Book Image

Linux Mint Essentials

By : Jay LaCroix
Book Image

Linux Mint Essentials

By: Jay LaCroix

Overview of this book

A task-oriented look at Linux Mint, using actual real-world examples to stimulate learning. Each topic is presented in an easy-to-follow order, with hands-on activities to reinforce the content. If you are starting out with Linux from a different platform or are well versed with Linux Mint and want a guide that shows you how to exploit certain functionality, this book is for you. No previous Linux experience is assumed.
Table of Contents (17 chapters)
16
Index

Accessing the shell


When it comes to Linux, there is very rarely (if ever) a single way to do anything. Just like you have your pick between desktop environments, text editors, browsers, and just about anything else, you also have a choice when it comes to accessing a Linux terminal to execute shell commands. As a matter of fact, you even have a choice on which terminal emulator to use in order to interpret your commands.

Linux Mint comes bundled with an application called the GNOME Terminal. This application is actually developed for a completely different desktop environment (GNOME) but is included in Mint because the Mint developers did not create their own terminal emulator for Cinnamon. The GNOME Terminal did the job very well, so there was no need to reinvent the wheel. Once you open the GNOME Terminal, it is ready to do your bidding right away. The following screenshot shows the GNOME terminal, ready for action:

As mentioned earlier, there are other terminal emulators that are available...