[Chapter 1] 1.4 Beginner's Guide

1.4 Beginner's Guide

If you're just beginning to work on a Unix system, the abundance of commands might prove daunting. To help orient you, the following lists present a small sampling of commands on various topics.

1.4.1 Communication

`ftp`	File transfer protocol.
`login`	Sign on to Unix.
`mailx`	Read or send mail.
`rlogin`	Sign on to remote Unix.
`talk`	Write to other terminals.
`telnet`	Connect to another system.
`vacation`	Respond to mail automatically.

1.4.2 Comparisons

`cmp`	Compare two files, byte by byte.
`comm`	Compare items in two sorted files.
`diff`	Compare two files, line by line.
`diff3`	Compare three files.
`dircmp`	Compare directories.
`sdiff`	Compare two files, side by side.

1.4.3 File Management

`cat`	Concatenate files or display them.
`cd`	Change directory.
`chmod`	Change access modes on files.
`cp`	Copy files.
`csplit`	Break files at specific locations.
`file`	Determine a file's type.
`head`	Show the first few lines of a file.
`ln`	Create filename aliases.
`ls`	List files or directories.
`mkdir`	Create a directory.
`more`	Display files by screenful.
`mv`	Move or rename files or directories.
`pwd`	Print working directory.
`rcp`	Copy files to remote system.
`rm`	Remove files.
`rmdir`	Remove directories.
`split`	Split files evenly.
`tail`	Show the last few lines of a file.
`wc`	Count lines, words, and characters.

1.4.4 Miscellaneous

`banner`	Make posters from words.
`bc`	Arbitrary precision calculator.
`cal`	Display calendar.
`calendar`	Check for reminders.
`clear`	Clear the screen.
`man`	Get information on a command.
`nice`	Reduce a job's priority.
`nohup`	Preserve a running job after logging out.
`passwd`	Set your login password.
`script`	Produce a transcript of your login session.
`spell`	Report misspelled words.
`su`	Become a superuser.

1.4.5 Printing

`cancel`	Cancel a printer request.
`lp`	Send to the printer.
`lpstat`	Get printer status.
`pr`	Format and paginate for printing.

1.4.6 Programming

`cb`	C source code "beautifier."
`cc`	C compiler.
`cflow`	C function flowchart.
`ctags`	C function references (for `vi` ).
`ctrace`	C debugger using function call tracing.
`cxref`	C cross-references.
`lint`	C program analyzer.
`ld`	Loader.
`lex`	Lexical analyzer generator.
`make`	Execute commands in a specified order.
`od`	Dump input in various formats.
`strip`	Remove data from an object file.
`truss`	Trace signals and system calls.
`yacc`	Parser generator. Can be used with `lex` .

1.4.7 Searching

`egrep`	Extended version of `grep` .
`fgrep`	Search files for literal words.
`find`	Search the system for filenames.
`grep`	Search files for text patterns.
`strings`	Search binary files for text patterns.

1.4.8 Shell Programming

`echo`	Repeat command-line arguments on the output.
`expr`	Perform arithmetic and comparisons.
`line`	Read a line of input.
`printf`	Format and print command-line arguments.
`sleep`	Pause during processing.
`test`	Test a condition.

1.4.9 Storage

`compress`	Compress files to free up space.
`cpio`	Copy archives in or out.
`gunzip`	Expand compressed (`.gz` and `.Z` ) files (preferred).
`gzcat`	Display contents of compressed files (may be linked to `zcat` ).
`gzip`	Compress files to free up space (preferred).
`tar`	Tape archiver.
`uncompress`	Expand compressed (`.Z` ) files.
`zcat`	Display contents of compressed files.

1.4.10 System Status

`at`	Execute commands later.
`chgrp`	Change file group.
`chown`	Change file owner.
`crontab`	Automate commands.
`date`	Display or set date.
`df`	Show free disk space.
`du`	Show disk usage.
`env`	Show environment variables.
`finger`	Display information about users.
`kill`	Terminate a running command.
`ps`	Show processes.
`stty`	Set or display terminal settings.
`who`	Show who is logged on.

1.4.11 Text Processing

`cut`	Select columns for display.
`ex`	Line editor underlying `vi` .
`fmt`	Produce roughly uniform line lengths.
`join`	Merge different columns into a database.
`nawk`	New version of `awk` (pattern-matching language for textual database files).
`paste`	Merge columns or switch order.
`sed`	Noninteractive text editor.
`sort`	Sort or merge files.
`tr`	Translate (redefine) characters.
`uniq`	Find repeated or unique lines in a file.
`vi`	Visual text editor.
`xargs`	Process many arguments in manageable portions.

1.4.12 nroff and troff

In SVR4, all but deroff are in the compatibility packages. Solaris comes bundled with a modern version of troff and its preprocessors (pic isn't included).

`deroff`	Remove `troff` codes.
`eqn`	Preprocessor for equations.
`nroff`	Formatter for terminal display.
`pic`	Preprocessor for line graphics.
`refer`	Preprocessor for bibliographic references.
`tbl`	Preprocessor for tables.
`troff`	Formatter for typesetting (including PostScript printers).