Linux Phrasebook

Get more done faster at the Linux command line! This best-selling Linux Phrasebook has been thoroughly updated in the second edition to reflect the newest distributions, incorporate feedback from hundreds of active Linux users, and cover today's newest tools and techniques -- including an entirely new chapter on text file manipulation.

Linux Phrasebook, Second Edition offers a concise, handy reference to the Linux commands that, like a language phrasebook, can be used on the spot on moment's notice.

Don't waste a minute on non-essentials: this straight-to-the-point reference delivers specific information and tested commands designed to work with any modern Linux distribution. Portable enough to take anywhere, it starts with a quick introduction to essential command line concepts, and then delivers all the modern Linux command examples, variations, and parameters you need to:
View, manipulate, archive, and compress files Control file ownership and permissions Find anything on your systems Efficiently use the Linux shell Monitor system resources Install software Test, fix, and work with networks

Linux Phrasebook, Second Edition is the perfect quick command line reference for millions of Linux users and administrators at all levels of experience: people who want to get reliable information they can use right now -- with no distractions and no diversions!

Contents at a Glance

Part I: Getting Started

Chapter 1 Things to Know About Your Command Line

Everything Is a File
Maximum Filename Lengths
Names Are Case-Sensitive
Special Characters to Avoid in Names
Wildcards and What They Mean
Special Files That Affect Your Command Line
If There’s Too Much Stuff on Screen, Reset
Chapter 2 Navigating Your File System

List Files and Folders
List the Contents of Other Folders
List Folder Contents Using Wildcards
View a List of Files in Subfolders
View a List of Contents in a Single Column
View Contents As a Comma-Separated List
View Hidden Files and Folders
Visually Display a File’s Type
Display Contents in Color
List Permissions, Ownership, and More
Reverse the Order Contents Are Listed
Sort Contents by Date and Time
Sort Contents by Size
Express File Sizes in Terms of K, M, and G
Display the Path of Your Current Directory
Change to a Different Directory
Change to Your Home Directory
Change to Your Previous Directory
Chapter 3 Creation and Destruction

Change a File to the Current Time
Change a File to Any Desired Time
Create a New, Empty File
Create a New Directory
Create a New Directory and Any Necessary Subdirectories
Copy Files
Copy Files Using Wildcards
Copy Files Verbosely
Stop Yourself from Copying over Important Files
Copy Directories
Copy Files As Perfect Backups in Another Directory
Move Files and Folders
Rename Files and Folders
Understand How Linux Stores Files
Create a Link Pointing to Another File or Directory
Delete Files
Remove Several Files at Once with Wildcards
Prevent Yourself from Deleting Key Files
Delete an Empty Directory
Remove Files and Directories That Aren’t Empty
Deleting Troublesome Files
Chapter 4 Learning About Commands

Find Out About Commands with man
Quickly Find Out What a Command Does Based on Its Name
Search for a Command Based on What It Does
Read a Command’s Specific Man Page
Learn About Commands with info
Navigate Within info
Locate the Paths for a Command’s Executable, Source Files, and Man Pages
Find Out Which Version of a Command Will Run
Discover How a Command Will Be Interpreted
Chapter 5 Building Blocks

Run Several Commands Sequentially
Run Commands Only If the Previous Ones Succeed
Run a Command Only If the Previous One Fails
Plug the Output of a Command into Another Command
Understand Input/Output Streams
Use the Output of One Command As Input for Another
Redirect a Command’s Output to a File
Prevent Overwriting Files When Using Redirection
Append a Command’s Output to a File
Use a File As Input for a Command
Combine Input and Output Redirection
Send Output to a File and to stdout at the