Linux commands in the bash environment

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What is bash?

Bash is the default shell on many Linux systems including the RPI.

Shell commands

Shell commands are programs. Programs often take command line parameters.

Some command line parameters are called switches. Switches typically start with a “dash” ‘-‘.

Other command line parameters can be “strings”, some strings are filenames.

Here are examples of running commands with and without parameters.

ls
ls -l
ls -lh .bashrc

These commands likely work on any Linux system. Try them on your RPi.

What are the choices for command line parameters when using any command?

Use manual pages to learn about any Linux command.

man ls

The above command starts the manual page for the command “ls”. Use the arrow keys to scroll up and down, press “q” to quit when you use this command.