_..._ .-'''-.
.-'_..._''. ' _ \
.' .' '.\ . .--. _..._ / /` '. \
/ .' .'| |__| .' '. . | \ ' _..
. ' < | .--.. .-. . | ' | '.' ..
| | | | __ | || ' ' | \ \ / / | '
| | | | .'''-. .:--.'. | || | | | `. ` ..' /__| |__
. ' | |/.'''. \ / | \ || || | | | '-...-'`|__ __
\ '. .| / | | `" __ | || || | | | | |
'. `._____.-'/| | | | .'.''| ||__|| | | | | |
`-.______ / | | | | / / | |_ | | | | | |
` | '. | '.\ \._,\ '/ | | | | | |
'---' '---'`--' `" '--' '--' |_|
___
( )
.--. .--. ___ .-. .-. ___ .-. .-. .---. ___ .-. .-.| |
/ \ / \ ( ) ' \ ( ) ' \ / .-, \ ( ) \ / \ |
| .-. ; | .-. ; | .-. .-. ; | .-. .-. ; (__) ; | | .-. ; | .-. |
| |(___) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | .'` | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | / .'| | | | | | | | | |
| | ___ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | / | | | | | | | | | |
| '( ) | ' | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ; | ; | | | | | | ' | |
' `-' | ' `-' / | | | | | | | | | | | | ' `-' | | | | | ' `-' /
`.__,' `.__.' (___)(___)(___)(___)(___)(___)`.__.'_. (___)(___) `.__,'
C h a i n -o f- C O M M A N D
No GUI? No problem; there's the TUI (terminal user interface).
Also known in hushed wisphers as the ~scary~ command line.
But don't let that blinking evil-eye cursor staring you down get
to you. There are many things to do given the right COMMAND.
So take control of the console to be at the top of the chain.
Following are many tasks listed that are possible, with hints given.
▶ Collapse All ▼ Expand All
▶ But first a word from the sponser...
Just kidding!
No souless corporate backing here. But it is probably good to know the
syntax used throughout. First it is assumed that the shell is 'bash',
unless explicitly stated otherwise.
Many commands allow user interaction or navigation by mapping the press of
keyboard key(s) to different actions, collectively known as command keys.
Entries between '[ ]' (brackets) denote which key on the physical keyboard t
Any letter indicated is CASE sensitive.
Examples:
[a] indicates the letter 'a' key pressed down a single time
[Esc], [Ctrl], [Shift], [F1], etc. are the special labeled keys on the keyb
[Enter] is also the same as [Return] key (different vendor labeling)
[|^], [|v], [] are the ARROW labled keys which are UP, DOWN, LEFT,
and RIGHT respectively
Multiple key combinations are tied with the '+' (plus) sign like this:
[Ctrl]+[c] -press BOTH [Ctrl] and [c] at the same time once
Being CASE sensitive, means [A] is really shorthand for [Shift]+[a]
Next on the agenda to highlight are these bordered areas scattered throughou
╒══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│ │
│ Terminal: example commands to type in your own black box. │
│ │
╘══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
This box represents a shell window, whether that be a gnome-terminal or a
putty window, etc. Statements within the borders can be typed exactly as
shown into your own command prompt, except for some items explained below.
Comments are prefaced by a '#' (hash) character. These statements are
not meant to be run, and are just extra info or explanations of the
highlighted command.
As used within the context of this document, any word beginning with
a '$' (dollar) sign are place holders that need to be replaced with a
valid user-provided value when actually typing the command out. It is
up to a user to know whether to substitute with a value, or if valid to
type the example command verbatim including the dollar sign '$WORD',
depending on if '$WORD' exists as a pre-defined variable or not.
(Hint type 'set' at the command line to get a full listing)
For example $USER can be the personal username ID that was typed to log
into the system, the shell variable as is, or replaced with the ID of
another valid user on the system.
