Linux GUI utilities provide an easy “point-and-click” method of doing Linux administration tasks, but they are time-consuming and awkward to use. You can run a simple Linux command to do the equivalent task in a fraction of the time it would take to use a Linux GUI utility.

When you get Linux training, be sure that it is focused on how to use Linux commands. Also, if you are interested in getting Linux certification, you need to know how to use Linux commands to be able to pass, not Linux GUI utilities.

Linux Tips – How to Use Linux “Patterns” (Linux Wildcard characters)

Some Linux documentation uses the term “pattern” to refer to Linux wildcard characters.

Wildcard characters are used in a “pattern” to cause a Linux command to work on multiple items, such as multiple directories and files in the Linux file system.

The two Linux wildcard characters are the * (asterisk) and ? (question mark).

Using an * (asterisk) with a Linux Command

An * (asterisk) is used in a pattern to represent “all” characters of an item (directory or file).

The Linux command below shows an example of the using the cp (copy) command to copy all (because of the * without any other letters or numbers) files in the current directory into the directory named memos.

]# cp * memos

Linux Tips: Keep in mind that Linux commands are “case sensitive”. Always type the letters in upper or lower case, as shown.

Linux Tips: Also, be sure to use spaces where they are shown. For example, in the Linux command above, you need a space (just a single space) between cp and the * and you need a single space between the * and memos.

The * (Linux wildcard character) can be combined with one or more letters at the front of it or after it.

The following Linux command is an example of the using the cp (copy) command to copy all files in the current directory beginning with the letter r into the directory named memos.

]# cp r* reports

The Linux command below copies all files ending in “sxw” into the directory named weekly.

]# cp *.sxw weekly

The next Linux command copies all files containing “mem” (anywhere in the file name) into the directory named monthly.

]# cp *mem* monthly

Using a ? (question mark) with a Linux Command

The ? (question mark) is used in a pattern to represent a single character.

The Linux command below shows an example of the using the mv (move) command to move files that have a single character and end in “cfg” into the directory named june.

]# mv ?.cfg june

The following Linux command moves all files beginning with “month”, and having two characters after “month”, and ending in “sxw”, into the folder named years.

]# mv month??.sxw years

To learn how to use Linux commands the easy way, you can watch Linux video tutorials. When you work with Linux videos, you can actually see Linux commands being run and hear a detailed description of why you need to run a certain Linux command.

Another benefit is that you can also see the output of the Linux command and hear a description of what the output means.

After seeing how to use Linux commands, you can run them yourself – to get practical Linux training.

The two main operating systems employed by the PC owner are windows and Linux. Although they appear very similar on the face of it there are fundamental differences in the two operating systems.

A major advantage with Linux is the price, it is completely free! Windows can be very expensive.

There are enormous differences in the way that they behave at a technical level, but I suspect what you really want to know is how they differ from the perspective of an end user.

The vast majority of people will know how to use a windows operating system. This is mainly due to the fact that every PC sold usually has the Microsoft operating system installed and the mighty Microsoft has a mighty marketing budget. The Linux marketing budget is miniscule.

The major differences in operating systems:

Linux is open source, free under GNU, Windows is a licensed OS.

Windows is developed by Microsoft, a single huge entity. Whereas Linux has many distributors such as red hat, mandrake etc.

Linux is more secure than windows in the case of virus, worms etc.

Linux works on both GUI & Console mode but windows only GUI.

Linux has multi-user, multitasking, multiprocessing, multiprogramming features.

Linux code is open source and as a result it has been tweaked and tweaked to perfection by millions of users doing it as a hobby.

Linux was developed from the UNIX operating system, Windows is a completely unique entity.

Windows security is password based, the Linux system is secured with access rights.

Windows file names aren’t case sensitive, Linux are. After reading these points you may be asking yourself why everyone isn’t using the Linux system. To put it simply, the Linux system requires a lot more technical knowledge both to install it and to maintain it as an operating system. Software that is written for windows will not work on Linux and as such it is much more difficult to buy off the shelf applications.

Microsoft’s Windows is often the best option for most people because of the required technical knowledge with Linux. It’s just good to know that there is a free alternative to Windows.