Behind the Screen: A Dive into the Bash Command Line
If you’ve never delved into the world of technical computer programming, you probably will never have actually considered how a computer takes commands and processes them. Through a process called Command Line Interface, a user is able to see and direct a computer manually by exploring files and documents that are on the computer, seeing exactly how a computer receives and processes commands. This is a very specific process, and if it is not done exactly as it should be, you are at a standstill until you figure out how to properly command your device. While that description certainly makes the process sound grueling and pointless, there’s something to be said for almost being forced to learn how to operate a computer from the basics.
To find a simple word count on a book that you’ve downloaded onto your computer, you have to go through a frustrating process, ensuring that the commands you’ve typed in are exact. While the tutorial offered by Ian Milligan and James Baker is done on a computer with Macintosh/Apple software, you are more than welcome to do this on a device that operates with Windows or otherwise. No matter the device, the command line requires direct and precise commands to work. For additional command line help, feel free to visit Command Line Kung Fu, a blog dedicated to all things Command Line that includes Linux software tutorials in additional to OS X and Windows.
Through numerous trial and error periods in my attempt to make my computer follow my commands, I was able to gain a better perspective on the way that humans interact with machines, and the consequences that it gifts to contemporary life. In doing this exercise, it became clear to me that computers, while seemingly completely complex and intricate, simply follow a string of commands. Once you have an idea of what commands are important to your everyday computer use (see my personal commands cheat sheet below), the idea that computers are such a complex thing slowly dissipates. They act in accordance to commands, not necessarily unlike a dog or a child when the command is administered in a way that is friendly to the recipient. While this slightly debunks the idea that computers are something that the average person can’t understand, it also points out a flaw in human character.
Throughout this entire process, I came to realize how often technology was taken for granted. The immense progress that technology has made throughout the years isn’t new or amazing to many millennials — it’s what we’ve grown up with for almost our entire lives. The fast connections and seamless downloading is a concept that many individuals have grown used to having in their lives, and when it is deconstructed and manual input and learning is mandatory, it is frustrating. The opportunities that technology provide us (the ability to quickly post a blog article, to stream television shows and movies immediately, to connect with people around the world) are oftentimes taken for granted. While this likely isn’t out of an attempt to seem selfish or entitled, there is an undertone of ignorance to the thought process.
Attempting to figure out the Command Line with only the help of an article drew attention to the fact that people that have grown up around (and now likely own) top of the line computers are not used to waiting, and doing so makes them flustered and irritable. Using the Command Line not only portrayed the technical aspect of a computer’s process, but additionally highlighted the way that technology is viewed in modern society.
Command Line Cheat Sheet:
pwd: Present working directory. This is essentially the computer’s “you are here” function.
ls: This lists the files that you are currently looking at.
man *: Lists the manual for the command.
open: followed by a file name, opens the file.
head *: shows the first ten lines of the document.
tail *: shows the last ten lines of the document.
cp: copies a file.
rm: deletes a file.
