Next-gen terminals
For most Linux Format readers, the terminal is where the action happens. Sure, you probably chose your distro based on a mix of aesthetics and the tools with which it comes packaged, but when it comes down to it, most of the real work gets done on a black screen with a monospace font. .
Why? Linux is a command-line based system, and generally it’s a lot quicker and more efficient to type a line or two into BASH than it is to use a mouse to conjure a monolithic GUI from the depths of your SSD. The difference may well be seconds – and you could be using those seconds to get work done. Or to make a cup of tea. Terminals were never designed to be beautiful. Their output is often difficult to scan, and if there happens to be any non-Linux person lurking nearby with a tray of biscuits, there’s a very real danger that you’ll be arrested as a hacker in your local Starbucks.
We’re now in the third decade of the 21st century, and terminal tools don’t need to be ugly, and they don’t need to frighten passers-by, either.
It’s now easier than ever to be super-productive in the shell and to work efficiently, too. We’ve rounded up a few essential tools to replace or augment what we already use.
The cat command concatenates files and displays the output to your shell. It can work with all text-based files, and
