Shell Tricks That Make Life Easier (and Save Your Sanity) (blog.hofstede.it)

Article summary

The article discusses various shell tricks and features that can make life easier for users, including Emacs-style line-editing bindings, terminal recovery tips, and scripting sanity savers. These tricks are categorized into two groups: those that work almost everywhere and those specific to interactive shells like Bash or Zsh. The article aims to help users improve their productivity and efficiency when working with the shell. By learning these tricks, users can stop feeling frustrated with the terminal and start using it more effectively.

Main themes

• Shell productivity
• Terminal tricks
• Emacs-style bindings
• Scripting tips
• Bash and Zsh features

What commenters say

• Some users appreciate the article's tips, but dislike the writing style and the lack of credit given to the readline library.
• The use of Ctrl+W can be problematic, as it can accidentally close browser tabs, and some users have found ways to rebind or disable this shortcut.
• The article's tips may not work in all shells, and some users prefer to use other shells like fish or zsh, which have different features and limitations.
• Some users find the vi editing mode useful, while others prefer Emacs-style bindings, and there is a discussion about the pros and cons of each.
• The article's focus on Bash and Zsh may not be relevant to users of other shells, and some users suggest that the tips should be more POSIX-compliant.
• The use of Ctrl+Shift+T to reopen closed tabs is a useful feature, but some users are not aware of it, and it may not work in all browsers or situations.