The Real Way The Computer Works

One of the reasons why I have always enjoyed using a Mac is because they have a very simple user interface. I felt it was truly designed with the user who has the most basic skills in mind. Looking at the command line, I have seen that this interface that I greatly enjoy has been created through some very intricate and lengthy commands. When I create a file, I usually select the application and click “Command” and “N”. In this exercise I learned that I have to locate the directory where I would like to save the document and then create the blank .txt file with a name. The GUI that I have found to be so simple is really just a cover for the real way commands are created in the computer through short commands and plenty of lines of code.

Based on the commands I learned in these exercises and the extremely simple tasks executed from my lengthy typing in the terminal, it must be incredibly difficult to perform the tasks that a couple of clicks usually takes me such as opening a file to retrieve where I have saved my essays. As someone who is very organized, I have plenty of folders. I attempted to search through them via the terminal and it took quite some time just to get to the folder I wanted and see and the files that are saved in that particular folder. Given, the commands on the command line are still a bit confusing, like “pushd”, I understand that this fantastic piece of technology can be changed and personalized to its very core if I know how. While I used to think that there are permanent structures in my laptop set in place for my convenience, I know that nothing on my computer is permanent if I know how to navigate the terminal. Maybe these structures are manipulating how we interact with this piece of technology, but I would rather not be in total control of the setup and structure of my computer and navigate simply with superficial clicking and typing then using the command line to type lines and lines for the simplest of gestures; it is far too time consuming and unnecessary if the GUI will make the experience simpler. It is also more flexible with human error through navigating via the GUI whereas one mistake in the terminal may result in rewriting all of the past commands.

I suggest that all people who use computers experiment with their command line to truly understand how the computer actually understands all of the clicks and typing that we do while the computer completes many different actions. It may not be the most time-effective to always use the terminal, but it might be refreshing to see the basic level at which this device understands commands. In addition, if someone is so inclined to change a basic component of the computer, they can do it with the command line and the proper configuration of commands.

Cheat Sheet to Help Understand Command Line

pwd

print working directory

hostname

my computer’s network name

mkdir

make directory

cd

change directory

ls

list directory

rmdir

remove directory

pushd

push directory

popd

pop directory

cp

copy a file or directory

mv

move a file or directory

less

page through a file

cat

print the whole file

xargs

execute arguments

find

find files

grep

find things inside files

man

read a manual page

apropos

find what man page is appropriate

env

look at your environment

echo

print some arguments

export

export/set a new environment variable

exit

exit the shell

chmod

change permission modifiers

chown

change ownership

touch

make an empty file

..

move up