Switch to the first text terminal. Under Linux you can have several (6 in standard setup) terminals opened at the same time.
<Ctrl><Alt><Fn> (n=1..6)
Switch to the nth text terminal.
tty
Print the name of the terminal in which you are typing
this command.
<Ctrl><Alt><F7>
Switch to the first GUI terminal (if X-windows is running
on this terminal).
<Ctrl><Alt><Fn> (n=7..12)
Switch to the nth GUI terminal (if a GUI terminal is
running on screen n-1). On default, nothing is running on terminals
8 to 12, but you can run another server there.
<Tab>
(In a text terminal) Autocomplete the command if
there is only one option, or else show all the available options.
THIS SHORTCUT IS GREAT! It even works at LILO prompt!
<ArrowUp>
Scroll and edit the command history. Press <Enter>
to execute.
<Shift><PgUp>
Scroll terminal output up. Work also at the login prompt,
so you can scroll through your bootup messages.
<Shift><PgDown>
Scroll terminal output down.
<Ctrl><Alt><+>
(in X-windows) Change to the next X-server resolution
(if you set up the X-server to more than one resolution). For multiple
resolutions on my standard SVGA card/monitor, I have the following line
in the file /etc/X11/XF86Config (the first resolution starts on default,
the largest determines the size of the "virtual screen"):
Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480" "512x384" "480x300"
"400x300" "1152x864"
<Ctrl><Alt><->
(in X-windows) Change to the previous X-server resolution.
<Ctrl><Alt><BkSpc>
(in X-windows) Kill the current X-windows server. Use
if the X-windows server crushes and cannot be exited normally.
<Ctrl><Alt><Del>
Shut down the system and reboot. This is the normal shutdown
command for a user at the text-mode console. Don't just press the "reset"
button for shutdown!
<Ctrl>c
Kill the current process (mostly in the text mode for
small applications).
<Ctrl>d
Log out from the current terminal. See also the
next command.
<Ctrl>d
Send [End-of-File] to the current process. Don't press
it twice else you also log out (see the previous command).
<Ctrl>s
Stop the transfer to the terminal.
<Ctrl>q
Resume the transfer to the terminal. Try if your terminal
mysteriously stops responding.
<Ctrl>z
Send the current process to the background.
exit
Logout. I can also use logout for the same effect.
(If you have started a second shell, e.g., using bash the second shell
will be exited and you will be back in the first shell, not logged out.)
reset
Restore a screwed-up terminal (a terminal showing funny
characters) to default setting. Use if you tried to "cat" a binary file.
You may not be able to see the command as you type it.
<MiddleMouseButton>
Paste the text which is currently highlighted somewhere
else. This is the normal "copy-paste" operation in Linux. (It doesn't
work with Netscape and WordPerfect which use the MS Windows-style "copy-paste".
It does work in the text terminal if you enabled "gpm" service using "setup".)
Best used with a Linux-ready 3-button mouse (Logitech or similar) or else
set "3-mouse button emulation").
~
(tilde) My home directory (normally the directory /home/my_login_name).
For example, the command cd ~/my_dir will change my working directory
to the subdirectory "my_dir" under my home directory. Typing just
"cd" alone is an equivalent of the command "cd ~".
.
(dot) Current directory. For example, ./my_program will
attempt to execute the file "my_program" located in your current working
directory.
..
(two dots) Directory parent to the current one. For example,
the command cd .. will change my current working directory one one level
up.
Legend:
<> = single special or function key on the keyboard.
For example <Ctrl> indicates the "control" key.
italic = name of the file or variable you probably want
to substitute with your own.
fixed width = in-line Linux commands and filenames.
Notes for the UNIX Clueless:
1. LINUX IS CASE-SENSITIVE.
2. Filenames can be up to 256 characters long and can
contain letters, numbers, "." (dot), "_" (underscore), "-" (dash), plus
some other not recommended characters.
3. Files with names starting with "." are normally not
shown by the ls (list) or dir commands. Think of these files as "hidden".
Use ls -a (list with the option "all") to see these files.
4. "/" is an equivalent to DOS "\" (root directory, meaning
the parent of all other directories).
5. Under Linux, all directories appear under a single
directory tree (there are no DOS-style drive letters).
6. In a configuration file, a line starting with # is
a comment.
