This chapter, which introduces you to Linux, assumes that you've just booted Linux for the first time after installation. The shell is a program started after you log in to Linux that provides a command-line interface between you and the Linux kernel. Typed commands are interpreted by the shell and sent to the kernel, which in turn opens, closes, reads, and writes files. There are a number of shells for Linux; the default shell for most distributions, however, is called bash and is found under the /bin directory. The shell's internal commands and functions can also be used to write programs.
SEE ALSO
▸To learn how to write shell programs, see page 323.
▸To learn about how to use the shell, see page 20.
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