Command of the week: ! ls

Yes, this week's command is (gasp!) ls. This seemingly simple Unix command actually is very useful and efficient (especially compared to its DOS counterpart, dir). Ls simply shows the contents of a present directory (list to ls), but with options it can be very adjustable and "pliant." For example, ls -l lists files in the directory and their accessibiltiy conditions, like this:


drwx------ 2 users 4096 Nov 2 19:51 mail/
drwxr-s--- 35 www 32768 Jan 20 22:39 public_html/
-rw------- 1 users 3 Nov 25 02:58 test.txt

(example from http://www.computerhope.com/unix/uls.htm)

Or, for another example, ls -a will show all hidden system files, like this:

$ (or % or >) ls -a
.cshrc .history .bash coolstuff.vi HelloWorld.c a.out
$

While........

$ ls
coolstuff.vi HelloWorld.c a.out
$

There are many other ls options. For more info. about them, do man ls at your shell prompt or go to these other sites:

Linux and UNIX ls command help / Concise chart of ls options / http://www.computerhope.com/unix/uls.htm
Ls - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia / Wiki article about ls / http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ls
Unix ls command / Technical details about ls and explanation of its useage / http://www.scism.sbu.ac.uk/law/UnixStuff/ls.html
Unix man pages : ls () / the technical man explanation of ls / http://unixhelp.ed.ac.uk/CGI/man-cgi?ls

Shells

No, I'm not talking about seashells. I'm talking about Unix shells. You know, tcsh, bash, csh, ksh, sh, etc. Maybe you change shells regularly, or maybe you just stick to one shell. I personally like the bash shell, or the GNU Born Again shell. I use bash 3.1. Shells differ in syntax, in style, in purpose, and in quality (of course). What shell(s) do you like? What shell(s) do you like to hate?