So just to be clear I went with a very lazy move to linux from windows. I was not looking to use my day to day in a unixy type way and wanted something that I can install and go without much muss or fuss. So I went with zorin and yeah I have dropped to the command line for some apt installs or such but bascially it was only as needed. Very minimal. Anyway today Im messing with folders and files and suddenly it hit me. Im on linux I can do a lot of this easier with the command line. I know its stupid but my day to day sorta has a mouse brain guie mode and I sorta forget how much easier it is to do some stuff using syntax. So going forward im going to be bringing up the command line to do the things that are quicker.

EDITED - guys I have used command line for years. before there even was a gui. Im trying to say I grew out of the habit but using linux at home is getting me back into it.

  • FauxLiving@lemmy.world
    4·
    1 day ago

    Welcome back to terminal land. Pick up basic tmux (attach, detach, change session, open/change panes, scroll/copy/paste), it really helps when you need to type a command and also read the output of another command or config file.

    For example, pressing ctrl-b % splits the window into two panes. So you can read the man page for a command and then use ctrl-b and left/right arrow to swap between panes. Now you’re back to 'alt-tab’ing between windows without the need for a mouse.

      • coltn@lemmy.mlEnglish
        2·
        1 day ago

        some benefits to using tmux,

        • When you switch terminal emulators your workflow and keybinds come with you.
        • If you need to operate within a tty, you can still use tmux and it feels almost like using a wm but without a gui.
          • useful if you need to drop out of your desktop environment or maybe your DE/WM/compositor fails to load.
          • also if you DE/WM/compositor crashes, your terminal doesn’t go with it.
        • If you ever end up working on servers it’s so nice to be able to have the same workflow that you already use on desktop.
        • tmux in my experience is much more scriptable.
        • running system updates in tmux scares me less–if i accidently close the running terminal window i won’t end up with a partial update.

        One pro tip: on your local machine, set the tmux prefix to <C-n> (instead of <C-b>), that way when you’re using tmux on a remote server you can run tmux on the remote as well as on your local and the binds don’t conflict.

        unbind C-b
set-option -g prefix C-n

        baby steps though. don’t rush into things. don’t even worry about what i said… just learn to use man and --help (and/or install tldr) keep building on the knowledge you have as you go; and don’t be afraid to jump in when something interests you. good luck friend!

        • FauxLiving@lemmy.world
          2·
          1 day ago

          By default ctrl-b ctrl b is how you access the remote tmux. It can be more comfortable to use a custom bind though.

          • coltn@lemmy.mlEnglish
            2·
            1 day ago

            ya but for me it was easier to mentally map ctrl-b + key for remote, ctrl-n + key for local. also sometimes i’ll use the prefix, then change my mind and esc out, and with the whole double prefix thing it broke my brain. everyone is different though lol maybe that was a bad protip.

      • Zykino@programming.dev
        1·
        1 day ago

        I would recommand zellij instead of tmux or screen. For the simple fact that by default, shortcuts are sensible and the most important ones are always on screen.

        It is not as venerable as the other 2, but much more easy to get into.

          • Zykino@programming.dev
            1·
            5 hours ago

            If it works for you. I have heard the advantage of screen is that you can bind directly to a Pty/serial. Would be nice for me since I sometimes needs to connect as serial instead of SSH.