181 lines
7.7 KiB
HTML
181 lines
7.7 KiB
HTML
|
<!--startcut ==========================================================-->
|
||
|
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN">
|
||
|
<HTML>
|
||
|
<HEAD>
|
||
|
<title>Clueless at the Prompt Issue 26</title>
|
||
|
</HEAD>
|
||
|
<BODY BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#000000" LINK="#0000FF" VLINK="#A000A0"
|
||
|
ALINK="#FF0000">
|
||
|
<!--endcut ============================================================-->
|
||
|
|
||
|
<H4>
|
||
|
"Linux Gazette...<I>making Linux just a little more fun!</I>"
|
||
|
</H4>
|
||
|
|
||
|
<P> <HR> <P>
|
||
|
<!--===================================================================-->
|
||
|
<center><H2>Clueless at the Prompt</H2>
|
||
|
<H4>By Mike List,
|
||
|
<a href="mailto:troll@net-link.net">troll@net-link.net</a></H4>
|
||
|
</center>
|
||
|
<P> <HR> <P>
|
||
|
<center><IMG ALIGN=MIDDLE SRC = "../gx/list/gnub.jpg" ></center><p>
|
||
|
|
||
|
<h4>Welcome to installment 10 of Clueless at the Prompt,</h4>
|
||
|
|
||
|
<p>
|
||
|
Here's this month's account of the triumphs, trials and
|
||
|
tribulations that I caused myself or encountered since the last
|
||
|
time, and a couple tips that may come in handy and increase your
|
||
|
understanding of Linux.
|
||
|
|
||
|
<hr><p><h4>
|
||
|
*Splitvt and Screen:</h4> Last month, I suggested splitvt as a substitute
|
||
|
for virtual consoles when using a serial terminal. I still recommend
|
||
|
splitvt since you can work in two separate windows that are in sight of
|
||
|
each other- cut and paste with gpm is a snap for scavenging previously
|
||
|
written scripts or....
|
||
|
But several people wrote to tell me about screen, which is an even better
|
||
|
substitute for virtual consoles when using that dumb terminal. I'm still
|
||
|
working on making screen work fluidly, Alt-F* took a little
|
||
|
getting used to at first. Instead of the A-F* combination you use the
|
||
|
C-a* keys to open a new window. There are some other features that I have
|
||
|
only read about, the only difference between screen and virtual consoles
|
||
|
is that each new screen is already logged on.
|
||
|
<p>
|
||
|
Like I said, I'm not familiar with all of screen's features, but to use
|
||
|
it, basically you type:
|
||
|
<pre>
|
||
|
screen progname
|
||
|
</pre>
|
||
|
and your screen session is started in VT0.
|
||
|
To add more VTs you can use:
|
||
|
<pre>
|
||
|
Ctrl-a c
|
||
|
</pre>
|
||
|
and to change from one screen to another:
|
||
|
<pre>
|
||
|
Ctrl-a 0-9
|
||
|
</pre>
|
||
|
and you can change from screen to screen, depending on how many you have
|
||
|
opened. Note that the screens are numbered 0-9 rather than 1-10,
|
||
|
the only clumsy feature of this program, IMHO.
|
||
|
<hr><p><h4>
|
||
|
*Back to basics:</h4> Some friends of mine, the nefarious UGD folks
|
||
|
have a page <a href="http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Pines/1703/docs/dog/">
|
||
|
"User Guide Dog"</a>which details many, if not
|
||
|
most of the usual commands that a new user might find useful but not
|
||
|
clearly documented. I don't have to tell you that man pages can be pretty
|
||
|
hostile to a gnubee (ever wonder what that picture was?), but if you
|
||
|
check them out after using the programs to do the things you most commonly
|
||
|
need to do, you will most likely achieve enlightenment - the information
|
||
|
is suddenly much more clear. The UGD Project is shaping up as a good
|
||
|
vehicle for this journey, if you can take the ride. Bring along your sense
|
||
|
of humor, one of the guys is a Canadian from out on the tundra ; ).
|
||
|
<hr><p><h4>
|
||
|
*Some stuff you may not hear anywhere else (so basic they forgot
|
||
|
to tell you):</h4>
|
||
|
<ul>Here's some stuff you probably already know
|
||
|
about, if you've been into Linux (or other unices) for a while.
