Command Line Interfaces

[Brian McKee]

On 04/10/2007, Pete Holsberg <pjh42 at pobox.com> wrote:
>
>  What is the difference between the command line screen you get by typing
> Ctrl-Alt-F[1-6] and what you get by using a "terminal" program?

<tongue in cheek>
The program used to display that screen to you....
</tongue in cheek>

Using a terminal program the results go back and forth thru that
program, whether it's konsole or gnome-term or xterm or whatever you
are using, then thru X, then to the system.  Using a terminal program
lets you change font size, colour, copy and paste with your mouse etc.
The console has one fixed sized font, doesn't understand mice, etc so
most of those options aren't available.

The console has a lot less overhead - doesn't require X to be
installed, etc etc etc

What you can do in that window is identical.  The console tends to be
less pretty and always available - A terminal program in X tends to be
prettier.

The prompt is a shell like bash or dash that interacts with the
system.  It's the same shell regardless of how it's displayed to you.

HTH
Brian

PS  unix geeks know the above is a gross oversimplification - but I
think it most accurately answers the question as posed....