Denotes pressing the Return key.

< space >

Denotes pressing the space bar.

ascii

ASCII is an abbreviation for American Standard Character Interchange something. It describes the entire character set of the operating system.

alias

An alias is a shorthand for a command or command sequence that the csh understands. It can also be a shorthand that mail understands.

buttons

Each Sun mouse has three buttons which, when clicked, cause some action to be taken by the computer. The action depends on where the mouse is pointing.

click

Pressing a

mouse button

is called clicking. When you click in a window, you press one of the buttons. You can also click on other parts of the desktop; the result will vary depending on where you click and which button you click.

command

A command is usually a program (and its arguments) which the user wants the shell to execute. The

command line

is the input that the user types in.

csh

The command interpreter that is usually used on the EEL computer system is the csh.

ctrl-

To describe holding down the Control key, and typing a character, we use the convention ctrl-a or ctrl-A, where 'a' can be any character.

desktop

The workstation screen is referred to as the desktop (because the various windows look like pieces of paper).

directory

A directory is a special kind of file that can hold other files, much like a folder can hold many pieces of paper.

directory tree

A

directory tree

is the way that directories are organized under the UNIX operating system. It can be thought of as an inverted tree, with root at the top and all of root's subdirectories branching out from there.

disk drive

A

disk drive

is a magnetic storage device; this is where all of the files and programs live.

ethernet

Ethernet is a specific combination of software and hardware that links two or more machines.

file system

A

file system

is the set of partitions and their directories that can be accessed by the users.

history

The csh keeps track of the last 50 commands that you have entered; this list is called the history list.

home

When you first log in, you will be in your home directory. This is usually /rhine/us1/user-id.

kernel

The kernel is the program that is always running on the computer: it provides the basis for everything that can be done on the machine.

local

A local machine is the machine that you are logged on; if you are logged onto fel1, then it is the local machine. A

local file system

is any

file system

on a local machine.

memory

memory refers to the actual RAM (Random Access Memory) that a machine has; it is not the same as disk space.

mount

In order to make a disk partition available as a

file system,

it must be mounted somewhere in a

directory tree.

A mouse is a device that is used to move a pointer (called a cursor by sun; they call the current typing position a caret) around the desktop of a workstation. Note that a pointer need not be an arrow, but can also be a bulls-eye and possibly some other shapes.

NFS

The

Network File System

is a set of modifications to the kernel and some application programs that allows access to a

remote file system.

This implies some sort of connection between the local machine and the remote machine.

partition

A

disk drive

is divided into partitions to simplify administration and disk usage.

pointer

A pointer is some symbol that shows where the mouse is positioned on the workstation desktop. Note that the position of the mouse on its tablet is relative; it does not map directly to the desktop.

remote

A remote machine is any machine that you aren't actually sitting at; if you are logged onto fel1, then rhine and bal1 are two examples of remote machines. A

remote file system

is any file system on a remote machine.

server

A server is a workstation which has one or more

disk drives

attached, and which makes that disk space available to other workstations.

shell

The shell is the command line interpreter that the user interacts with under UNIX; on our system, it is usually csh.

TCP/IP

Transmisson Control Protocol/Internet Protocol

is software that specifies how machines find other machines to communicate with and how they communicate. Ethernet uses TCP/IP.

window

A window is a portion of a

workstation's desktop

which has been assigned some particular purpose. Examples of windows are xterm windows, vt2 windows, and map windows. A window may use all or part of the desktop.

workstation

A workstation is a computer and its associated display. Usually a workstation is designed for use by only one person. A

diskless workstation

is one that has no local disk, and obtains all of its files from a server.

X, X11

We use the X Windowing System to provide multiple windows on a workstation's desktop. X11 is the current version of the X Windowing System, and X is a common shorthand.