Welcome to the Treehouse Community

Want to collaborate on code errors? Have bugs you need feedback on? Looking for an extra set of eyes on your latest project? Get support with fellow developers, designers, and programmers of all backgrounds and skill levels here with the Treehouse Community! While you're at it, check out some resources Treehouse students have shared here.

Looking to learn something new?

Treehouse offers a seven day free trial for new students. Get access to thousands of hours of content and join thousands of Treehouse students and alumni in the community today.

Start your free trial

Development Tools Console Foundations Processes Killing Processes

Jaime Sandoval
Jaime Sandoval
7,083 Points
Posted by Jaime Sandoval
Jaime Sandoval
7,083 Points

Major oversight that needs to be addressed with KILL command, process ID number, and the ps aux output table?

You know, for all the warnings that are given when describing the KILL command, you'd think that they'd make sure to describe every little detail in regards to attaining the correct info when looking up the process ID.

Example: KILL the top process. Run ps aux | grep "top" to find it. Now, here is the oversight that can cause problems...the output table for - ps aux | grep "top" - has the process ID for the TOP process in a different column than in the TOP process table. It's in a different column that's next to another column with numbers that could easily be mistaken for the process ID needed for killing a process.

Now, it may be nitpicking, but isn't that something that should be brought to a students attention when using such powerful commands?

1 Answer

Daniel Phillips
Daniel Phillips
26,940 Points
Daniel Phillips
Daniel Phillips
26,940 Points

You're right. Attention to detail is very important. We're lazy so we're going to be more likely to just use ps aux | grep top instead of ps ax -o pid,cmd | grep top. Isn't it better that we learn which column is the right one by getting used to the output of the simpler command now when a mistake won't take down the server?