9. Using the Bash Shell on Ubuntu

An important part of learning to work with Ubuntu, and Linux distributions in general, involves gaining proficiency in working in the shell environment. While the graphical desktop environments such as GNOME included with Linux provide a user friendly interface to the operating system, in practice the shell environment provides far greater capabilities, flexibility and automation than can ever be achieved using graphical desktop tools. The shell environment also provides a means for interacting with the operating system when a desktop environment is not available; a common occurrence when working with a server-based operating system such as Ubuntu or a damaged system that will not fully boot.

The goal of this chapter, therefore, is to provide an overview of the default shell environment on Ubuntu (specifically the Bash shell).