Linux Format forums

[Spangwiches]

[if you don't want the backstory, skip to the bold bit ]

Ok, so I'm a bit of a linux noob. I mean I've been playing around with distros and sshing into web servers for work for years but it's only this past year or so that I've managed to preeetttyy much completely replace windows on the desktop.

I'm from a design rather than coding background (though I do both) so my computer use has always been a bit mouse-centric.

But the more I use Linux, the more I find myself doing stuff on the command line. Because it's quicker and often just better. I'm by no means advanced but I know the bash basics, y'know. I'm starting to dabble with gnu screen, especially when I'm sshing in to my my main machine from elsewhere and I'll sometimes run links browser when I just want to read stuff on the web without all the distractions you get (but want to retain the formatting and stuff that readability extensions dump). Stuff like that.

So, what I'm after here, after my characteristically unnecessarily lengthy preamble is: Can you recommend me some commandline apps?

I don't want to get too hardcore about it. I realise I could use emacs for, like, everything if I wanted to. I'm not after that. Just stuff that harnesses the power of the commandline without pissing away usability. IMs, music players, browsers, text editors, IRC, file managers... whatever really. Just be nice to have a list of usable commandline apps.

I'm even toying with the idea of playing with a tiling window manager for when I'm coding, they look kinda ideal for that. But I'll need to get familiar with this stuff first, I think.
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[Dutch_Master]

Start here: http://ss64.com/bash/

[nelz]

Step one: If you're serious about the command line, dump Bash and use Zsh.
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Unix is user-friendly. It's just very selective about who it's friends are.

[Spangwiches]

Hah. It's more desktop-apps-replacements I'm after.

Handy page though, thanks
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[Spangwiches]

nelz, I have heard good things about zsh but I don't think I'm ready for more power yet. I'm interested, sure, but I am not yet competent, let alone proficient.

I'll definitely have a play though, see what it's all about.
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[M-Saunders]

Browser - Links
IRC - Irssi
Mail - Alpine

Some of my favourites.

M

[Spangwiches]

Links and Irssi are both awesome, already using those.

I was wondering about mail clients but all I could recall/find was Mutt, which I remember (maybe unfairly) as being horrible.

I vaguely remember Alpine (or maybe just Pine? is that a thing?) from some Debian 2.something install I had years ago. I will give it a pop, thank you.
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[Dutch_Master]

POP3 then Or IMAP, would do too