Take Control of the Command Line

An intriguing thing the Linux command line is.  For the past two weeks I have been studying Bash and the command line trying to harness this superpower. I searched and read everything I could find, at one point I thought I reached the end of the internet. Tutorial after tutorial would try to explain the Linux command line, some did it better than others, while I do not feel like an expert I have learned quite a bit over the past two weeks and feel like it would be a good time to touch on command line.

I have thought of several different ways that I could approach this subject.  Every time I started to write a post I would stop half way through and erase the entire thing.  I felt like I was just going to end up confusing those looking to learn the command line.  So in order to give you the opportunity to learn the command line without leaving you with a headache, I am going to share the resources that I have been using. After searching through endless amounts of data these resources are the ones that have taught me the most.

First and probably the best resource I found was through Programming Motherfucker.  Not only is this site amazeballs but it gives some of the best information when it comes to learning any type of language.  For Bash they link to Advanced Bash-Scripting Guide.  This guide may say advanced but the goal of it is to take you from beginner to advanced.  There is a ton of information in this guide so you may want to take it slow and not overload yourself. I know I sometimes forget and overload on data myself.  I found reading it in 15 minute snippets throughout the day and then reviewing the information in bulk at the end of the day was the best way for the information to sink in, however whatever your usual study routine is may work better for you.

For a how to guide and shortcut list I highly recommend Dave Child's Linux Command Line Cheat Sheet.  This cheat sheet is comprehensive; showing you how to correctly use commands, shortcuts, and other special functions.  I highly recommend bookmarking this cheat sheet just to keep it handy in case you need a quick reference guide.

A good one for commands is An A-Z Index of the Bash Command Line for Linux.  If there is a command you need this index has it.  Read through it a few times and before you know it you will start remembering the most useful commands that you would use.

There are times that we sit at the terminal pondering the next step, it is helpful to see what others have done that you can try.  CommandFU is the place to go, it will break that stuck feeling and show you some pretty awesome things to try on your own.  Plus there are a lot of tips and tricks that you may find useful.

Finally, you can always just go to your terminal.  If you need to know the options and functions of a certain command you can simply type man (command here) to see a list of what that command does and what arguments can be made with the command. Once done just hit q to quit the man command.

I will tell you the same thing I have told you before.  In order to learn the command line you will have to get into it and just start working.  I hope these websites will be as helpful to you as they are to me.  If you know of any great websites for bash scripting please feel free to leave a comment below.