Linux, Unix, and variant tips

Below is a listing of various tips that can be used with most Linux and Unix. Some of the below tips may list a date next to them for the month and year that they were featured in our monthly tip section.

Access and control different computers on a network.
Quickly search manuals in Linux and Unix
Unix / Linux shortcuts
Create aliases for commands

Access and control different computers on a network

Easily and freely control multiple computers running any number of operating systems from one computer using VNC.

The latest version of VNC can be downloaded directly from their website here.

Quickly search manuals in Linux and Unix

Users who have the manuals installed on their computer can quickly search those manuals by typing:

man -k keyword

This is great for locating a command you may not be able to remember.

* Additional information about the man command can be found here.

Unix / Linux shortcuts

Get the latest Unix/Linux shortcuts by visiting our Unix/Linux shortcut page.

Create aliases for commands

Create an alias for commands frequently forgotten, cause issues or long commands.

For example, you may type edit to edit a file when in Linux or Unix. However, users who may be new to Linux or Unix may not be able to use the edit program or this may cause an error message.

Set the edit command for an easier to use editor such as pico. Below is an example:

alias edit pico