directory.
• & allows continued use of bash while a program runs (ex. program&).
• * is a wildcard for a set of characters. (This is useful in the /tmp directory, as rm *p* will delete all .ps and .pdf files.)
• ? is a wildcard for a single character.
• ; allows multiple commands to be executed (i.e. cd /floppy ; mount /floppy).
• > file.ext inserts output into file.
• >> file.ext concatenates output into file.
• | command pipes screen output to a command (ex. ls -l |more).
• a2ps file.txt prints a file.
  • -4 prints 4 pages per sheet.
  • -B tells a2ps not to print the header.
• alias new alias = command creates an alias for a command.
• [ALT]tab moves between desktops. This requires that num lock be off.
• [ALT]up/down/left/right cycles windows on a desktop. This requires that num lock be off.
• cal 7 2005 shows the calendar for a specified month and year.
• cat file.html sends the contents of a file to standard output (concatenates them). This is useful when combined with less.
• catdoc file.doc > file.txt changes files from .doc format to .txt format. Check to make sure the redirect > is present.
• cd changes directories.
  • cd ~ goes to the home directory. It is also used to exit the floppy directory.
  • cd ~- goes to the directory the user was previously in (think "cd undo").
  • cd ../ goes down one directory (smaller directory to larger one).
  • cd /floppy goes to the floppy directory.
  • cd /tmp goes to the temporary directory, which gets clogged with pdfs and other things that need to be deleted regularly.
• clear clears the terminal screen.
• cp file.html ~/directory/file.html copies a file to another directory.
  • -f forces the action. Be careful, as this will force overwrite a file at the specified location.
  • -i asks for confirmation
• [CTRL] c terminates the current process.
• date displays the current date and time.
• df displays drives and free disk space, and shows what's going on in the computer (i.e. check to see what is mounted, etc).
• dict word defines a word.
• diff displays disk usage in the current folder and subfolders.
• du exits bash.
• emacs opens Emacs, an advanced text editor.
• exit logs out of su.
• factor 100 outputs prime factors.
• Floppy disks:
  • put the disk in the floppy drive in the office, NOT one of the other terminals.
  • mount /floppy will mount the floppy, thereby making its contents available to the user.
  • cd /floppy goes to the floppy directory.
  • ls will list the contents of the floppy.
  • cp will copy the specified contents of the floppy (i.e. cp *jpg -/public_html/pictures)
  • cd ~ exits the floppy directory.
  • umount /floppy allows the disk to be removed. (IMPORTANT: do not use umount /floppy while in /floppy)
• grep text_file.html searches files for text.
• gunzip decompresses files.
• gv opens gv, a program for reading .ps and .pdf files
• gzip compresses files.
• head file.html displays the first 10 lines of a file.
• history displays the user's command history.
  • 20 displays the last 20 commands.
  • -c clears history.
• kill process kills a process.
• less allows large amounts of text to be displayed screen by screen (similar to more), but also allows the user to go back a screen by pressing b.
• locate file.html searches for a file.
• ls lists current directory contents.
  • -A shows all files except hidden files.
  • -a shows all files, including hidden files.
  • -C lists in columns.
  • -l lists file properties.
  • -o omits group info and requires -l.
  • -R shows everything below the current directory (recursive listing).
  • -r sorts in reverse time and requires -t.
  • -S sorts by file size.
  • -t sorts by time.
  • --color color-codes files by type.
• man command is a help page about a command. q exits.
• middle click-and-drag on the virtual desktop moves windows on other desktops.
• mkdir new_directory creates a new directory.
• more displays large amounts of text screen by screen; space advances screens.
• mount /file_system mounts a file system (i.e. mount /floppy).
• mv directory1/file.html directory2/file.html moves a file from one place to another.
  • -f forces the action, ignoring errors and warnings.
  • -i asks for confirmation
• nano opens nano, a text editor.
• nl file.html views a file with lines numbered.
• passwd modifies a user password.
• pico opens pico, a text editor.
• pwd displays the current directory.
• right click-and-drag on the virtual desktop pans desktops.
• rm file.html deletes the appropriate file.
  • -f forces the removal, ignoring errors or warnings.
  • -i asks for confirmation.
• rmdir directory removes a directory.
• scp ~matt/myfile.txt remote.location.com: remotefile.txt secure (encrypted) copies files from network to network. The name after the colon indicates a new file name for the copy. :. secure copies the file to ~ with the same name.
• su matt logs the user in while someone else is logged in; exit logs out.
• tab completes the name of a file/directory as far as possible, i.e. ind --> index.html.
• tail file.html displays the last 10 lines of a file.
• umount /file_system unmounts a file system (i.e. umount /floppy).
• unalias alias removes a command alias.
• uptime displays the time since the system last booted.
• wc file.html displays line, word, and byte counts.
• xcalc opens xcalc, a calculator.
• xclock displays a clock on the desktop.
  • -chime makes xclock beep on the hour and half-hour.
  • -d generates xclock in digital form.
  • -update 1 updates xclock every specified # of seconds.
• xfig opens xfig, a vector drawing program.
• xpdf opens xpdf, which reads .pdf files.
• xv image.jpg opens the image for viewing. Right-clicking on the image allows editing.