|
|
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
|
|
3
|
3
|
<meta charset="utf-8">
|
|
4
|
4
|
<title>userland: a book about the command line for humans</title>
|
|
5
|
5
|
<link rel=stylesheet href="userland.css" />
|
|
|
6
|
+ <script src="js/jquery.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
|
|
6
|
7
|
</head>
|
|
7
|
8
|
|
|
8
|
9
|
<body>
|
|
|
@@ -10,67 +11,6 @@
|
|
10
|
11
|
<h1 class=bigtitle>userland</h1>
|
|
11
|
12
|
<hr />
|
|
12
|
13
|
|
|
13
|
|
-<div id=toc>
|
|
14
|
|
-<p><a href="#contents">contents</a></p>
|
|
15
|
|
-<div id=toc-full>
|
|
16
|
|
-<div class=contents><ul>
|
|
17
|
|
-<li><a href="#a-book-about-the-command-line-for-humans">a book about the command line for humans</a>
|
|
18
|
|
-
|
|
19
|
|
-<ul>
|
|
20
|
|
-<li><a href="#copying">copying</a></li>
|
|
21
|
|
-<li><a href="#contents">contents</a></li>
|
|
22
|
|
-</ul>
|
|
23
|
|
-</li>
|
|
24
|
|
-<li><a href="#the-command-line-as-literary-environment">1. the command line as literary environment</a>
|
|
25
|
|
-
|
|
26
|
|
-<ul>
|
|
27
|
|
-<li><a href="#terms-and-definitions-twisty-little-passages">terms and definitions / twisty little passages</a></li>
|
|
28
|
|
-<li><a href="#cat">cat</a></li>
|
|
29
|
|
-<li><a href="#wildcards">wildcards</a></li>
|
|
30
|
|
-<li><a href="#sort">sort</a></li>
|
|
31
|
|
-<li><a href="#options">options</a></li>
|
|
32
|
|
-<li><a href="#uniq">uniq</a></li>
|
|
33
|
|
-<li><a href="#standard-IO">standard IO</a></li>
|
|
34
|
|
-<li><a href="#code-help-code-and-man-pages"><code>–help</code> and man pages</a></li>
|
|
35
|
|
-<li><a href="#wc">wc</a></li>
|
|
36
|
|
-<li><a href="#head-tail-and-cut">head, tail, and cut</a></li>
|
|
37
|
|
-<li><a href="#finding-text-grep">finding text: grep</a></li>
|
|
38
|
|
-<li><a href="#now-you-have-n-problems-regex-rabbit-holes">now you have n problems: regex + rabbit holes</a></li>
|
|
39
|
|
-</ul>
|
|
40
|
|
-</li>
|
|
41
|
|
-<li><a href="#a-literary-problem">2. a literary problem</a></li>
|
|
42
|
|
-<li><a href="#programmerthink">3. programmerthink</a></li>
|
|
43
|
|
-<li><a href="#script">4. script</a>
|
|
44
|
|
-
|
|
45
|
|
-<ul>
|
|
46
|
|
-<li><a href="#learn-you-an-editor">learn you an editor</a></li>
|
|
47
|
|
-<li><a href="#d-i-y-utilities">d.i.y. utilities</a></li>
|
|
48
|
|
-<li><a href="#heavy-lifting">heavy lifting</a></li>
|
|
49
|
|
-<li><a href="#generality">generality</a></li>
|
|
50
|
|
-</ul>
|
|
51
|
|
-</li>
|
|
52
|
|
-<li><a href="#general-purpose-programmering">5. general purpose programmering</a></li>
|
|
53
|
|
-<li><a href="#one-of-these-things-is-not-like-the-others">6. one of these things is not like the others</a>
|
|
54
|
|
-
|
|
55
|
|
-<ul>
|
|
56
|
|
-<li><a href="#diff">diff</a></li>
|
|
57
|
|
-<li><a href="#wdiff">wdiff</a></li>
|
|
58
|
|
-</ul>
|
|
59
|
|
-</li>
|
|
60
|
|
-<li><a href="#the-internet-for-humans-and-how-the-command-line-can-help">7. the internet for humans, and how the command line can help</a>
|
|
61
|
|
-
|
|
62
|
|
-<ul>
|
|
63
|
|
-<li><a href="#reading-the-web">reading the web</a></li>
|
|
64
|
|
-<li><a href="#writing-the-web">writing the web</a></li>
|
|
65
|
|
-</ul>
|
|
66
|
|
-</li>
|
|
67
|
|
-<li><a href="#further-reading">8. further reading</a></li>
|
|
68
|
|
-</ul>
|
|
69
|
|
-
|
|
70
|
|
-</div>
|
|
71
|
|
-</div></div>
|
|
72
|
|
-
|
|
73
|
|
-
|
|
74
|
14
|
<h1><a name=a-book-about-the-command-line-for-humans href=#a-book-about-the-command-line-for-humans>#</a> a book about the command line for humans</h1>
