Background

The workstations in ISAT/CS 143 and ISAT/CS 250 run Linux Mint, and the iMacs in ISAT/CS 248 run macOS. Both operating systems are based on Unix and come with a powerful suite of general purpose computing tools. Many of these tools are only available via the command-line interface (also known as the "Terminal"). You will learn some of these commands in this course and others throughout your career. Today we will focus on the basic survival skills for navigating the command line and a Unix-based file system.

Part 1: Getting Started

There are multiple options for completing this lab: (1) use a Linux machine in the CS department, (2) connect to the student server using SSH or PuTTY, or (3) get things working on your own computer. We recommend the last option, since it will enable you to be more productive throughout the course. But don't spend too long "getting started" if you run into problems; the video and Part 2 will already take about an hour to complete.

• If you have a Mac computer, everything you need is already built-in. Simply find the "Terminal" app (press Command-Space to search for it). You may want to add this app to your Dock permanently, since you'll be using it a lot.

• If you have a Windows computer, you may want to install Cygwin. This collection of tools provides a UNIX-like environment on Windows and creates a Terminal shortcut on your Desktop. If you're not sure how to run the installer, search YouTube for instructions.

Once you have a Terminal running, watch the video below and follow along on your own computer by typing the same commands. Pay attention to how the video demonstrates tab-completion. The up/down arrows and the tab key are your best friends when working on the command line!

Part 2: Online Tutorial

Work through the first four parts of UNIX Tutorial for Beginners. The first part is more or less a review of the video. The fifth part is optional.

Download and open the Lab02.txt worksheet and answer the questions. Make sure you save this file as plain text; if you use Word, you'll need to "Save as" and change the type to "Plain Text". And please do NOT change the name of the file; Canvas automatically appends your first and last name to the filename when I download the submissions for grading.

Upload your completed worksheet to the Lab02 assignment on Canvas. If you have questions, feel free to start a discussion on Piazza.