For example if rm was made into an alias for rm -i then typing “rm” would actually run rm -i .

However, typing \rm lets the shell ignore the alias and just run rm (its runs exactly what you type), this way it won't confirm if you want to delete things.

       Using rm
        

Please note that the alias for the remove command is there for a reason. Using it incorrectly could remove files which you don't want removed.

Only use \rm if you know exactly what you are doing (recovering files is not easy, rm does not send things to a recycle bin).

The “\” character can be used before special characters (such as a space or a wildcard), to stop bash from trying to expand them. You can make a directory name with a space in it using a backslash before the space. For example you could type cd My \ Directory \ With \ Spaces which normally wouldn't work.

The “\” character can also be used to stop bash from expanding certain symbols (as an alternative you could use single quotation marks, although you may need to use both).

       The TAB Key
        

Please note that using the TAB key (automatic-command-completion) will automatically use escapes for spaces (so you don't have to type them manually).

The “script ” command creates a typescript, or "capture log" of a shell session - it writes a copy of your session to a file, including commands you type and their output.

The tilde character is used as an alias to a users home directory.

For example, if your user-name was “fred”, instead of typing cd /home/fred you could simply type cd ~. Or to get to fred's tmp directory (under his home directory) you could type cd ~/tmp.

       Home directory shortcut
        

~ (tilde) can also be used as a shortcut to other users home directories, simply type: ~user_name and it will take you to the users home directory. Note that you need to spell the username exactly correct, no wildcards.

This particular set command will turn off the system bell from the command-line (use xset -b for X windows). If you want the bell to stay off pernamently (no audible bell) then you can add this command to your “.bashrc” or “.bash_profile” (just add it to the same one you have your alises in...).

The reset command re-initializes your current terminal. This can be useful when the text from your terminal becomes garbled, simply type “reset” and this will fix your terminal.

Closes your current terminal (with x-terminals) or logs-out. Also try CTRL -D .

Logs out of a terminal, also try CTRL -D .

A little command that repeats anything you type.

Example:

echo “hello world”

Simply displays “ hello world”.

Example:

echo rm -R *

This will output what will be passed to the rm command (and therefore what would be deleted), putting echo before a command renders it harmless (it just expands wildcards so you know what it will do).

Also try using the -e option with echo. This will allow you to use the escape character sequences to format the output of a line. Such as '\t' for tab, '\n' for newline etc.

       Using echo to prevent