Software, settings, next steps

Installing software

• On Linux you rarely download installers. A package manager fetches and installs software for you.
• Debian and Ubuntu use apt; Fedora uses dnf; macOS users often add brew:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install git

• One command, and the tool (and anything it needs) is installed and ready.

The environment

• The shell remembers settings in environment variables. The most important is PATH — the list of folders it searches for commands.
• Your personal settings live in a file called .bashrc in your home folder. Editing it lets you create shortcuts (aliases) and change how the shell behaves.

Where to go next

• You now know how to navigate, read, search, combine, and manage files — the core of the command line.
• Keep a real terminal open and use it for small tasks; speed comes with habit.
• Next steps: learn git for version control, a text editor like nano or vim, and a little shell scripting to automate your favourite commands. Well done!

Now you try

• apt needs the real internet, so it is not in our simulator — but a list of installed packages is saved in installed.txt.
• Use the tools from this course to sort the list and wc to count it. The same handful of commands work on any text data.

Common mistakes

• Read a command's --help or man page before using unfamiliar options.
• Test a risky command on a copy of your files first.