Book Image

Linux Utilities Cookbook

By : James Kent Lewis
Book Image

Linux Utilities Cookbook

By: James Kent Lewis

Overview of this book

<p>Linux is a stable, reliable and extremely powerful operating system. It has been around for many years, however, most people still don't know what it can do and the ways it is superior to other operating systems. Many people want to get started with Linux for greater control and security, but getting started can be time consuming and complicated. <br /><br />A practical, hands-on guide that provides you with a number of clear step-by-step examples to help you solve many of the questions that crop up when using an operating system you may not be familiar with.</p> <p>Presenting solutions to the most common Linux problems in a clear and concise way, this helpful guide starts with spicing up the terminal sessions by command retrieval and line editing, and shell prompt variables. We will then get to know the different desktops (GUIs) available for Linux systems and which is the best fit for you. We will then explore the world of managing files and directories, connectivity, and what to do when it goes wrong. We will also learn a range of skills, from creating and managing user accounts to securing your system, managing and limiting processes, and letting information flow from one process to another using pipes. Later, we will master disk management, working with scripts and automating tasks quickly, and finally, understand the need for a custom kernel and tips on how to build one.</p> <p><br />Based on the author's extensive experience, there is a section on best practices that every Linux user should be familiar with.</p>
Table of Contents (19 chapters)
Linux Utilities Cookbook
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Index

Getting a web page without a browser – wget


Probably everyone has received an e-mail from a questionable source. You know you shouldn't click on any of the links, but wouldn't it be nice if there was a safe way to determine what was on that site? Well, there is.

The wget program allows you to download files from URLs. Although it can do a lot, the simplest form of the command is: wget <some URL>. Assuming no errors, it will place that file in the current directory. If you do not specify a filename, by default it will attempt to get the index.html file.

How to do it...

The following is the method to run wget:

  1. Run the following command:

    cd /tmp
    
  2. Run the following command:

    wget www.jklewis.com
    
  3. The resulting file will be named index.html. View it with more index.html. Yes, it's my personal web page.

  4. You can also refer to specific files. Try:

    wget www.jklewis.com/shipfire.gif
    
  5. Try it with some other sites. You can do this on a suspicious site to see if it is safe.

  6. If you have a suspect site in...