Great post that my buddy Gavin pointed me to on how To understand the command line on linux.
Unix was invented in the 60s. It’s considered arcane, complicated, inconsistent and unfriendly by many. And yet it, and its derivatives, are absolutely everywhere today - BSD, Linux, OS X, iOS, Android; it’s on PCs, iPhones, and servers - whereas many ‘friendlier’ and allegedly-better alternatives have appeared and died out in the meantime leaving barely a trace. Why is that? And why does it have such weird names and jargon?
Well worth the read if you have any interest in Linux and didn’t grow up at a time when Linux didn’t have a GUI.