Introduction to UNIX
About Unix
Unix is a powerful operating system.
It supports multiple users and can run many tasks at the same time (multi-user,
multi-tasking).
Developed in the 1970s at AT&T Labs by Dennis M. Ritchie and Ken Thompson.
Key Features of Unix
Portability – can run on different machines.
Security – provides controlled access through permissions.
Hierarchical File System – organized structure.
Shell – command interpreter for user interaction.
Utilities & Programming environment – provides many built-in tools.
Commands:
chmod – change file permissions
chown – change file owner
whoami – show current user
id – display user identity
Important Notes
Unix/Linux commands are case-sensitive.
o Example: File.txt is different from file.txt
Basic Unix Commands
Files and Directories
Files = documents
Directories (folders) = drawers
Command Description
ls Lists files and folders in current directory
ls -l Lists files with details (permissions, size, date, etc.)
ls -a Lists all files including hidden ones
pwd Shows present working directory
cd Documents Move into Documents directory
cd .. Move up one level
cd ~ Go to home directory
mkdir NewFolder Creates a new folder
rmdir EmptyFolder Deletes an empty folder
touch file.txt Creates an empty file
cp source.txt dest.txt Copies file
mv old.txt new.txt Renames file
rm unwanted.txt Deletes file permanently
Viewing File Contents
Command Description
cat file.txt Displays content of file
more file.txt Shows content page by page
less file.txt Similar to more, with backward movement
More Useful Commands
Command Description
echo "Hello" Prints message
date Shows current date and time
cal Displays calendar
who Shows logged in users
uname -a Displays system information
clear Clears terminal screen
man command Shows manual/help for a command