|
|
75
|
15
|
|
|
76
|
16
|
<p>Late last year, <a href="//p1k3.com/2013/8/4">a side trip</a> into text utilities got me
|
|
|
@@ -103,9 +43,11 @@ being please feel free to use it under the terms of Creative Commons BY-SA
|
|
103
|
43
|
(Attribution / Share-Alike), whatever the latest version is. I promise I will
|
|
104
|
44
|
not license it under more restrictive terms than that.</p>
|
|
105
|
45
|
|
|
|
46
|
+<div id=toc>
|
|
106
|
47
|
<h2><a name=contents href=#contents>#</a> contents</h2>
|
|
107
|
48
|
|
|
108
|
|
-<p><div class=contents><ul>
|
|
|
49
|
+<div id=toc-full>
|
|
|
50
|
+<div class=contents><ul>
|
|
109
|
51
|
<li><a href="#a-book-about-the-command-line-for-humans">a book about the command line for humans</a>
|
|
110
|
52
|
|
|
111
|
53
|
<ul>
|
|
|
@@ -116,7 +58,9 @@ not license it under more restrictive terms than that.</p>
|
|
116
|
58
|
<li><a href="#the-command-line-as-literary-environment">1. the command line as literary environment</a>
|
|
117
|
59
|
|
|
118
|
60
|
<ul>
|
|
119
|
|
-<li><a href="#terms-and-definitions-twisty-little-passages">terms and definitions / twisty little passages</a></li>
|
|
|
61
|
+<li><a href="#terms-and-definitions">terms and definitions</a></li>
|
|
|
62
|
+<li><a href="#get-you-a-shell">get you a shell</a></li>
|
|
|
63
|
+<li><a href="#twisty-little-passages">twisty little passages</a></li>
|
|
120
|
64
|
<li><a href="#cat">cat</a></li>
|
|
121
|
65
|
<li><a href="#wildcards">wildcards</a></li>
|
|
122
|
66
|
<li><a href="#sort">sort</a></li>
|
|
|
@@ -159,7 +103,9 @@ not license it under more restrictive terms than that.</p>
|
|
159
|
103
|
<li><a href="#further-reading">8. further reading</a></li>
|
|
160
|
104
|
</ul>
|
|
161
|
105
|
|
|
162
|
|
-</div></p>
|
|
|
106
|
+</div>
|
|
|
107
|
+</div></div>
|
|
|
108
|
+
|
|
163
|
109
|
|
|
164
|
110
|
<hr />
|
|
165
|
111
|
|
|
|
@@ -184,7 +130,7 @@ for working with English prose and prosody, and that maybe this will illuminate
|
|
184
|
130
|
the ways it could be useful in your own work with a computer, whatever that
|
|
185
|
131
|
work happens to be.</p>
|
|
186
|
132
|
|
|
187
|
|
-<h2><a name=terms-and-definitions-twisty-little-passages href=#terms-and-definitions-twisty-little-passages>#</a> terms and definitions / twisty little passages</h2>
|
|
|
133
|
+<h2><a name=terms-and-definitions href=#terms-and-definitions>#</a> terms and definitions</h2>
|
|
188
|
134
|
|
|
189
|
135
|
<p>What software are we actually talking about when we say “the command line”?</p>
|
|
190
|
136
|
|
|
|
@@ -218,6 +164,10 @@ It’s what you’ll most often see in the wild. Like most shells, Bash
|
|
218
|
164
|
and stupid in more ways than it is possible to easily summarize. It’s also an
|
|
219
|
165
|
incredibly powerful and expressive piece of software.</p>
|
|
220
|
166
|
|
|
|
167
|
+<h2><a name=get-you-a-shell href=#get-you-a-shell>#</a> get you a shell</h2>
|
|
|
168
|
+
|
|
|
169
|
+<h2><a name=twisty-little-passages href=#twisty-little-passages>#</a> twisty little passages</h2>
|
|
|
170
|
+
|
|
221
|
171
|
<p>Have you ever played a text-based adventure game or MUD, of the kind that
|
|
222
|
172
|
describes a setting and takes commands for movement and so on? Readers of a
|
|
223
|
173
|
certain age and temperament might recognize the opening of Crowther & Woods'
|
|
|
@@ -272,7 +222,7 @@ can be used on many different files, or chained together with other programs.
