Introduction

As we get started, students often ask "What is this Unix thing?"

In most general terms, Unix (pronounced "yoo-niks") is an Operating System. An Operating System is a control program (or manager) for some type of hardware, often (but not always) computer hardware.

Why Unix?

Unix is the most widely used computer Operating System (OS) in the world. Unix has been ported to run on a wide range of computers, from handheld personal digital assistants (PDAs) to inexpensive home computing systems to some of the worlds' largest super-computers. Unix is a multiuser, multitasking operating system which enables many people to run many programs on a single computer at the same time. After more than three decades of use, Unix is still regarded as one of the most powerful, versatile, flexible and (perhaps most importantly) reliable operating systems in the world of computing.

With this power, versatility and flexibility, some people who are new to Unix and have little to no experience with command line interfaces find themselves intimitdated. The intent of this hypertext is to remove the intimidation by presenting the Unix OS in a clear, concise and organized manner.

As a new user to the world of Unix, don't be afraid to try things. You, as a single user can not damage the system. So experiment and have fun, you'll have nothing to lose, and you will probably even learn something.

Before getting started, always, always keep the following in mind

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