Command Line Help in Linux - Any good guides / links?

~~DudeBoyz~~ · Feb 23, 2007, 04:00 PM

I'm having trouble with the command line stuff in Linux.

Back in the Day I ran Midnight Commander, which seemed to always be installed with Mandrake and Red Hat. But after installing Suse in a Parallels Virtual Machine on my iMac Core 2 Duo, I can't seem to find it to run it.

I wanted to change some of the display settings, but the xfree86cfg command did not seem to work. Since I couldn't run MC, I couldn't use the Midnight Commander text editor to edit the xorg.conf text file that the Parallels web site said I needed to edit.

So, I'm struggling a bit and would appreciate some help. Midnight Commander always let me bypass all the hard command line stuff, and without it I'm kind of lost.

Is there a link to a command line reference that may help me out here? It's been a very long time since I goofed with Linux, but with the convenience of a self-contained virtual machine, I no longer have to take my second PC down to do the testing, so I feel like I want to give it a shot again.

Anyway, if you could help, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks

DarkFoss · Feb 24, 2007, 12:11 AM

Here's a few links you may find useful,
Linux commands MAN Page
Linux Command Directory: Index
Basic Linux Commands from www.reallylinux.com *****
Guide to Linux File Command Mastery
http://ntu.csie.org/~piaip/vim/vimbo...%20tutorial%22
The last is for vi/vim it's very handy to know the basics if you ever find yourself unable to log into a gui and have to edit a file from the command line. I'm not sure if vi in installed by default for your distro. For example in mandriva if x will not start you can log in at the prompt then type su enter your root password then type vi /etc/X11/xorg.conf
and you can then edit the file. You navigate using the arrow keys to make a change hit insert once done hit escape if your done editing type :wq this saves then quits type exit once to lose root then type startx and you would log into your desktop as user if the changes are successful.
I'm not familiar with SuSe it may use sudo instead...
If you have a gui and just need to make a change there are several ways. you can open a terminal/console and use su or sudo then type your root password and then type konqueror or if your using gnome nautilus it will be launched with root privleges. you can navigate to the folder and right click on xorg.conf and choose open with any text editor.. This is also useful to change permissions on files/folders say if you copy music from a windows partition to your home directory. just right click on it scroll down to properties click on the permissions tab and you'll see root as owner and group just change it to your login name. It's much faster then typing chmod 777 and every folder you need permissions changed to.

Another way is open a console/terminal and type su/sudo enter your root password at the prompt. then type cd /etc/X11 then type kwrite xorg.conf or any text editor you have
and make your changes.

I have other links if you need like some tutorials if you want to get comfortable with using the command line..
I hope this helps you get started

~~DudeBoyz~~ · Feb 24, 2007, 02:06 AM

You know, I tried using KILLX to get back to the command line without a GUI but it doesn't seem to work with this SUSE thing.

Any hints?

Thanks

BTW - turns out there was some sort of split with the Xfree86 organization and they Xfree86cfg command doesn't work but has been replaced with an XORGCFG command instead.

Wacky infighting...

DarkFoss · Feb 24, 2007, 09:17 AM

you can boot failsafe it will stop at a sh prompt just type init 3 and it will finish booting without x running.. There is a comand to go to init 3 if your logging out but I'll have to see if I can findit. Mandriva has it a choice at the log in menu so I have never needed to use it.

Yeah xorg split a few years back but I forget the reason why.

~~DudeBoyz~~ · Feb 24, 2007, 12:48 PM

Thanks for the info.

Red Hat used to just let you open up a terminal and type KILLX or KILL X and it would just drop to the command line, no more GUI. Then you could type STARTX and wala.

Stuff changes - and I'm easily confused.

DarkFoss · Feb 24, 2007, 03:41 PM

I just found another linux commaand link.. I really like the lay-out of this one.
LinuxCommand.org: Learn the Linux command line. Write shell scripts.

~~DudeBoyz~~ · Feb 24, 2007, 03:48 PM

Cool - nice link indeed.

You use the KillX (or Kill X) command much? Is SUSE just different in not letting that work? Or are people pulling it out so you can't just stop the GUI and exit back to the command line?

Thanks

BTW, figured out how to load MC in SUSE - had to install the package, it added it to the path, ran MC and it was good. Built in MC Text Editor is helpful.

Didn't quite realize how much I relied on MC for getting around in command line mode. Don't know what you got until its gone...

DarkFoss · Feb 24, 2007, 09:39 PM

I don't think they are pulling out the command.. it just seems to vary from distro to distro.
For Mandriva I just have to open a console type su enter my root password and type init 3
or killx either one will drop me to the command line.

try entering sudo -u username in a console to see if you get superuser privleges
or try kdesu .. you can enter sudo or kdesu --help to get a list of options... after you get superuser/root privleges then try typing killx or init 3.
once your done typing startx or init 5 should bring you back to your desktop.

I haven't spent any time using MC yet.. I'll have to sit down sometime and give it a spin.

~~DudeBoyz~~ · Feb 24, 2007, 09:45 PM

Way back in the old days of DOS there was Norton Commander. Legendary. Apps still emulate it on just about every single platform.

Even though I was good at regular command-line DOS, Norton Commander made life so much easier and more productive. It was amazing.

When I found out back in the day that Red Hat included something like it - in this case Midnight Commander (MC), I was in heaven. No typing on 39 character path names to change folders and a text editor that was easy to use. Plus, built-in decompression of archives. Way cool.

You can run MC in a terminal window if you just want to check it out. It works there just as well.

DarkFoss · Feb 24, 2007, 09:48 PM

Ahh, I bought my first comp in 99 just to play EverQuest so I missed out on a lot.

MC does sound like something I'm going to have to make time to learn.