How To Use The Mac Terminal: The Basics
https://appletoolbox.com/use-the-mac-terminal-the-basics/
The Mac terminal is the built-in shell environment on Mac
that allows you to directly issue UNIX commands. That's the
technical definition, anyway.
In simpler terms, you can think of it as an app that gives
you access to a deeper level of your Mac's operating system.
Kind of like lifting the hood of your car and poking around
the engine, but for your Mac's software.
The Mac terminal is not a way to "hack" your computer, and
it generally isn't going to break your computer. When I was
first learning how the terminal worked, I remember worrying
that I was going to enter the wrong command and completely
brick my Mac.
But Apple doesn't give you this kind of power easily. You
can technically ruin your Mac by entering certain commands
into the terminal (make sure you copy trusted commands from
the internet on sites like StackExchange) but it's unlikely
that you'll run into these commands during daily use.
In short: The Mac terminal is an app that gives you greater
control over your Mac, but has a learning curve and the
occasional risk. That said, it's far from dangerous to
experiment with.
Terminal User Guide
https://support.apple.com/guide/terminal/welcome/mac
https://support.apple.com/guide/terminal/execute-commands-and-run-tools-apdb66b5242-0d18-49fc-9c47-a2498b7c91d5/mac
http://www.cheat-sheets.org/saved-copy/2084227-Mac-OS-X-Terminal-Commands-list.pdf
https://ss64.com/osx/
Command Line Tools -- Install
xcode-select --install
List Available Shells
cat /etc/shells
/bin/bash
/bin/csh
/bin/dash
/bin/ksh
/bin/sh
/bin/tcsh
/bin/zsh
Set Default Shell
chsh -s /bin/tcsh
Shell Scripting Primer
https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/OpenSource/Conceptual/ShellScripting/shell_scripts/shell_scripts.html
Man[ual] Pages
man
man -k say
man say
Change macOS user preferences via command line
https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/Cocoa/Conceptual/UserDefaults/AboutPreferenceDomains/AboutPreferenceDomains.html
https://pawelgrzybek.com/change-macos-user-preferences-via-command-line/
The System Preferences window is not the only way to adjust
user settings. Macs come with a defaults command line
interface that lets you read, write, and delete macOS user
defaults.
defaults write com.apple.Dock autohide-delay -float 0; killall Dock
defaults write com.apple.dock persistent-apps -array-add '{"tile-type"="spacer-tile";}'; killall Dock
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -bool TRUE
defaults write com.apple.finder QLEnableTextSelection -bool TRUE
defaults write com.apple.Safari com.apple.Safari.ContentPageGroupIdentifier.WebKit2MinimumFontSize -int 19
defaults write com.apple.screencapture disable-shadow -bool TRUE
defaults write com.apple.screencapture location ~/Downloads
defaults write com.apple.Terminal FocusFollowsMouse -bool true
defaults write com.apple.SoftwareUpdate ScheduleFrequency -int 1
defaults write NSGlobalDomain NSDocumentSaveNewDocumentsToCloud -bool FALSE
defaults -currentHost write com.apple.ImageCapture disableHotPlug -bool true
defaults write -g NSRequiresAquaSystemAppearance -bool Yes
Software Package Managers
Mac Ports (https://www.macports.org)
--------------------------------------------------------------
Installed MacPorts-2.7.1-12-Monterey.pkg Dec.06, 2021
port help (man page)
port installed
sudo port -fp uninstall installed
sudo port install contacts Dec.06, 2021
sudo port install mtr 0.94 (doesn't use sudo) Dec.06, 2021
sudo port install timeout (works at HE) Dec.06, 2021
sudo port install xv Dec.06, 2021
Home Brew (https://brew.sh)
--------------------------------------------------------------
Installed Homebrew 3.3.7 Dec.06, 2021
Homebrew Installation
bash
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
note: need to add /opt/homebrew/bin to PATH
set path = (/bin /sbin /usr/bin /usr/sbin /usr/local/bin /usr/local/sbin /usr/local/lib /usr/lib /Developer/Tools /opt/X11/bin /opt/local/bin /opt/local/sbin /opt/homebrew/bin ~/bin)
