On 2/22/06, Zhao Peng <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> With the recent "change file names" experience, I'm wondering if there
> is a simply way to get a comprehensive list of A*L*L available commands
> & utilities on a given linux OS.(Mine is Red Hat Enterprise). If so, how?
Well, a full install of Red Hat Enterprise Linux will have something
like 4500 or so programs available in the default PATH, so you likely
won't want to list them all. But, if you really insist, try hitting
the [TAB] key twice at a command prompt. You'll see something like
this:
$
Display all 4735 possibilities? (y or n)
I answered "no". :)
Now, there are a few things that might prove useful to you.
COMMANDS
The "man" command should give you information (the "man page") on a
command. For example, "man man" will tell you how to use the "man"
command. Not all programs have man pages, unfortunately. These man
pages are also typically intended to be a reference for when you
already know what you are looking for, so are typically less useful to
the novice user.
The "man pages" are divided into number sections. The section
number is often given after the entry name, like this:
man(1)
The sections are:
1 - user commands
2 - system calls
3 - library functions
4 - device drivers
5 - files and file formats
6 - games
7 - miscellaneous
8 - system commands
Some names exist in multiple sections. If you need to tell the "man"
command which section you want it to look in, you give the section
number first, like this:
man 2 intro
The above will give you the introduction to section 2. Every section
is supposed to have an entry called "intro", so if you forget what the
section numbers are, "man # intro" will tell you.
If you don't even know what command you are looking for, then try
the -k switch to the man(1) command (also known as "apropos"). For
example:
man -k search
will find commands about searching. The "-k" (lowercase) just
searches the first line of each man page. To each the *contents* of
each man page, use the -K (uppercase) switch:
man -K search
Be warned that a full search can take *a very long time*, and also may
match *many* results.
If you want to know what a command does, try use the whatis(1) command:
$ whatis man
man (1) - format and display the on-line manual pages
WEB RESOURCES
Don't forget about Google. For example, this query:
http://www.google.com/search?q=linux+rename+files
would have answered your previous question for you. :-)
The Linux Documentation Project (LDP, on the web at
http://www.tldp.org/) has a wealth of information. There are
"HOWTOs", which provide step-by-step instructions on how to accomplish
something. Then there are the more general "Guides", which serve as
tutorials, for general education. The following guides will likely be
very useful to you:
Introduction to Linux - A Hands on Guide
http://www.tldp.org/LDP/intro-linux/html/index.html
"an overview of the Linux Operating System, geared toward new users"
Linux Dictionary
http://www.tldp.org/LDP/Linux-Dictionary/html/index.html
An alphabetical glossary of commands, programs, and concepts.
Bash Guide for Beginners
http://www.tldp.org/LDP/Bash-Beginners-Guide/html/index.html
Advanced Bash-Scripting Guide
http://www.tldp.org/LDP/abs/html/index.html
Hope this helps!
-- Ben
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