Values between two '# #' (hash) character are optional parameters
' (less-than, greater-than) sign are optional parameters -->
Now onwards to the important task of conquering the command line!
(DIR) (or just skip to the fun stuff).
____________________________________________________________
▶ Browse the World Wide Web
Access sites, in the awesomeness of pure text! (yes it is possible)
Read articles or complete your search from the comfort of your console.
Some functions like banking may be a stretch too far...
⏺ w3m -more recent browser with usual interface of arrow/letter keys but e
Able to better render more complex HTML structure like frames, tables & divs
Supports some javascript, as well as display images inline when w3m-img
extension is installed .
(TXT) 📄 Go to Man page
(TXT) 🖼 View screenshot
Some examples:
(note: press [q] key to QUIT; [Shift]+[h] to display help)
╒══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│ │
│ w3m https://tilde.town │
│ w3m https://ubuntu.com │
│ w3m https://www.nerd-boy.net │
│ │
╘══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
⏺ lynx -one of the first text based browser; navigate via arrow & letter k
Being around for a longer period, program is stable with many backend
options and widely installed by default. Can still talk Gopher, WAIS,
and NNTP as well, unlike its GUI-laden brethen (ahem, Mozilla and IE)
(TXT) 📄 Go to Man page
(TXT) 🖼 View screenshot
Some examples:
(note: press [q] key to QUIT; [h] to bring up help files)
╒══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│ │
│ lynx https://tilde.town │
│ lynx https://debian.org │
│ lynx https://svzanten.home.xs4all.nl/ascii/line_art/index.html │
│ │
╘══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
⏺ elinks -menu driven with console mouse, alongside arrow/letter keys; spo
Fork of the older links browser with additions for a modern web. Highly
customizable UI via configuration file. Correct frame and table rendering.
Additional support for BitTorrent, finger, Gopher, SMB and NNTP.
(TXT) 📄 Go to Man page
(TXT) 🖼 View screenshot
Some examples:
(note: press [q] key to QUIT -or- mouse click on File menu at top;
[Alt]+[h] to activate help menu, then press [k] for Keys)
╒══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│ │
│ elinks https://tilde.town │
│ elinks https://duckduckgo.com │
│ elinks https://www.angelfire.com/art/lorriesascii/index3.html │
│ │
╘══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
⏺ links -older; mainly menu driven using the mouse, with a few command key
Still around! Developed as a novice friendly alternative to lynx, by
adding a mouse supported menu system to mimic a GUI-based browser. Now
mostly replaced by elinks but may be the only option depending on the
system logged into.
(TXT) 📄 Go to Man page
(TXT) 🖼 View screenshot
Some examples:
(note: press [q] key to QUIT -or- mouse click File menu at top;
[Alt]+[h] to activate help menu)
╒══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│ │
│ links https://tilde.town │
│ links https://kernel.org │
│ links http://www.segerman.org/asciiart.html │
│ │
╘══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
▶ Go Gopher hunting
No not the rodents out back digging into and dining on your vegatable garden
-the virtual kind out in Gopherspace. There is a whole new (old) world out
there to burrow into for the back-to-the-basics mindset.
⏺ gopher -the OG master Gopher helps browse gopher holes via arrow & lette
(TXT) 📄 Go to Man page
(TXT) 🖼 View screenshot
Some examples:
(note: press [q] key to QUIT; [?] to display help)
╒══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│ │
│ gopher gopher://tilde.town │
│ gopher gopher://bitreich.org/1/lawn │
│ │
╘══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
⏺ bombadillo -a newer client meant to be fast by using key bindings to nav
(TXT) 📄 Go to Man page
(TXT) 🖼 View screenshot
Some examples:
(note: press [q] key to QUIT)
╒══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│ │
│ bombadillo gopher://tilde.town │
│ bombadillo gopher://gopher.icu/1/gutenberg │
│ │
╘══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
⏺ sacc -basic client using both arrow & user-definable single key "shortcu
(TXT) 📄 Go to Man page
(TXT) 🖼 View screenshot
Some examples:
(note: press [q] key to QUIT)
╒══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│ │
│ sacc gopher://tilde.town │
│ sacc gopher://gopher.floodgap.com/1/v2/vs │
│ │
╘══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
▶ Launch into a space capsule with Gemini
A budding new universe ready to be explored by the adventurous.
