[ Thanks to Gene
Wilburn for this link. ]
“The Linux toolkit, with its rich collection of GNU and Unix
utilities, provides a rewarding computing environment for
programmers and end users alike. The glue that binds these
utilities together is the shell, or command-line interface
(CLI). Although X programs and graphical environments such as
KDE and GNOME are now a common, and welcome, part of Linux, you may
notice that Unix veterans always keep a few xterm windows open so
they can access the command line. The Unix shell is an integral
part of Unix (hence Linux) philosophy. There are literally thirty
years’ worth of sophisticated, refined utilities awaiting your
command.”
“Something that will quickly propel you from newbie to
intermediate status is learning how to harness these utilities,
incorporating them into shell scripts. But before you can write
scripts, you need some concepts of what the Linux shell is and what
it can do. Let’s begin with a brief overview of Unix shells.”