Every Monday, we'll show you how to do something new and simple with Apple's built-in command line application. You don't need any fancy software, or a knowledge of coding to do any of these. All you need is a keyboard to type 'em out!
Today, we’re going to show you some great resources for new (or experienced) CLI (command line interface) users. These resources can be used to find new commands, or commands that are useful for your specific situation. Continue reading to learn about all of the great command line references available freely online.
Command Line FU is like a social clipboard of CLI commands. Anyone can create an account, sign in, and post a command. The community then votes the commands up or down based on their usefulness. There’s even a Mac OS X-specific section that provides commands useful to Mac users.
Do you have difficulty remembering all of those simple commands like file command,s system info, network info, and other shortcuts? Then this resource will definitely make you happy. FOSSwire has an excellent printable PDF cheat sheet for common Unix/Linux Commands. You can download and print it here.
O’Reilly has excellent computer books, and one such computer book (Linux in a Nutshell) has an excellent, and freely available companion website that features over 687 different commands. While some of these commands won’t work on OS X, many will, and this is a great resource to find new commands.
If the printable PDF doesn’t have all of the commands that you want to know about, then consider taking a look at the Linux Pocket Guide, 2nd Edition. This book is over 200 pages of command line awesomeness, and covers topics like basic file operations, directory operations, file viewing, file properties, printing, logins, users, and more. Again, some of the commands are not available on the Mac, but most are, and this book is a must for any CLI geek.
Cory Bohon is a freelance technology writer, indie Mac and iOS developer, and amateur photographer. Follow this article's author on Twitter.
