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Development Tools Console Foundations Getting Started with the Console Moving and Deleting Files

Dom Smith
Dom Smith
3,091 Points
Posted by Dom Smith
Dom Smith
3,091 Points

Are Linux command line prompts the same on Windows systems?

General question regarding the Linux and Windows command prompts Thanks

6 Answers

James Barnett
James Barnett
39,199 Points
James Barnett
James Barnett
39,199 Points

Windows comes with Powershell which has a lot of similarities to Bash (which comes on Linux on OS X). To see a good side-by-side comparison check out the CLI Crash Course. You can also install Bash on Windows if you want to.

Gonzalo Torres del Fierro
Gonzalo Torres del Fierro
Courses Plus Student 16,751 Points
Gonzalo Torres del Fierro
Gonzalo Torres del Fierro
Courses Plus Student 16,751 Points

James, I´m having some struggles trying to use the @ and the ~ on treehouse Linux console, any tip to be able to use this "special" "charts" "tilde" and "at" ( ~,@)? thx in advance

Gloria Dwomoh
Gloria Dwomoh
13,116 Points
Gloria Dwomoh
Gloria Dwomoh
13,116 Points

No the command prompt of windows and linux are not the same. You cannot run linux commands on windows except if you have installed linux in a virtual machine or use something like Cygwin that builds in unix/linux commands on your command prompt.

Ricky Catron
Ricky Catron
13,023 Points
Ricky Catron
Ricky Catron
13,023 Points

In addition to Cygwin mentioned by Gloria there is Git Bash: http://git-scm.com/downloads

It provides a basic linux command line interface built for version control. I use it on all my windows computers but it doesnt have full support for all the commands. It is great if you are learning but an advanced user would want more then it can offer.

Andrew Malone
Andrew Malone
40,003 Points
Andrew Malone
Andrew Malone
40,003 Points

On Windows. I would use Oracle's Virtual Box and what ever variant of Linux you need for a particular project .

It creates a real server rather than an emulation. It is free just like most distributions of Linux. It also keeps your Windows environment pristine and isolated from any problems or vagaries in your development environment.

https://www.virtualbox.org/

p.s. The real analog to the linux/Console prompt in Windows is Powershell. The command prompt has only rudimentary dos legacy functions and not serious scripting functionality.

Dom Smith
Dom Smith
3,091 Points
Dom Smith
Dom Smith
3,091 Points

Thanks I did think they were different, just trying to establish if learning these Linux prompts has much importance currently as in my working environment i'm working on Windows.

Ricky Catron
Ricky Catron
13,023 Points
Ricky Catron
Ricky Catron
13,023 Points

Learning how to use the Linux command line is so useful. Some servers only have a command line interface or you may very well wish you use Linux someday. My windows computer crashed so I switched to Ubuntu now I wouldn't go back even if I could.

Dom Smith
Dom Smith
3,091 Points
Dom Smith
Dom Smith
3,091 Points

No I definitely agree with you, I think it is important to grasp both concepts but as I'm only just starting out at the moment I think personally for me learning the windows prompts first would be best(as that is what I'm more likely to use currently) and then later move to Linux.

Gloria Dwomoh
Gloria Dwomoh
13,116 Points

Yes if you are not going to use it now, it is not going to be useful at the moment (especially since you are on windows) but somewhere down the road it will definitely be helpful. :)