|
||
|
<p>
|
||
|
<li><h4>Filename Completion</h4>: If you aren't an enthusiastic
|
||
|
typist, you'll find this of value. Just type enough of the filename
|
||
|
to make it unique, then hit
|
||
|
<pre>tab</pre>
|
||
|
and it will complete the filename so you can get on with your life
|
||
|
and file manipulation. Play with this feature, if you haven't
|
||
|
typed enough of the name to be unique, it will sit and stare at
|
||
|
you, try another character or two. Likewise, if you specified the
|
||
|
wrong directory, you'll get nada.<p>
|
||
|
<li><h4>Quick cd</h4>: Another keystroke saving apparatus
|
||
|
is:
|
||
|
<pre>..</pre>
|
||
|
and its close relative
|
||
|
<pre>.</pre>
|
||
|
The details for
|
||
|
a quick cd areas follows: as you may be already aware, the dots
|
||
|
represent your current directory(single dot) and parent directory
|
||
|
(double dot).By CDing to
|
||
|
<pre>..</pre>
|
||
|
you will be magically transported to the parent directory, ie
|
||
|
from /usr/bin to /usr.You can use:
|
||
|
<pre>cd -</pre>
|
||
|
to return to the previous directory,
|
||
|
and to go up two or more levels:
|
||
|
<pre>../../and so on</pre>
|
||
|
will work. The single dot is not as useful in terms of cd, but it
|
||
|
does have its use. If you are in a directory that's not in your
|
||
|
path, or dont have
|
||
|
<pre>.</pre>
|
||
|
in your path statement, you must
|
||
|
give a path to run an executable file. This is easily accomplished
|
||
|
by typing:
|
||
|
<pre>./execuname</pre>
|
||
|
which will give the relative pathname, allowing it to be found and
|
||
|
run.
|
||
|
There are a few good reasons why using the single
|
||
|
dot in your path statement isn't a good idea, suffice to say, if
|
||
|
you'd like more info on that subject, you should read up on system
|
||
|
security.<p>
|
||
|
<li><h4>GPM</h4>: This has been so basic to my Linux experience
|
||
|
that I would be crippled without it, in fact once when I flubbed
|
||
|
an installation and didn't have it running, it became my first
|
||
|
priority to correct that little oversight. The mere fact that the
|
||
|
non unix OS seem not to have this is reason to upgrade to Linux,
|
||
|
although I found a dos program that allows a similar use of the
|
||
|
mouse on simtelnet. In a related matter, if you dual boot(most
|
||
|
home boxes, I'd imagine)you might find yourself using
|
||
|
<pre>ls -aF</pre>
|
||
|
when you actually meant to type
|
||
|
<pre>dir</pre>
|
||
|
or
|
||
|
<pre>cp</pre>
|
||
|
when what you wanted was
|
||
|
<pre>copy</pre>
|
||
|
you can create batch files(like shell scripts) named for your
|
||
|
favorite unix commands, using your favorite switches. Not as
|
||
|
cool as dosemu or just plain staying in Linux, but ya gotta do
|
||
|
what ya gotta do.
|
||
|
</ul>
|
||
|
<hr><p><h4>
|
||
|
*Errata:</h4> No I don't really do "make dev" when I make a kernel
|
||
|
(maybe I could blame it on my keyboard)make dep is what I meant.
|
||
|
<hr><p>
|
||
|
If you have a subject that you would like to see covered or have
|
||
|
any corrections, comments or flames let me know, and I'll look
|
||
|
into the matter.
|
||
|
<a href="mailto:troll@net-link.net">troll@net-link.net</a><p>
|
||
|
<b>See you next month!</b></center>
|
||
|
<!--===================================================================-->
|
||
|
<P> <hr> <P>
|
||
|
<center><H4>Previous "Clueless at the Prompt" Columns</H4></center>
|
||
|
<p>
|
||
|
<A HREF="../issue14/clueless.html">Clueless at the Prompt #1 - Feburary 1997</A><br>
|
||
|
<A HREF="../issue15/clueless.html">Clueless at the Prompt #2 - March 1997</A><br>
|
||
|
<A HREF="../issue16/clueless.html">Clueless at the Prompt #3 - April 1997</A><br>
|
||
|
<A HREF="../issue17/clueless.html">Clueless at the Prompt #4 - May 1997</A><br>
|
||
|
<A HREF="../issue18/clueless.html">Clueless at the Prompt #5 - June 1997</A><br>
|
||
|
<A HREF="../issue19/clue.html">Clueless at the Prompt #6 - July 1997</A><br>
|
||
|
<A HREF="../issue21/clue.html">Clueless at the Prompt #7 - September 1997</A><br>
|
||
|
<A HREF="../issue23/clue.html">Clueless at the Prompt #8 - December 1997</A><br>
|
||
|
<A HREF="../issue25/clueless.html">Clueless at the Prompt #9 - February 1998</A>
|
||
|
<P><HR><P>
|
||
|
<center><H5>Copyright © 1998, Mike List<BR>
|
||
|
Published in Issue 26 of <i>Linux Gazette</i>, March 1998</H5></center>
|
||
|
|
||
|
<!--===================================================================-->
|
||
|
<P> <hr> <P>
|
||
|
<A HREF="./index.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM SRC="../gx/indexnew.gif"
|
||
|
ALT="[ TABLE OF CONTENTS ]"></A>
|
||
|
<A HREF="../index.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM SRC="../gx/homenew.gif"
|
||
|
ALT="[ FRONT PAGE ]"></A>
|
||
|
<A HREF="./lg_answer26.html"><IMG SRC="../gx/back2.gif"
|
||
|
ALT=" Back"></A>
|
||
|
<A HREF="./marsden.html"><IMG SRC="../gx/fwd.gif" ALT=" Next "></A>
|
||
|
<P> <hr> <P>
|
||
|
<!--startcut ==========================================================-->
|
||
|
</BODY>
|
||
|
</HTML>
|
||
|
<!--endcut ============================================================-->
|
||
|
|