STREAMLINE YOUR SHELL

Windows’ recent softening on the Linux shell wasn’t so much controversial as it was surprising; it’s a subtle acknowledgement that many power users prefer the efficiency and depth of the likes of Bash over the sometimes clumsy world of the creaking DOS-derived Windows shell. And it almost happened by accident. Microsoft was working on technology to allow Android apps to run on Windows, and the Linux Subsystem—not an emulator, but a native interpreter—is what resulted.

To get yourself up and running, first go to “Settings > Update & Security > For Developers,” and switch on Developer mode. Then enable the appropriate subsystem in the “Programs and Features” section of Control Panel. Once you’ve rebooted your machine, open up a command prompt as administrator, and type to automatically install the Ubuntu flavor of the Bash shell. Once it’s all gone in, you’ll be able to open up the Linux shell by typing bash into the search box.

So, why would you want to use the Linux shell? First, there’s the simplicity of navigation. You can use ls to list a directory, rm to remove files or folders, and mv to move or rename files. Once you’re used to it, the shell can be a faster and more efficient way to shift files around than even the stock Windows File Explorer. Then there’s access to the core Bash apps, often packed with much more detail and usage options than their Windows counterparts. And you’re not just stuck with the base shell—by using Ubuntu’s apt-get package manager, which comes as part and parcel of the installation, you can add new applications and functions with a single command.