SAMS Teach Yourself Red Hat® Fedora™ 4 Linux® All in One

Understanding Virtual Consoles

The term console refers to the combination of one input device and one output device designed to enable you to interact with your computer. In real terms, this means a keyboard and a monitor. If you have ever used an MS-DOS–only computer, you should already be familiar with computer use at a console.

In Linux, you also find the term virtual console in common use. This term alludes to the fact that in Linux, several sessions of interactive console work can be active at any time. Each session is referred to as a virtual console; you can switch between these sessions (or virtual consoles) by using special key combinations. This way, you can launch numerous full-screen applications simultaneously and switch between ...