[kwlug-disc] top 10 command line commands

[Paul Nijjar]

Here are some of mine, which have some overlap with other people (but hopefully not a lot):

apg : generate passwords (this has options too. It is an add-on package)

screen : make command windows tolerable

ls -ltc : tell me which files have been most recently changed (useful for seeing whether logfiles are being updated as expected)

watch -n 10 -d <command> : show me the output of a command every 10 seconds, and highlight differences. I often use "df" as the command when I am copying big files. 

du | sort -rn | less : show me the subdirectories that hog the most space in the current directory 

apt-cache search <string> : find me a package that will help solve my problem. 

cd <directoryname>
zip -r <directoryname> <directoryname> : Make a zipped package that can easily be moved to USB key or opened on a Windows system without hassle. (One of those <directorynames> is supposed to be a file, but I don't care.) 

exit : get out of my shell so I can get off the computer and get my life back. 

- Paul


      __________________________________________________________________
Make your browsing faster, safer, and easier with the new Internet Explorer® 8. Optimized for Yahoo! Get it Now for Free! at http://downloads.yahoo.com/ca/internetexplorer/