Gemni sites harken back to the good old days before the internet universe
got sucked into a black hole of corporate influence and AD-ridden pages
(as the Geminauts are want to say).
⏺ bombadillo -a newer client meant to be fast by using key bindings to nav
(TXT) 📄 Go to Man page
(TXT) 🖼 View screenshot
Some examples:
(note: press [q] key to QUIT)
╒══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│ │
│ bombadillo gemini://tilde.town │
│ bombadillo gemini://geminiprotocol.net │
│ │
╘══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
▶ Get chatty, on IRC
Long before there were tweets, zoomin' or instant messaging, real-time
communication and online conferencing in chat rooms could already be had wit
Internet Relay Chat. Even through much behind the scenes changes and the
arrival of other fancy new tech IRC continues to prove its usefulness. Still
the backbone for discussion and collaboration with many open source projects
⏺ weechat -the kitchen sink of IRC clients; command line driven & some com
256 colors; customizable bars; horizontal & vertical window splits; smart
filtering; proxy support; multi-server connections even within one app
instance; remote control of a currently running instance; extensible via
any of 8 suported scripting languages! What can it NOT do?
(TXT) 📄 Go to Man page
(TXT) 🖼 View screenshot
Some examples:
(note: to QUIT, type: /quit then [Enter];
get help, type: /help then [Enter])
╒══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│ │
│ weechat irc://$USER@localhost/#tildetown │
│ weechat irc://$USER@irc.tilde.chat:6697/#town │
│ weechat irc://$USER@irc.ircnet.com:6697/#worldchat │
│ │
╘══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
⏺ irssi -completely command line driven recall back to the origins of IRC;
Supports color, themeing and scripts to extend the featureset. Broad set
of commands for adding & arranging custom windows is a feature to give
other IRC clients a run for their money. Has many extra built-in commands
as shortcuts for various tasks, provides multi-tab support, and connections
to multiple servers within an instance is possible.
(TXT) 📄 Go to Man page
(TXT) 🖼 View screenshot
Some examples:
(note: to QUIT, type: /quit then [Enter];
get help, type: /help then [Enter])
╒══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│ │
│ irssi -n $USER -c localhost │
│ irssi -n $USER -c ca.undernet.org -p 6667 │
│ irssi -n $USER -c irc.tilde.chat -p 6697 │
│ │
╘══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
⏺ catgirl -simple UI; operate mainly by typing commands but some command k
For those overwhelmed by the dizzying options of other clients and have
less demanding needs such as: only using official core IRC commands, log
into a single server at a time, join less than a handful of channels, etc.
This fits the bill with a primary interface of a single command line for
user input. Still, there is color highlighting, tab-completion, emacs-style
key bindings when typing messages, message filtering startup options, split
scrolling, and switching between virtual windows. One caveat is that with a
focus on security as one of the design principle, there is no support for
plain-text connections (normally port 6667).
(TXT) 📄 Go to Man page
(TXT) 🖼 View screenshot
Some examples:
(note: to QUIT, type: /quit then [Enter];
get help, type: /help then [Enter])
╒══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│ │
│ catgirl -n $USER -h irc.tilde.chat -j '#town' │
│ catgirl -n $USER -h irc.oftc.net -p 6697 -j '#linux' │
│ │
╘══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
▶ Access personal inbox
"Why should I write this down, that’s riveted, Screw’d to my memory?"
~William Shakespeare
Follow the Great Bard's advice: send self-reminders, quick notes, and
ideas to that magnificent West End revival for later review - without
ever leaving the terminal.
