Using csh & tcsh

Before You Read Further

You may find it helpful to get an idea of how much you already know about the shell before you read the following chapters. Run the simple commands shown below and examine their output:

% more ˜/.cshrc ˜/.login         Display shell startup files
                                 (try page or pg if you don't have more)
% stty all                       Display terminal settings
                                 (try stty –a if stty all doesn't work)
% printenv                       Display environment variable values
% set                            Display shell variable values
% alias                          Display alias definitions
% history                        Review your history

Does the output from these commands make sense to you, or does it look like gibberish? If the latter, that's fine—try to remember how strange some of the command results look now. As you read through this handbook, occasionally run the commands again. Their output should become more and more comprehensible and you'll get a good sense of what you're learning as recognizable landmarks begin to appear in this unfamiliar terrain.