The Linux rm Command: Everything You Need to Know
The Linux rm
command deletes files and directories. To use this tool safely, you need to be certain what’s going to happen when you hit “Enter.”
How to Protect Your Linux Computer From Rogue USB Drives
USB memory sticks can be used to steal data from your Linux computer. USBGuard lets you set rules governing the use of USB memory sticks, like a firewall for USB storage devices.
[mai mult...]Why QtFM Could Become My Favorite Linux File Manager
The Qt file manager called QtFM has great features, such as storing custom commands so you don’t need to open a Linux terminal window to run them. The only drawback is getting it installed. Let’s look at what makes this file browser special and how you can (maybe) try it out.
[mai mult...]8 Typos You Really Need to Avoid on Linux
How to Deal With Spaces in Filenames on Linux
Like most operating systems, Linux supports filenames with spaces in them. But using these filenames on the command line isn’t always straightforward. Here are several ways you can handle filenames containing spaces.
[mai mult...]How to Delete Files and Directories in the Linux Terminal
The rm
and rmdir
commands delete files and directories on Linux, macOS, and other Unix-like operating systems. They’re similar to the del
and deltree
commands in Windows and DOS. These commands are very powerful and have quite a few options. It is important to note that files and directories deleted using rm
and rmdir
do not get moved to the Trash. They are immediately removed from your computer. If you accidentally delete files using these commands, the only way you’ll be able to restore them is from a backup.
How to View Free Disk Space and Disk Usage From the Linux Terminal
The df
and du
commands report on disk space usage from within the Bash shell used on Linux, macOS, and many other Unix-like operating systems.These commands let you easily identify what’s using up your system’s storage.
How to Extract Files From a .tar.bz2 or .tar.gz File on Linux
Tar files are compressed archives. You’ll encounter them frequently while using a Linux distribution like Ubuntu or even while using the terminal on macOS.
[mai mult...]How to Use the wc Command in Linux
The wc
command is a small application. It’s one of the core Linux utilities, so there is no need to install it. It’ll already be on your Linux computer. You can describe what it does in a very few words. It counts the lines, words, and bytes in a file or selection of files and prints the result in a terminal window. It can also take its input from the STDIN stream, meaning the text you want it to process can be piped into it. This is where wc
really starts to add value.
It is a great example of the Linux mantra of “do one thing and do it well.” Because it accepts piped input, it can be used in multi-command incantations. As we’ll see, this little standalone utility is actually a great team player.
One way I use wc
is as a placeholder in a complicated command or alias I’m cooking up. If the finished command has the potential to be destructive and delete files, I often use wc
as a stand-in for the real, dangerous command. That way, during the development of the command I get visual feedback that each file is being processed as I expected. There’s no chance of anything bad happening while I’m wrestling with the syntax.
As simple as wc
is, there are still a few small quirks that you need to know about.