Unix as a Second Language

Using Linux hexedit and xxd commands to view and modify binary files

The hexedit command provides a way to edit binary files, but to view and save the content in a file for later analysis without editing, try the xxd command.

Working with image files on the Linux command line

There's a lot to learn about image files on the command line, from verifying file format to finding out where and when photos were taken and maybe even getting an unusual view of what they look like.

Commands and settings for managing user accounts on Linux

To manage user accounts on Linux systems, you'll need to be familiar with some important files and commands.

Using the Linux locale command

The locale settings on Linux systems can sync dates and times with where you are in the world.

Creating and removing directory structures on Linux

A few clever Linux commands can make it a lot easier to create, view and remove complex directory structures.

Using the ss command on Linux to view details on sockets

The ss command on Linux systems can provide extensive details on the sockets that provide communications between systems. This article describes ss and some of the many options available to you.

7 ways to look at network connections on Linux

Linux provides a number of commands for examining network connections and sometimes creates new ones to expand functionality.

Converting numbers on Linux among decimal, hexadecimal, octal, and binary

Linux provides commands for converting numbers from one base to another. Learn how to uses these commands and how to make the process easier with scripts and aliases.

Linux bash tips: Many ways to loop using bash

There are many ways to loop through data on Linux using bash and many ways to generate the data to be looped through.

Commands for finding out if compressed Linux files are the same

The zdiff and zcmp commands can see if Linux files differ and if so, how.

Using the zip and zipcloak commands on Linux

The highly compatible zip, unzip and zipcloak commands on Linux can help you create encrypted zip files and extract their contents as needed.

Ways to look at logged in users on Linux

Linux provides a lot of useful commands for looking at users, their activity and their impact on the system.

Looking at user login time with the ac command

The ac command can provide very useful summaries of how much time users spend logged into a Linux system. It gets its data from the wtmp file.

Bash: A primer for more effective use of the Linux bash shell

There are lots of sides to bash and much to know before you're likely to feel comfortable snuggling up to it. This post examines many aspects of this very popular shell and recommends further reading.

Counting individual characters on Linux

If you need to count how many of each character is included in a file or phrase, there are some handy commands you can string together to accomplish this along with scripts and aliases that can make the job easy.

Finding and fixing typos on Linux

The Linux aspell and enchant tools can both ID typos in text files and suggest replacements.

Using Wikipedia from the Linux command line

A tool called wikit provides an easy way to get information from Wikipedia without leaving the Linux command line.

Using functions in bash to selectively run a group of Linux commands

Bash functions can group related commands in Linux and run them as frequently or infrequently as needed. They can also make scripts more readable by organizing commands by the roles they play.

Using bash options to change the behavior of scripts

Here are some of the more popular bash options to control how scripts work on Linux and how to list the available options, including seeing which ones are turned on.

Using 'break' and 'continue' to exit loops in bash

As nice as looping in Linux scripts can be, you might just want to interrupt it sometimes, and the break and continue commands can do this.