|
|
272
|
222
|
They tend to have weird, cryptic names, but a lot of them do very simple
|
|
273
|
223
|
things. Tasks that might be a menu item in a big program like Word, like
|
|
274
|
224
|
counting the number of words in a document or finding a particular phrase, are
|
|
275
|
|
-often programs unto themselves.</p>
|
|
|
225
|
+often programs unto themselves. We’ll start with something even simpler.</p>
|
|
276
|
226
|
|
|
277
|
227
|
<h2><a name=cat href=#cat>#</a> cat</h2>
|
|
278
|
228
|
|
|
|
@@ -2447,32 +2397,33 @@ called Night. <del>So the</del> <ins>And there was</ins> evening and <del>the
|
|
2447
|
2397
|
<h1><a name=the-internet-for-humans-and-how-the-command-line-can-help href=#the-internet-for-humans-and-how-the-command-line-can-help>#</a> 7. the internet for humans, and how the command line can help</h1>
|
|
2448
|
2398
|
|
|
2449
|
2399
|
<p>Web browsers are really complicated these days. They’re full of rendering
|
|
2450
|
|
-engines for layouts and graphics and fonts, audio and video players, one or
|
|
2451
|
|
-more programming languages, sophisticated development tools, databases – you
|
|
2452
|
|
-name it, and there’s a fair chance it’s in there somewhere. The modern web
|
|
2453
|
|
-browser is kitchen sink software, and to make matters worse, it is <em>utterly
|
|
2454
|
|
-surrounded</em> by technobabble. It takes smart, dedicated people <em>years</em> to
|
|
2455
|
|
-come to terms with the ocean of words about web stuff and sort out the
|
|
2456
|
|
-meaningful ones from snake oil and bureaucratic mysticism.</p>
|
|
|
2400
|
+engines, audio and video players, programming languages, development tools,
|
|
|
2401
|
+databases – you name it, and there’s a fair chance it’s in there somewhere.
|
|
|
2402
|
+The modern web browser is kitchen sink software, and to make matters worse, it
|
|
|
2403
|
+is <em>totally surrounded</em> by technobabble. It can take <em>years</em> to come to terms
|
|
|
2404
|
+with the ocean of words about web stuff and sort out the meaningful ones from
|
|
|
2405
|
+the snake oil and bureaucratic mysticism.</p>
|
|
2457
|
2406
|
|
|
2458
|
|
-<p>All of which can make the web itself seem like an absurdly complicated
|
|
2459
|
|
-landscape, and obscure the simplicity of its basic design, which is this:</p>
|
|
|
2407
|
+<p>All of which can make the web itself seem like a really complicated landscape,
|
|
|
2408
|
+and obscure the simplicity of its basic design, which is this:</p>
|
|
2460
|
2409
|
|
|
2461
|
2410
|
<p>Some programs pass text files around to one another.</p>
|
|
2462
|
2411
|
|
|
2463
|
2412
|
<p>It’s more complicated than that, of course, but the gist of it is that the web
|
|
2464
|
2413
|
is made out of URLs, “Uniform Resource Locators”, which are paths to things.
|
|
2465
|
|
-If you squint, these look kind of like paths to files on your filesystem. A
|
|
2466
|
|
-protocol called HTTP lets software like your browser send a request over the
|
|
2467
|
|
-network for the stuff that lives at a particular URL.</p>
|
|
|
2414
|
+If you squint, these look kind of like paths to files on your filesystem.</p>
|
|
2468
|
2415
|
|
|
2469
|
2416
|
<p>Let’s illustrate this. I’ve written a really simple web page that lives at
|
|
2470
|
2417
|
<code>http://p1k3.com/hello_world.html</code>.</p>
|
|
2471
|
2418
|
|
|
2472
|
2419
|
<h2><a name=reading-the-web href=#reading-the-web>#</a> reading the web</h2>
|
|
2473
|
2420
|
|
|
|
2421
|
+<p>{to come}</p>
|
|
|
2422
|
+
|
|
2474
|
2423
|
<h2><a name=writing-the-web href=#writing-the-web>#</a> writing the web</h2>
|
|
2475
|
2424
|
|
|
|
2425
|
+<p>{to come}</p>
|
|
|
2426
|
+
|
|
2476
|
2427
|
<hr />
|
|
2477
|
2428
|
|
|
2478
|
2429
|
<h1><a name=further-reading href=#further-reading>#</a> 8. further reading</h1>
|
|
|
@@ -2484,5 +2435,23 @@ network for the stuff that lives at a particular URL.</p>
|
|
2484
|
2435
|
|
|
2485
|
2436
|
|
|
2486
|
2437
|
<hr />
|
|
|
2438
|
+<script>
|
|
|
2439
|
+$(document).ready(function () {
|
|
|
2440
|
+
|
|
|
2441
|
+ // TODO: generalize this.
|
|
|
2442
|
+
|
|
|
2443
|
+ var $toc_full = $("#toc-full");
|
|
|
2444
|
+ var $clicker = $('<button id=toc-clicker>+/-</button>');
|
|
|
2445
|
+ $("#toc").find('h2').append($clicker);
|
|
|
2446
|
+ $toc_full.hide();
|
|
|
2447
|
+ $clicker.show();
|
|
|
2448
|
+
|
|
|
2449
|
+ $clicker.click(function (e) {
|
|
|
2450
|
+ $toc_full.toggle({
|
|
|
2451
|
+ duration: 550
|
|
|
2452
|
+ });
|
|
|
2453
|
+ });
|
|
|
2454
|
+});
|
|
|
2455
|
+</script>
|
|
2487
|
2456
|
</body>
|
|
2488
|
2457
|
</html>
|
Brennen Bearnes
4 years ago