set path = (\
/bin \
/sbin \
/usr/bin \
/usr/sbin \
/usr/local/bin \
/usr/local/sbin \
/usr/local/lib \
/usr/lib \
/Developer/Tools \
/opt/X11/bin \
/opt/local/bin \
/opt/local/sbin \
/opt/homebrew/bin\
~/bin)
brew
brew list -1
brew update
brew info blah
brew search blah
brew install exiftool Dec.06, 2021
brew install fping Dec.06, 2021
brew install hping Dec.06, 2021
brew install lynx Dec.06, 2021
brew install netpbm Dec.06, 2021
brew install speedtest-cli Mar.15, 2022
brew install telnet Dec.06, 2021
brew install timelimit Dec.06, 2021
brew install wget Dec.06, 2021
brew install wifi-password Dec.06, 2021
brew install youtube-dl Dec.06, 2021
brew install pdfgrep Dec.14, 2021
brew install pdftk-java Dec.14, 2021
brew install ffmpeg May.02, 2022
brew install WhatRoute May.27, 2022
SOME USEFUL COMMANDS
man last
last
man set
set
man setenv
setenv
man echo
man tr
echo $PATH | tr ':' '\12'
Download the METAR data from the Ames Airport
man lynx
man head
lynx -dump 'https://www.aviationweather.gov/adds/metars/?station_ids=KAMW&std_trans=translated&chk_metars=on' | head -16
Network Interface
man ifconfig
ifconfig
man grep
man cut
ifconfig `route get default | grep interface | cut -c14-17`
Network Interface Quality
man networkQuality
networkQuality
Who is on my Local Area Network (LAN)
man arp
arp -an | grep :
man snmptable
snmptable -v 2c -c public `netstat -rn | grep "default" | head -1 | cut -c20-33` ipNetToMedia
man fping
fping -aeg `ifconfig -l | xargs -n1 ipconfig getifaddr`/24
Internet Connections
man lsof
lsof -nPi
Check my connection to Apple (to quit type q)
man mtr
mtr --aslookup --show-ips apple.com
mtr --aslookup --show-ips 17.253.144.10
mtr --aslookup --show-ips 2620:149:bb:9420::151
Example of downloading a YouTube Video/Audio
youtube-dl
youtube-dl https://www.youtube.com/watch\?v=VLPP3XmYxXg
youtube-dl --extract-audio --audio-format mp3 https://www.youtube.com/watch\?v=VLPP3XmYxXg
Note: I have to insert the "back slash" in front of the "?"
in the URL, so that it will not be treated as a special
character.
Perhaps you just want to listen first.
open -a Safari https://www.youtube.com/watch\?v=VLPP3XmYxXg
BOOK RECOMMENDATION
Top 5 Shell Scripting Books for Beginners in 2022
https://booksoncode.com/articles/best-shell-scripting-books-for-beginners
Classic Shell Scripting 1st Edition
by Arnold Robbins V (Author), Nelson H.F. Beebe V (Author)
https://www.amazon.com/Classic-Shell-Scripting-Arnold-Robbins/dp/0596005954/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=shell+scripting&qid=1654727514&sr=8-4
Shell scripting skills never go out of style. It's the shell
that unlocks the real potential of Unix. Shell scripting is
essential for Unix users and system administrators-a way to
quickly harness and customize the full power of any Unix
system. With shell scripts, you can combine the fundamental
Unix text and file processing commands to crunch data and
automate repetitive tasks. But beneath this simple promise
lies a treacherous ocean of variations in Unix commands and
standards.
Classic Shell Scripting is written to help you reliably
navigate these tricky waters. Writing shell scripts requires
more than just a knowledge of the shell language, it also
requires familiarity with the individual Unix programs: why
each one is there, how to use them by themselves, and in
combination with the other programs. The authors are
intimately familiar with the tips and tricks that can be
used to create excellent scripts, as well as the traps that
can make your best effort a bad shell script.
With Classic Shell Scripting you'll avoid hours of wasted
effort. You'll learn not only write useful shell scripts,
but how to do it properly and portably. The ability to
program and customize the shell quickly, reliably, and
portably to get the best out of any individual system is an
important skill for anyone operating and maintaining Unix or
Linux systems. Classic Shell Scripting gives you everything
you need to master these essential skills.
sam.wormley@gmail.com