When making my move from Windows to Linux, I dodged the Terminal as much as humanly possible. I mean, why would I use it? It was big, it was scary, there were no installers to run or icons to double-click, and I had to type in what I wanted to do. And if I typed in the wrong thing, my Linux PC would explode and create a small cartoonish crater on my desk; at least, that’s what it felt like.

However, as I kept using Linux, I realised that it was less my enemy and more my friend. Yes, it was still a friend that would annihilate my operating system if I typed in the wrong thing, but it was still a friend nonetheless. Now, I really like using the terminal, and I default to it whenever I can.

It’s a really great way to download apps for your distro

Everything is smooth and safe

I began opening up to the Terminal when I gave Arch Linux a try. I wanted to download apps for it, but I was a bit stuck, as some apps didn’t have a native Arch Linux version on their download page. While looking for a solution, I stumbled across the Arch User Repository (AUR), which lets you download and install apps via the Terminal. These apps were already configured to play nice with Arch Linux, so I didn’t have to convert any packages to get them running on my system. I was really impressed by it, and wondered why my other operating system, Fedora, didn’t have something similar.

Then I poked around Fedora’s Terminal and...oh, there is something similar. I didn’t know it when I started with Fedora, but every time a Fedora setup guide asked me to perform a “sudo dnf” command, that “dnf” part was a special command (called “Dandified Yum,” which I’m sure has a reason behind its strange name) that went through a repository and fetched software for me. Fedora had a similar feature to AUR all this time, I just never realised it.

So, I tried downloading Chrome via DNF, and sure enough, I could. Then I got really addicted to installing apps only via the Terminal, only because it felt great to whack in a command, accept the permissions, and see the app I wanted “magically” appear on my PC, all set up and ready to go. Plus, from what I read, grabbing apps from your OS’s repository ensures that they’re both compatible with your distro and safe from malware, which sounds great to me.

It can teach you how your Linux system works under the hood

Makes tweaking things easier

Going back to my time with Arch Linux, during the installation, I decided to go the manual route with a YouTube tutorial to guide me. If you don’t know what “the manual route” is, it’s essentially starting off with a Terminal and inputting the commands needed to set up your Linux system, one by one, until everything is properly set up.

Doing this taught me a lot about how a Linux system works, and the commands you can use to tweak stuff. For instance, I could change the hostname, create a user account, grant that account admin privileges, mount drives, and perform the aforementioned app installation. All those little nuggets would help me in the future when I wanted to achieve something that I already knew the command for. No need to fish around the UI or Google for help, just punch in the command and I’m good to go.

You do need to be a little bit scared, though

Remember the “friend that would annihilate my operating system” thing?

The kernel panic when installing NomadBSD

That being said, I’m not saying that people should carelessly punch in any old command without a care. There is some validity to having a little respect for it, especially when it comes to copy-pasting commands from a random forum in hopes that it’ll solve your issues. The Terminal is a powerful tool, so use your head before you run anything.

However, once you get over that initial fear and get comfortable with the Terminal, some of the commands will become second nature to you. You know the extent of what they can do to your system and how to prevent them from harming it, if they can at all. Using the terminal to mount and format drives carries some risk; firing off a screenfetch command, not so much.

Get friendlier with your Terminal (but not too friendly)

My experience moving from Windows to Linux became much more enjoyable when I stopped being scared of the Terminal and began integrating it into my workflow. Now I can use it to quickly adjust system settings, download apps, and check out my system specs. Just don’t get too comfortable; it has a habit of biting people who don’t give it proper respect.