Using Terminal¶
Introduction¶
The terminal window provides an interactive and text-based prompt that allows a proactive programmer to type commands that complete tasks like the following ones:
- Go into a directory
- Create or delete a directory or a file
- Delete a directory or a file
- Copy a file or directory to a new location
If you have previously used a graphical file browser other tools for manipulating the files and directory on your computer, then you may be wondering about whether or not there is any benefit to using a terminal window! While proactive programmers have different preferences and ultimately adopt the tools that best suit their professional needs, the experiences of many suggest that — after becoming accustomed to a terminal window — it is possible to complete common programming tasks more rapidly.
Depending on your operating system, you may already have a terminal window installed on your development workstation. If you are using MacOS or Linux, then you should search through the programs installed on your computer to see if you already have a suitable terminal, such as iTerm on MacOS and gnome-terminal on Ubuntu. If you are using Windows 10 Pro or Windows 10 Enterprise, then you may have a terminal window called cmd or powershell. Regardless of which terminal window is on your computer, run it and then explore the commands for completing the tasks listed above, like going into and out of a directory and creating and deleting a file or a directory.
Once you have developed some proficiency with your computer's default terminal window, share your experiences with the other members of the proactive community! Along with sharing your favorite tips and tricks, you should get solicit feedback on how to improve your use of the terminal window. Depending on your operating system you may also want to try one one or more of the terminal windows suggested by the following articles:
- The Best Free Standalone Terminals for Windows 10
- Ten Best Alternatives for the MacOS Terminal App
- Top Seven Open Source Terminal Emulators for Linux
Do you have some suggestions on the best way to customize your terminal window? Share them with the members of the proactive community!