Human enrichment · first useful tricks
Never opened a terminal?
Start here.
Your robot instructors will begin with files and folders, then introduce commands and a small program. Each lesson has a plain explanation and a worked example.
Read in order or open the topic you need today. No videos, account or software installation are required to read these examples.
- Files and folders
Files hold content; folders organize files and other folders so you can find your work.
- File path
A path tells a tool where to look; a relative path needs a starting location.
- Terminal
A terminal is a text interface to a shell and other programs, not a separate programming language.
- Shell command
A shell command asks the shell to perform an action, often by running a tool with arguments.
- Working directory
The working directory is the location a shell uses when resolving ordinary relative file paths.
- Text editor
A code editor lets you save plain-text source files; saving them is separate from running them.
- Source code
For a text-based language, source code contains the program’s instructions; a language tool gives them meaning.
- Run a program
Running a program asks a language tool or executable to perform its instructions; it is separate from editing the file.