⏺ mutt -navigation and message management via arrow & letter keys
Supports advanced features like OpenPGP, MIME, and sort by thread.
Pseudo address book function through use of 'alias' & 'group' option.
(TXT) 📄 Go to Man page
(TXT) 🖼 View screenshot
Some examples:
(note: press [q] key to QUIT; [?] to display help)
╒══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│ │
│ mutt # invoking the command with no options opens mail for reading │
│ │
│ echo "My reminder message." | mutt -s "Msg Subject" -- $USER@tilde.town │
│ │
╘══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
⏺ alpine -geared toward the novice user; UI is mix of arrow and function k
Multi-function email & news client. Supports personal address book as well
as searching a central LDAP server.
(TXT) 📄 Go to Man page
(TXT) 🖼 View screenshot
Some examples:
(note: press [q] key to QUIT; [?] to access help)
╒══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│ │
│ alpine # invoking the command with no options opens mail for reading │
│ │
│ alpine $USER@tilde.town │
│ │
╘══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
⏺ mail -no frills email frontend using only typed command keys, but fast
(TXT) 📄 Go to Man page
(TXT) 🖼 View screenshot
Some examples:
(note: press [q] key to QUIT; [?] to list command options)
╒══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│ │
│ mail # invoking the command with no options opens mail for reading │
│ │
│ echo "My reminder message." | mail -s "Msg Subject" $USER@tilde.town │
│ │
╘══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
▶ Read News groups
Get the latest headlines.
⏺ tin -navigation and message management via arrow & letter keys
Full-screen easy to use Usenet newsreader, dedicated to providing every news
-related feature possible under the sun even if no one asked. Birthed near
the beginnings of the internet, and still chugging along decades later.
(TXT) 📄 Go to Man page
(TXT) 🖼 View screenshot
Some examples:
(note: press [Shift]+[q] to force QUIT; [h] to display help)
╒══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│ │
│ tin -r -Q -g news.tildeverse.org tilde.art.ascii │
│ tin -r -Q -g news.eternal-september.org eternal-september.talk │
│ │
│ tin -r -g news.tildeverse.org │
│ # press [Shift]+[s] for 'sub pattern' │
│ # type: tilde.* then [Enter] │
│ # use arrow keys and [Enter] to go into a newsgroup │
│ │
╘══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
⏺ alpine -geared toward the novice user; UI is mix of arrow and function k
Multi-function email & news client. Supports personal address book as well
as searching a central LDAP server.
(TXT) 📄 Go to Man page
(TXT) 🖼 View screenshot
Some examples:
(note: press [q] key to QUIT; [?] to access help)
╒══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│ │
│ alpine -nntp-server=news.tildeverse.org │
│ alpine -nntp-server=news.eternal-september.org │
│ │
│ # press [l] -or- use arrow keys to select Folder List, then [Enter] │
│ # select News and press [Enter] │
│ # press [a] to Add │
│ # press [Ctrl]+[t] to show list for selection │
│ │
╘══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
▶ Jabber away with XMPP instant messaging
Already have a "buddy" list to keep in touch with? IM came about to allow
a more decentralized and personal chat option. Instead of requiring every-
one to log into the same server and fight for unique names to communicate,
it became much simpler for people to form their own virtual private chat
groups just by knowing the email-like ID of other users. These IDs stay
the same across the fediverse (& with no worries about nick hi-jacking).
⏺ profanity -operate mainly by typing commands but some command keys; offe
Straightforward client with a single command line for input. Supports
chat list and group aliases. Will only connect to one account per
instance, but allows creating and switching among multiple windows,
each with different lists for the ability to have virtual rooms.
(TXT) 📄 Go to Man page
(TXT) 🖼 View screenshot
Some examples:
(note: to QUIT, type: /quit then [Enter];
get help, type: /help then [Enter])
╒══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│ │
│ profanity -a $USER@sure.im │
│ profanity -a $USER@yax.im │
│ │
╘══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