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CompTIA A+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide

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The command prompt is popular for many reasons. Let’s consider three

for this chapter. First, if you know what you’re doing, you can do most jobs

more quickly by typing a text command than by clicking through a graphical

user interface (GUI). Second, a command-line interface (CLI) doesn’t take

much operating system firepower, so it’s the natural choice for jobs where

you don’t need or don’t want a full-blown GUI for an OS. Third, text

commands are easily added to scripts, enabling you to perform complex tasks

automatically.

So, are you sold on the idea of the command prompt? Good! This chapter

gives you a tour of the Windows and macOS and Linux command-line

interfaces, explaining how they work and what’s happening behind the

scenes. You’ll learn the concepts and master essential commands. You’ll

work with files and folders and learn about scripting. It’s all fun! A good

tactic for absorbing the material in this chapter is to try out each command as

it’s presented.

NOTE If you’re using a Windows system, this is a great opportunity to

jump ahead to Chapter 22, “Virtualization,” and try some virtualization.

Consider loading up a virtual machine and installing Linux so you can

practice. Check out and install my favorite virtualization tool, Oracle

VirtualBox at www.virtualbox.org, and then download an ISO file from

www.ubuntu.com.

1002

Deciphering the Command-Line Interface

So, how does a command-line interface work? It’s a little like having a

Facebook Messenger conversation with your computer. The computer tells

you it’s ready to receive commands by displaying a specific set of characters

called a prompt. Here’s an example of a generic prompt:

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