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Contents
How Do Companies Make Money with Linux? ..........................................................29
How Different Are Linux Distributions from One Another? ......................................30
Is the Linux Mascot Really a Penguin? ......................................................................31
Getting Started with Linux ........................................................................................32
Summary ..................................................................................................................33
Chapter 2: Running Commands from the Shell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Starting a Shell ..........................................................................................................36
Using the Shell Prompt..............................................................................................36
Using a Terminal Window ........................................................................................37
Using Virtual Terminals ............................................................................................38
Choosing Your Shell ..................................................................................................38
Using bash (and Earlier sh) Shells..............................................................................39
Using tcsh (and Earlier csh) Shells ............................................................................39
Using ash ..................................................................................................................40
Using ksh ..................................................................................................................40
Using zsh ..................................................................................................................40
Exploring the Shell ....................................................................................................40
Checking Your Login Session ....................................................................................41
Checking Directories and Permissions ......................................................................41
Checking System Activity ..........................................................................................43
Exiting the Shell ........................................................................................................44
Using the Shell in Linux ............................................................................................45
Locating Commands..................................................................................................46
Rerunning Commands ..............................................................................................48
Command-Line Editing ..................................................................................49
Command-Line Completion ............................................................................51
Command-Line Recall ....................................................................................52
Connecting and Expanding Commands ....................................................................54
Piping Commands ..........................................................................................54
Sequential Commands ....................................................................................54
Background Commands ..................................................................................55
Expanding Commands ....................................................................................55
Expanding Arithmetic Expressions ..................................................................56
Expanding Environment Variables ..................................................................56
Creating Your Shell Environment ..............................................................................56
Configuring Your Shell ..............................................................................................56
Setting Your Prompt ........................................................................................57
Adding Environment Variables ........................................................................59
Adding Aliases ................................................................................................60
Using Shell Environment Variables ............................................................................60
Common Shell Environment Variables ............................................................60
Setting Your Own Environment Variables ........................................................62
