[Chapter 1] 1.4 Beginner's Guide
Author: Daniel Gilly & the Staff of O'Reilly & Associates
Date: 1998-08-06T21:51:45Z

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| Chapter 1 Introduction |

## 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 tables present a small sampling of commands on various topics.

### 1.4.1 Communication

cu | Connect to UNIX system.
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.
write | Write to other terminals.

### 1.4.2 Comparisons

cmp | Compare two files.
comm | Compare items in files.
diff | Compare two files.
diff3 | Compare three files.
dircmp | Compare directories.
sdiff | Compare two files, side by side.

### 1.4.3 File Management

cat | Join 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.
install | Set up system files.
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 your 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 | Precision calculator.
cal | Display calendar.
calendar | Check for reminders.
clear | Clear the screen.
kill | Terminate a running command.
man | Get information on a command.
nice | Reduce a job's priority.
nohup | Preserve a job after logging out.
passwd | Set 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.
ctrace | C debugger.
cxref | C cross-references.
lint | C debugger.
ld | Link editor.
lex | Lexical analyzer.
make | Execute commands in a specified order.
od | Dump input in various formats.
sdb | Symbolic debugger.
strip | Remove data from an object file.
truss | Trace signals and system calls.
yacc | Compiler 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 input on the output.
expr | Perform arithmetic and comparisons.
line | Read a line of input.
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.
pack | Pack files to free up space.
pcat | Display contents of packed files.
tar | Tape archiver.
uncompress | Expand compressed (`.Z`) files.
unpack | Expand packed (`.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 | Point out information about users.
ps | Show processes.
ruptime | Show loads on working systems.
shutdown | Revert to single-user mode.
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.
fold | Produce exactly uniform line lengths.
join | Merge different columns into a database.
nawk | New version of awk (pattern-matching language for 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 Troff

All but `deroff` are in the compatibility packages.

deroff | Remove troff codes.
eqn | Preprocessor for equations.
nroff | Formatter for terminal display.
pic | Preprocessor for line graphics.
tbl | Preprocessor for tables.
troff | Formatter for typesetting.

1.3 What's in the Quick Ref |  | 1.5 Guide for Users of BSD-derived Systems