This is one of the most important concepts that makes Linux especially flexible and powerful: Everything is a file. That is, everything can be the source of a data stream, the target of a data stream, or in many cases both. In this chapter you will explore what “everything is a file” really means and learn to use that to your advantage as a SysAdmin.
The whole point with “everything is a file” is … the fact that you can use common tools to operate on different things.
—Linus Torvalds in an email
What Is a File?
Here is a trick question for you. Which of the following are files? ...
