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Glossary

C

Command Line - The command line in Unix is when you open a window that has a prompt or cursor and you type in commands that are then acted on by Unix and give you results that are usually displayed to the screen..

Commands - This refers to the functions that Unix and Linux have to perform operations. The commands would include, for example, ls, grep, etc.

Console - This is a window that appears in Unix that allows you to write command line instructions that are sent to Unix upon pressing the return key.

cp - Used for making a copy of a file or copying a file to a directory.

D

Data File - A file made with numbers in it.

E

emacs - Software used to make new filess or open existing files.

H

Home Directory - When you first log in you will be in what is called the home directory.

L

ls - Lists the contents of a directory.

M

Manual Pages - You access the manual pages by typing 'man' followed by the command that you want to learn more about. Try 'man ls' and you will see a description. Use spacebar to go through the pages and 'q' to quit at any time.

mkdir - Makes a new directory.

more - Shows the contents of a file page by page.

mv - Used for renaming a file or moving a file to a directory.

O

OS - Operating System. Examples are Unix, MS Windows, etc.

P

Path - This is the directory location in Unix. For instance, your home directory might be /nfs/see/username, where the slashes separate the directories in the tree.

Prompt - This is the command line location where you can begin to write Unix commands. Prompts can appear as simple as a '$' or '%' but can often be longer and include your Linux username.

pwd - Shows the path to the current directory that you are in.

R

rm - Removes files.

rmdir - Deletes a directory that has no files in it.

T

Terminal - A window that appears on your screen and has a command line prompt that you can enter Unix commands.

W

Window - A window that appears on your screen and has a command line prompt that you can enter Unix commands.

X

X-Term - A window that appears on your screen and has a command line prompt that you can enter Unix commands.