Grep V/s Find

justmovedtolinux · 10-02-2008, 01:23 AM

What is the difference between the find and grep command. As per my understanding, both of them search the directory mentioned for a file name - Right ?

Linux Archive

Mr. C. · 10-02-2008, 01:39 AM

Find iterates over its arguments, performs tests, and executes commands.

Grep searches for patterns in a list of files or directories.

billymayday · 10-02-2008, 01:48 AM

Perhaps to simplify it a little, find would typically find files/directories by name or other attributes, whereas grep finds patterns within a file or files (so a text string inside a configuration file for example)

jschiwal · 10-02-2008, 03:29 AM

Your system will run an updatedb service late at night. This updates a database so you can use "locate" to quickly locate a file. A gui alternative to grep is kerry beagle which will operates a bit like google for your own files & possibly websites you have visited.