The Linux/Unix shell refers to
a special program that allows you
to interact with it by entering
certain commands from the
keyboard; the shell will execute
the commands and display its
output on the monitor. The
environment of interaction is
text-based (unlike the GUI-based
interaction we have been using in
the previous chapters) and since
it is command-oriented this type
of interface is termed Command
Line interface or CLI. Before the
advent of GUI-based computing
environments, the CLI was the only
way that one can interact and
access a computer system.
Up until now, there was never a
need to type commands into a
shell; and with the modernisation
and creation of a lot of newer
GUI-based tools, the shell is
becoming increasingly un-required
to perform many tasks. But that
said, the shell is a very powerful
place, and a lot is achieved
through it.
A lot of the front-end GUI
methods of doing things have
similar ways and means to get done
with using the shell. Professional
Linux and UNIX users find the
shell very powerful, and an
introduction to at least the basic
shell usage is useful.
Getting to a Shell
Since it is most likely that
you are in the graphical desktop
environment now, the underlying
shell that is available is not
displayed. To access a shell, try
the following key combination,
Control + Alt + F1
Where F1 can be replaced by F2,
F3, and so on. The graphical
desktop tends to run in F7 or F8,
so to go back to your graphical
desktop screen, just hit Control +
Alt + F7. These are virtual
terminals.
Alternatively, you could get to
a Terminal application, so you can
have a shell while your in the
graphical desktop environment
(this is much preferred, and will
be used throughout this Chapter).
To do this, go to:
Main Menu --> System Tools -->
Terminal
Or right-click on the desktop,
and click on the Open Terminal
option. This terminal is
equivalent to the virtual
terminals mentioned earlier,
except now you don't have to
switch screens - you can just
minimize or maximize the terminal
(or if you're done, you can close
it).
