Common Unix Commands
When we interact with the terminal window on the classroom computers,
we use Unix/Linux commands. You do not need an in-depth knowledge
of Unix, but these are commands that you should know.
cat file
This is short for concatenate files.
You can specify multiple files.
It shows all the contents of the file(s) to the screen.
This command can also be used to create files.
The MATLAB equivalent is type file
cd change directory. By itself, it will change to your home directory.
The MATLAB equivalent is
cd ~
cd /home/mweeks change directory to /home/mweeks, your professor's home directory
The MATLAB equivalent is
cd /home/mweeks
cd .. change directory to one level up.
For example, if you are in /home/mweeks, this will change
it to the /home directory.
The MATLAB equivalent is
cd ..
chmod
change mode. You probably will not need this. It
allows you to set permissions on your files, for example,
chmod 644 myfile
sets read/write access for you for myfile,
read access for everyone in your group,
and read access for anyone else on the computer.
The MATLAB equivalent is
fileattrib
ls
list files in the current directory.
The MATLAB equivalent is
ls
ls -l
list files in the current directory in long format
(it gives more information).
The MATLAB equivalent is
ls -l
man command
shows the manual entry for the command. This is like
help command
in MATLAB.
matlab
calls the MATLAB program.
more file
shows the contents of file to the screen, one screen at a time.
The MATLAB equivalent is
more on
followed by
type file
pwd print working directory. This shows what directory you are currently in.
The MATLAB equivalent is
pwd
ssh -Y -l account computer This runs secure shell, allowing you to log
in to a remote computer.
-Y
is for X-window forwarding.
There is no MATLAB equivalent.
by Michael Weeks
Last update: September 5, 2010