Using Terminal on Mac and Unix

Terminal is a very powerful tool on Mac and Unix. It enables the user to carry out tasks they wouldn't normally be able to do from the GUI. A few commands are:


sudo shutdown -P now  -  Shuts down and turns off the computer now ("now" can be changed to  the amount of minutes until shutdown or a time. e.g. +10 in ten minutes) this command can be useful for shutting down your computer from an SSH terminal if it isn't responding.


say  -  Make your mac talk.


ifconfig  -  View the network information for your computer.


open -a  -  Open an application in the Applications folder. can be changed to any application e.g. iTunes.


sudo  -  gives superuser permissions to the current user (requires password).