Learning Python with Raspberry Pi

Chapter 10

Scripting

THERE ARE LOADS of different tasks that you need to perform on a computer to keep it running properly. For example, you need to back up your data regularly just in case there's a problem. Other tasks can depend on exactly what you use your computer for. You might need something to keep your music collection in order, or sort photos. This chapter looks at how you can use Python to make your life easier by automating these housekeeping jobs so that your computer keeps running with minimal intervention.

This requires a lot of interaction with the underlying operating system, so the first thing to do is learn a little about Linux.

Getting Started with the Linux Command Line

By this point, you're probably fairly familiar with general use of Raspbian. Raspbian brings together several distinct parts to create an operating system. Firstly, there's the Linux kernel. This is the bit that makes everything work at the lowest level. It's constantly running and manages the hardware and memory and controls how other programs run. Then there's the command line and a wide range of tools. These provide an entirely text-based way of using Raspbian, and it's an area that you'll be looking at in more detail in this chapter. The chances are, you probably don't use this too much at the moment; instead, you probably interact with the desktop environment, which is another distinct section of Raspbian. The default GUI is LXDE, and on top of this there are a wide range of graphical ...