Hi guys

I just got a Ubuntu 7.04 version of Linux. It's a live CD. I don't know where to go to the command line. That's actually what I want to learn. I heard Linux is different from Windows (I'm familiar with) on that aspect. People use to say it's totally command line. There is no GUI or mouse cursor etc.

I'm quite dissapointed to see the same look and feel I know from Windows. Is there anything I might not have checked/done? Any suggestions will be appreciated

There's a universe of stuff you might not have checked/done.

What do you want to do?

You could try to find a terminal installed...do a search

That is not very helpful to a new user....

Vaidos;
Welcome to LQ!!

There are certain aspects of the GUI interface that are pretty similar across all operating systems. What is great about Linux is the endless opportunities to make things your way.

When you boot up the Live CD, you will find a terminal in the menus. You can also get a terminal by entering ctrl-alt-F1.

Good luck and come back with more questions.

In fact, it's micro$oft OSes that are different from all the other ones.
Well, 2 possibilities:
1.They haven't used a POSIX OS for more than 10 years.
2.They are against GNU/Linux and say this to disgust new users.
Never listen people talking about things they don't know about(and sadly, it's more and more a trend for everyone to do this).
If you really want a textual GNU/Linux, perhaps that Ubuntu isn't the best one. Most people like it because it looks like m$!

why'd you install a GUI if you just want a command line?

go to debian.org, get the netinstall, and install that. there's your command line.

Or ArchLinux
Or Slackware

Linux is like Alice's Restaurant---you can get anything you want (excepting Alice). Apologies if you are not old enough to have any clue what I am talking about:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlo_Guthrie

That would be a great name for a distro: Alice Linux.

Assuming that you do mean Ubuntu and not Kubuntu (or something else that is also Ubuntu with a different GUI and name, but is the same thing underneath...I really think Ubuntu/kubuntu/... is in danger of confusing new users with their naming scheme), try >applications >other
or somewhere under system. You'll probably have a Gnome terminal, some sort of system/root terminal and you may have Konsole (konsole is the kde one and my favourite, so if you've got that, try it first!).

...that's as good an argument for not listening to what people say as I've heard. There is this thing called choice. You can choose your gui. You can choose not to have a gui at all (useful for servers and popular amongst some traditionalists, but not a position I'd sugest to neophytes).

In one way the situation is similar to the old win 3.11 days: the GUI is a separate 'application' that sits atop a command line system and runs as one of the tasks on that system (the difference is that the GUI sits atop a command line system that works). That isn't the case for Windows these days and is a disadvantage for server apps. Also the various *nix command line thingies (shells, actually) do tend to work and be powerful, an idea that the crowd from Redmond seem to have only just rediscovered.

While most people would take what you've said as quite a compliment, I know it isn't really. Gnome is quite configurable, and can be made to look quite like windows. Some suppliers want to make it as windows-like by default as they can because that 'doesn't scare the horses' (or punters). KDE is even more configurable than Gnome, and you might like that better if what hits your hot button is to have a desktop that looks unlike anyone else's in the known universe. XFCE is a lighter (in resource terms) desktop that still doesn't look too bad (IMHO) and is useful for older hardware.

Mind you, you could also make Kde or Gnome look somewhat like a Mac if you wanted. I don't, but maybe that's for you. And KDE4.x promises to look fabulous (and a bit like a Mac in design terms, if you squint).

And then there is enlightenment. Eye candy/configurability overload, if that floats your boat. And I haven't even started on Fluxbox/Openbox/etc, which are at least that bit different (and lighter).

See above! Seriously, there is more or less everything which you haven't done, I'm just a bit unsure of which bits you want. If you want (and I think this is a good idea, although others will disagree) to paddle around in the shallow end, before getting completely immersed, stick with a GUI and whatever shell(s) it provides, for the moment.

http://rute.2038bug.com/index.html.gz


A terrific tutorial if you want to learn linux and the command line.

Bob

Go to tools on your Menu. Select Kconsole. There is your terminal. Now where ya go from there requires a tutorial on BASH. Lots on the web.

Here's a short article explaining the differences between MS and Linux; quite good.
http://linux.oneandoneis2.org/LNW.htm

The terminal is under Applications > Accessories > Terminal

Handy tips:

ls - directory listing (like dir in dos)
cd - change directory (with no arguments takes you home)
cp - copy
mv - move (or rename)

linux commands take arguments, but also can have default actions. Like cd /etc will change to the /etc directory, but cd alone will take you to your home directory. cd ~ will take you home too.

cd .. steps back down a directory

Well ... to get to the command prompt in Ubuntu, go to Applications > Accessories > Terminal (If I remember correctly - it may be Applications System Tools > Terminal) but I assure you Linux is quite different from Windows. I wouldn't recommend giving up the GUI, but whatever floats your boat. You can go get a terminal-only distribution (Slackware,) but I wouldn't recommend it. It would be easier to use, for one thing, and you can still use the command line. One thing, though, is that Linux relies heavily on the command line -- unlike Windows or Mac OS X, where you might only go in occasionally.

Besides, Ubuntu is based for the Linux newcomer (at least, that's my understanding of it,) but you can still use the command line.

Welcome to the Linux community, and good luck!

Also, a good book for Linux commands is Linux System Commands: Amazon Link

Not to split hairs here, but cd .. will step up a directory level. Remember the linux/unix file structure is a inverted tree root being the top of the file system.

Something you may or may not know, bash has two different kinds of commands, there are commands like ls (which is not a part of bash) it is a program/script that bash calls. And then there are Built in commands, like

pwd
cd
read
set
unset
source

Here is a small list of commands bash calls.

cat
tac == displays reverse of cat
touch
wc == word count
cut
sleep
usleep
date

There are a ton more.