Linux Essentials For Hackers - #2 - Useful keyboard Shortcuts

Summary

This video from the 'Linux Essentials for Hackers' course introduces viewers to essential keyboard shortcuts for navigating the Linux system and working with the terminal more efficiently. The tutorial covers opening a terminal, resizing windows, changing font size, clearing the terminal screen, ending and suspending processes, and using the tab key for auto-completion. The presenter demonstrates these shortcuts using Ubuntu and explains that they are generally applicable across various Linux distributions.

Takeaways

• 😀 The video provides an introduction to Linux essentials for hackers, focusing on keyboard shortcuts to enhance terminal navigation and efficiency.
• 💻 The tutorial is based on Ubuntu, but the concepts can be applied to other Linux distributions, emphasizing the universality of the discussed shortcuts.
• 🔑 Opening a terminal in Ubuntu can be done with Ctrl+Alt+T or the Super key + T, showcasing quick access methods.
• 📝 Customizing keyboard shortcuts is possible, allowing users to tailor their experience according to their preferences.
• 🖥️ The video demonstrates how to use the Super key with arrow keys for window tiling, which is useful for organizing multiple windows.
• 🔍 Adjusting font size in the terminal is made easy with Ctrl+Shift+Plus and Ctrl+Minus, enhancing readability.
• 🗑️ Clearing the terminal screen can be achieved with the 'clear' command or the Ctrl+L shortcut, offering quick cleanup options.
• ⏹️ Ending a running process in the terminal is as simple as using Ctrl+C, providing a quick way to stop tasks.
• ⏸️ Suspending a process is done with Ctrl+Z, allowing users to pause tasks without terminating them.
• 🔄 The up arrow key cycles through previously used commands, offering a fast way to repeat or edit past commands.
• 🔖 The Tab key is used for auto-completion of file and directory names, streamlining the process of navigating through the file system.

Q & A

What is the primary focus of the Linux Essentials for Hackers course?

The primary focus of the Linux Essentials for Hackers course is to help users navigate the system more efficiently and work with the terminal at a faster pace using various keyboard shortcuts.

Which Linux distribution is the instructor using in the video?

The instructor is using Ubuntu in the video, but the course is designed to be applicable to any other Linux distribution.

What is the keyboard shortcut to open a terminal on Ubuntu?

The keyboard shortcut to open a terminal on Ubuntu is Ctrl+Alt+T or Super+T.

How can you perform window tiling in a Linux environment?

You can perform window tiling by using the Super key and the arrow keys to direct the location of the windows.

What keyboard shortcuts can be used to increase and decrease the font size in the terminal?

To increase the font size, use Ctrl+Shift+Plus, and to decrease the font size, use Ctrl+Minus.

What command or keyboard shortcut can be used to clear the terminal screen?

You can clear the terminal screen by typing 'clear' or using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+L.

How can you stop a currently running process in the terminal?

You can stop a currently running process by using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+C.

What is the keyboard shortcut to pause or suspend a process in the terminal?

The keyboard shortcut to pause or suspend a process in the terminal is Ctrl+Z.

How can you cycle through previously used commands in the terminal?

You can cycle through previously used commands by using the Up Arrow key.

What is the function of the Tab key in terms of auto-completion in the terminal?

The Tab key is used for auto-completing file and directory names. Pressing it once completes the name if it's unambiguous, and pressing it twice lists possible completions.

How can you close the terminal in a Linux environment?

You can close the terminal by using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+W.

Outlines

00:00

💻 Linux Terminal Navigation and Shortcuts

This paragraph introduces the Linux essentials for hackers course, focusing on keyboard shortcuts to navigate the Linux system and work with the terminal more efficiently. The instructor uses Ubuntu as an example, mentioning that other distributions can be used as well. The video covers how to open a terminal using Ctrl+Alt+T or the Super+T key combination. It also explains how to perform window tiling using the Super key and arrow keys, change font size with Ctrl+Shift+Plus and Ctrl+Minus, clear the terminal screen with Ctrl+L, and end or pause processes with Ctrl+C and Ctrl+Z, respectively. Additionally, it discusses navigating through previous commands using the up arrow key and the use of the Tab key for auto-completion of file and directory names.

05:02

🔍 Advanced Terminal Shortcuts and Commands

The second paragraph continues with more advanced terminal shortcuts and commands. It demonstrates how to use the Tab key for auto-completion, providing examples of how a single Tab can complete a file or directory name, and how double Tab can list possible matches. The paragraph also covers closing the terminal with Ctrl+Shift+W and summarizes the basic keyboard shortcuts introduced in the video. The instructor encourages viewers to let them know if there are any shortcuts they missed and looks forward to the next video in the series.

