The Terminal

What is the Terminal?

Terminal is a modern version of an 'original' User Interface for Unix-based computers. At that time a Text Terminal is all you would have seen, no windows, no mouse. Because of this history, it's very powerful but sometimes a little cryptic.

Don't worry though, with a bit of practice you'll be flying around like a pro!

Although they technically mean slightly different things, the following terms are types of Terminal Environment

  • Shell

  • bash ('Bourne-Again shell')

  • Command Line

  • CLI (Command Line Interface)

  • Text Terminal

  • DOS Prompt (on windows machines)

  • SSH (on remote machines)

  • Bourne Shell

  • csh

  • ksh

  • sh

  • UNIX Shell

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