Ubuntu Basic Terminal Commands For Beginners

While testing the beta version of Ubuntu 9.10, I thought I might as well post my 2nd blog entry about Ubuntu operating system. For this post, I will share Basic Commands that will work on Ubuntu Terminal that beginners like me should know. If you just switched from Windows and still a bit confused about the command line then this article is for you. Using the Ubuntu Linux command line is faster, simpler yet very powerful to get things done without clicking buttons and navigating through menus.


To get started, first you need to invoke the Terminal by navigating to:
Applications > Accessories > Terminal

Now let's discuss the basic commands you should learn.

To list what's in a folder or directory
ls or dir

To display the name of the current folder
pwd

To change directory
cd /home/user/yourfolder/

To create a new folder
mkdir NewFolder

To copy a folder to a different directory
cp Yourfolder /user/home -r

To move the folder instead
mv /user/home/YourFolder /media/USBStick/

To remove folder
rm /user/home/Folder -r

To show the current date and time
date

To show this month's calendar
cal

To display total computer uptime
uptime

To show the current logged user
whoami

To check for free memory
free

To get the full path of an application
whereis [app]

To show disk space usage
df -h

To shutdown your PC
sudo shutdown [-h] now

or restart your PC
sudo shutdown [-r] now

To install Apps like a Pro
sudo apt-get install apps-to-install

To clear Terminal screen
clear

Networking Basics
To check for IP address (IPConfig equivalent)
ifconfig

To Ping network host
ping

To check for routing config
route

Aside from being faster, Its more fun to use the Terminal than GUI because it makes you Geeker (if there is such a word) :)


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