Keywords

💡Linux Essentials

Linux Essentials refers to the fundamental knowledge and skills required to work effectively with Linux operating systems. In the context of the video, it is the central theme around which the tutorial is built, focusing on teaching viewers the basics of navigating and using Linux, particularly for those who might be more familiar with hacking or cybersecurity.

💡Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts are combinations of keys that provide a quick way to perform tasks in a software application or an operating system. The video emphasizes the use of keyboard shortcuts to enhance efficiency while working in the Linux terminal, such as opening a terminal or navigating through windows.

💡Ubuntu

Ubuntu is a popular Linux distribution known for its user-friendly interface and strong community support. The video uses Ubuntu as the example Linux distribution to demonstrate the keyboard shortcuts and terminal commands, making the tutorial relevant to a broad audience of Linux users.

💡Terminal

The terminal, also known as the command line interface (CLI), is a text-based interface for interacting with the Linux operating system. The video focuses on the terminal as the primary tool for executing commands and managing tasks, showcasing various shortcuts and commands to improve productivity.

💡Tiling

Tiling in the context of the video refers to the arrangement of windows in a non-overlapping manner to maximize screen real estate. The script explains how to use the super key along with arrow keys to tile terminal windows, which is a useful technique for managing multiple tasks simultaneously.

💡Font Size

Adjusting the font size in the terminal can improve readability and user comfort. The video provides instructions on how to increase or decrease the font size using keyboard shortcuts, which is an important aspect of customizing the terminal environment to suit individual preferences.

💡Clear Command

The 'clear' command is used in the terminal to clear the screen of any previous output, providing a clean slate for new commands. The video mentions this command as a way to quickly clear the terminal, and also introduces the corresponding keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+L) for the same purpose.

💡Control+C

Control+C is a keyboard shortcut used to terminate or interrupt the current process running in the terminal. The video explains its use in the context of stopping a process like 'nmap', which is a network scanning tool, demonstrating how to manage and control processes from the terminal.

💡Control+Z

Control+Z is a keyboard shortcut that suspends the current process in the terminal, allowing users to pause and later resume it. The video uses this shortcut in the context of pausing an 'nmap' scan, illustrating how to manage ongoing tasks without terminating them.

💡Auto-Completion

Auto-completion is a feature that suggests or completes file and directory names as you type, based on the available options. The video demonstrates how to use the Tab key for auto-completion in the terminal, which can save time and reduce typing errors, especially when dealing with long or complex file paths.

💡Control+Shift+W

Control+Shift+W is a keyboard shortcut that closes the current terminal window. The video mentions this shortcut as part of the comprehensive list of terminal shortcuts aimed at streamlining the user's interaction with the Linux environment.

