Terminal, shell and command
Distinguish the window, the command interpreter and the instruction you type.
- Distinguish the terminal, shell and command.
- Identify a command name, option and argument.
- Computer
- File
- Folder
- Process
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Three different things
A terminal displays text input and output. A shell reads commands and starts work. A command is one instruction written in the grammar that the shell understands. The three terms are related, but they are not synonyms.
command option argument
ls -l notes/The command name selects an operation. Options modify how it behaves. Arguments identify the data or destination it should use.
CMD, Linux shell and PowerShell
| Goal | Windows CMD | Linux shell | PowerShell |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current location | cd | pwd | Get-Location |
| List items | dir | ls | Get-ChildItem |
| Read a file | type file.txt | cat file.txt | Get-Content file.txt |
| Identity | whoami | whoami | whoami |
CMD and common Linux shells primarily exchange text. PowerShell passes .NET objects through its pipeline, even though it can display them as text. That difference becomes important for filtering and automation.
Observe, then modify
Begin by asking questions that do not change files. The embedded simulator is deterministic: it teaches vocabulary and state changes, not full operating-system fidelity.
Next stepNavigate and change virtual stateUse the current directory, create a folder and verify the result.