A List of Useful Ubuntu (Linux) Commands

By Franklin Davis on Oct 6, 2008 filed under Lists, Ubuntu | Comments

This is just a list of commands I have found useful as I’m switching from a Mac to a Ubuntu machine at work. I’ll add to this list as I discover new commands; feel free to suggest a new command to me via the comments. In general, I use []s as placeholders and you should modify the command so it conforms with your needs (Note: Be sure to remove the []s when you execute the commands).

Install a package/program (duh, I know) :

sudo apt-get install [PROGRAM]
Install extra codecs, fonts, java engines, etc:

sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras
Merge multiple EPS/PDF files into a single PDF document:

gs -dNOPAUSE -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -sOUTPUTFILE=[FILENAME].pdf -dBATCH *.eps

or

gs -dNOPAUSE -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -sOUTPUTFILE=[FILENAME].pdf -dBATCH file1.pdf file2.pdf file3.pdf
Back up your entire user directory to an external hard drive:

/usr/bin/rsync -av –delete /home/[HOME_FOLDER] /media/[EXTERNAL_DISK]
Create an .iso image from a CD or DVD:

mkisofs -r -o [FILENAME].iso /cdrom/
Display folder sizes:

du -cskh *
Run a MATLAB job without remaining logged in:

nohup matlab -nodisplay -nojvm < [MATLAB_FILENAME].m > output.txt &
Enable/Disable Ubuntu software firewall:

sudo ufw enable

and

sudo ufw status
See all active internet connections:

sudo netstat -atup
Find things via locate:

locate ‘[SEARCH STRING]‘|xargs ls

or for more information:

locate ‘[SEARCH STRING]‘|xargs ls -l