Highlights

Introduction to Linux Essentials for Hackers course

Exploring keyboard shortcuts for efficient terminal navigation

Ubuntu as the primary Linux distribution for the course

Using the terminal with dpn, Ubuntu's base on Debian

Introduction to the aptitude package manager

Keyboard shortcut to open terminal: Ctrl+Alt+T or Super+T

Customizing keyboard shortcuts in Linux

Tiling windows using the Super key and arrow keys

Changing font size with Ctrl+Shift+Plus and Ctrl+Minus

Clearing the terminal screen with the 'clear' command or Ctrl+L

Ending a running process with Ctrl+C

Pausing a process with Ctrl+Z

Cycling through previous commands with the Up Arrow key

Auto-completion of file and directory names with the Tab key

Using double Tab for file suggestions

Closing the terminal with Ctrl+Shift+W

Encouragement to learn more keyboard shortcuts throughout the series

Transcripts

hey guys welcome to the linux essentials

for hackers course

in this video we're gonna get started

with taking a look at the various

keyboard shortcuts

uh that will help you navigate around

the system much easier and to work with

the terminal

uh at a much more efficient rate all

right so let's get started now i'm

currently using ubuntu you can be using

any other linux distribution that you

want

and we're going to be primarily working

with the terminal first before we

actually

delve into desktop environments and you

know various other distributions so

we're going to be using dpn and again

ubuntu is based off debian

and for our package manager we'll be

taking a look at the aptitude package

manager but as i said

we'll be delving into all of that later

on all right so with ubuntu

uh getting opening up a terminal with

your keyboard is very simple you have

your control alt n t

key or you have your super and t if

you're running debian or any other

distribution so

on ubuntu it's ctrl alt n t or your

super nt

and you can customize your keyboard

shortcuts uh however you want all right

so

let me just uh let me just minimize this

now uh the other interesting thing that

you can do

or very helpful thing that you can do

when working with various windows

it doesn't have to be a a terminal

window

is you can perform tiling and that is by

using the super key

and your arrow keys to direct the

location of the windows and you can tile

them

appropriately right so as you can see

i've used the super and up key

and that maximizes it and of course i

can take it to the left or i can take it

to the right

and i can you know leave it uh where it

was previously right so let me just

expand it now let me talk about a font

size right so font size is very easy to

change and

to actually increase and reduce so if i

wanted to increase my font size i would

use the ctrl

shift and the plus key on my keyboard

and that would increase

the font size right i can then minimize

it by using the control and the minus

key on my keyboard

and that will reduce the font size so

again increasing it is ctrl shift

and and the plus key and reducing the

font size is control and

the minus key on your keyboard right so

that is uh how to increase and reduce

your font size

now let's talk about uh actually

clearing your screen which is very very

simple so

i'll just use a generic command here you

don't have to worry about what that

command is

so if i wanted to clear my terminal i

would simply say clear and that will get

rid of all

the content that was currently on the

terminal however

i can also use a keyboard uh

keyboard shortcut uh so again if i just

list the same command here

i can use the control and l key and that

will clear the terminal for me without

me having to type the clear command

all right so let's talk about some some

other keyboard shortcuts that you should

be aware of right so

if we are working with a particular

process so for example

i can say nmap i can run a quick nmap

scan here and i can just say

sv 192.168.1.1

and we can hit enter i can use the

control c key

to actually uh end the currently running

process and it will return you back to

your

uh to your shell uh in this case we're

using the bash

shell so if i want to end a process

that's currently running like the one i

was running which was nmap

i use the control and c keyboard

shortcut right

now if i wanted to suspend or to pause

this

or to pause a particular task or a

process

i can use the control and z key right so

if i was running

nmap s v the same key or the same

command i can type that out

however here are other useful keyboard

shortcuts that you can use

so i can cycle through my previously

used commands by using the

up arrow key and that will again cycle

through all my all my previously used

commands

so again i can just go to this previous

command and hit enter

and then i can use control and z to

actually

pause and suspend that process in memory

and

remember it hasn't stopped it you have

just suspended it all right now let's

talk about tab

uh let's talk about the tab key and auto

completion right

so we can use the tab key to auto

complete file and directory names so

let me just clear this out and i can use

the control and l key

so if i go to my well i can actually

work from my home directory but

let's say i wanted to cat a particular

file so let me just

list all the files in here so let's say

i wanted to get

my let's see or let's say i wanted to

get my

my password file so again i can say cat

etsy and i can say password right now

if i wanted to auto complete this i

could use the tab

key and again it will if i use it two

times it will give me the various

suggestions here so

a single tab will auto complete it if it

has an accurate

uh id of of the particular file or

directory you're

referring to so again if i said uh if i

give it a bit more information in

regards

to the file or directory i was looking

for i would

simply just hit tab and it gives me the

file there

however i can hit double tab and that

again gives me

the files that are related to the

particular data that i've entered here

so again if i reduced it just to ap

and i hit tab twice it will give us the

recommendations

as to uh in in reference to the to to

the

to the particular files that uh that

begin with the word p

and again if i can increase that

probability or

the specification of the file i'm

looking i'm looking for

by increasing the amount of letters so

again again i can tap it twice and now

you can see the results are more

fine-tuned so again

i can uh i can use tab to auto complete

it to password and i can hit enter

and that displays the contents of the

password file so that is how to use

uh the tab key and those are the various

uh you know commands that

or keyboard shortcuts that you can use

while working in the terminal and

hopefully those will make your

life a whole lot easier so again control

and l that clears everything for me

now let's talk about how to close your

terminal so again closing your terminal

is very simple you can use uh the

control shift and w

key so again i can say ctrl shift and w

here

uh right over here and that works uh

pretty universally among all

distributions so again ctrl alt d that

opens up your terminal

uh increasing the font size control

shift and the plus key

and so on and so forth and you can tile

your terminal or any window in your

system

by using the super key and your arrow

keys or your directional keys here

all right so those are all uh the basic

keyboard shortcuts that i wanted to

start off with i'll be referencing

others

throughout the series let me know which

ones i missed

and i'll be seeing you in the next video

in this series

[Music]

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