Learning to master the command line is a daunting task for many beginners. There are a lot of commands, too many options, and endless switches that go with each command. But it doesn’t have to be intimidating!
With the right mindset, you’ll see that the command line can be an incredibly powerful tool. In fact, once you understand how it works and get used to it, you’ll find that you can use it much more efficiently than a graphical user interface (GUI).
The advantages of mastering the command line:
It’s faster! You can do things with a couple of keystrokes that would otherwise take much longer. For example, you could create a directory, change into it, initialize git, make an initial commit, create a new GitHub repository, add your GitHub repo as the origin remote, and push your initial commit—all in one command. Try doing that graphically!
It’s more flexible! Once you’re familiar with it and know what to search for online when you don’t know something, there’s not much that you can’t figure out how to do with the command line. The GUI is less flexible because only certain things are possible at any given time. For example, there are lots of ways to select files
A lot of people nowadays prefer a graphical interface over the command line. The reason is simple: they can’t be bothered to learn how to use it. There’s this fear that using it is going to cause them some type of cosmic damage.
The reality is if you want to get the most out of your computer, or even just a remote server, the command line is where it’s at. This guide will explain why you should master the command line and how it’ll make your life easier.
Why Use It?
The first thing you need to understand about the command line is that it’s just a way to interact with your computer. It’s not going to cause your PC any harm whatsoever. In fact, it’s one of the most powerful tools you have as a developer or power user.
You can do just about anything with the command line that you can with a graphical interface, and usually faster and more effectively.
The command line is a powerful tool for getting things done. Unlike the drag-and-drop graphical user interfaces that we use most often on our computers, the command line is a text-based interface that’s usually accessed via a program called the shell. It lets you interact directly with your operating system.
The main reason to learn how to use the command line is that it’s faster and more powerful than any graphical interface. Although it takes time to master, once you do you can get more done in less time, with fewer mistakes.
Below are some of the ways that the command line can help you be more productive:
• You can create scripts that automate tasks. This improves speed and accuracy.
• You can easily access and work with remote servers using SSH (Secure Shell).
• You can work on your files locally and then upload them to a server using FTP (File Transfer Protocol).
• You can edit files without having to open an application by using Vim or Emacs.
“Your technology should do more for you than simply make you more productive, it should help you learn new things…”
“The first step to becoming a command line master is to embrace the fact that you have to start from the ground up and re-learn everything you thought you knew about computing.”
“We’ll cover some of the basics of bash here. These are some of the most important commands in Unix, and knowing them well will help you succeed as a programmer or sysadmin.”
“You can’t become a master of anything without first acknowledging your beginner status. Just because you know how to write code and develop websites doesn’t mean that you have mastered programming.”
“If you’re starting out learning web development or programming for that matter, then understanding how to use your computer effectively will directly impact your ability to learn how to code faster and more efficiently.”
The Command Line is the most basic part of Linux. It is how we interact with our computer, and it allows us to perform tasks quickly. However, not many people use it because they either do not want to deal with learning the commands or are afraid of messing up their computer. This article will explain why you should learn the command line and some of the most important commands.
1. Why You Should Learn The Command Line:
It’s faster than a GUI
You can script tasks and automate them
It’s what all the cool kids are doing
When you first learned how to use a computer, you probably had a mouse.
It’s the most common way for anyone who is new to computers to interact with them. A mouse allows you to click on different parts of the screen and perform actions based on what you click.
If you’ve been using a computer for any amount of time, you have undoubtedly used a mouse before.
However, if you’ve also spent any time using an operating system (OS) like Linux or Mac OS X, or even an open-source Unix variant such as FreeBSD or Solaris, then you may have heard of something called the command line interface.
Whereas a graphical user interface (GUI) allows users to interact with the operating system using icons and a pointing device like a mouse, a command line interface uses typed commands to interact with the operating system.