Using the Shell

While the shell might seem less user-friendly than your typical GUI, most folk recognise that it's way more powerful. Why's that? Well, shells have been kicking about for donkey's years, and loads of useful features aren't on the GUI radar - they're exclusive to the realm of shell commands.

Allow me to introduce you to the...

Bourne-Again Shell

The most common shell in use today within Linux is the Bourne-Again SHell (BASH). Its name? A nod to its compatibility with one of the old-timey *nix shells, and a tip of the hat to its maker, Stephen Bourne.

While bash is the standard fare in most modern Linux distros, there are other shells in the mix, such as:

• C Shell (csh) - A favourite for the BSD Unix crowd

• Korn Shell (ksh) - A hit with Unix System V users (and presumably, KoRn fans...)

• Z Shell (zsh) - Gaining traction recently and becoming the go-to shell in some distros, like Kali, and even MacOS

Sure, there are other shells lurking about, but these are the main characters you're likely to bump into.