You can even type “man man” to find information on the help program itself.Īt this point, you can simply quit the Terminal program and go on with your life. You can type “man” followed by any command to see the associated man help file. If it fails to hold your interest, pressing ctrl-Q bring you right back to the command prompt. Pressing the space bar will let you page through this fairly long entry. Type “man ls” to peruse the help (“man” or manual) files about the ls (list file) command. A list of the files and folders in your home directory will scroll by. But here are a couple of things you can try if you’re curious: To the right of that, the cursor blinks, impatiently waiting for your command.īecause we’re mostly interested in ways to get to the command line right now, we’re not going to get very deep into the specific commands. By default, the prompt is set as your computer name, followed by a colon. It opens as a rather stark-looking window floating on the colorful expanse of your Desktop. Going Through the Front Door: The Terminalĭouble-clicking on the Terminal application in your Utilities folder is the easiest way to gain access to the OS X command line. Here, we’re just going to show you a few ways to get there and give you a chance to try a few safe (look-but-don’t-touch) commands. Some of the more advanced tutorials and columns in Macinstruct will be showing you some tips and tricks for using the command line interface on OS X. In OS X on the Mac, the command line lets you speak directly with Unix, the venerable operating system that lies at the core of every post-Classic Macintosh. However, its capabilities are arguably far more limited compared to the Mac.
Because it was built as an overlay of the original command line system (called DOS for “Disk Operating System”), Microsoft Windows has had this ability since its inception.
If you know how to cast the right spells, you can get the computer to do things that are either difficult or impossible when locked into the beautiful graphical interface. The sometimes-complex command-line incantations offer far more flexibility than your computer’s more graphical outerwear. The command line is something that power users dreamed of through the years of the single-digit Classic Mac OS versions. (The system does actually go back more than a couple of decades, but at the time it was a vast improvement over stacks of punch cards.)
Comprised of text “prompts” (the computer’s way of indicating that it is waiting for you to type something) and commands (the precisely-worded incantations you need to issue to get the computer to do your bidding), it looks a bit antiquated in today’s point-and-click world. We are talking, of course, about the Terminal, that magnificent gateway to the hidden underpinnings of the Mac OS. It also possesses the fearsome ability to wreak unimaginable havoc on your system.
It is simple and elegant, yet can be intimidating (if not terrifying) and has the power to cure some of your computer’s most puzzling ills. Sitting discreetly in Utilities folder (nestled nearly unnoticed amid your applications) is one of the most powerful tools ever created for the Mac. An Absolute Beginner's Guide to the Terminal.
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