Flags are a system outside of permissions on macOS that are used to control how files can be changed. They are primarily concerned with controlled the modification of a file, but differently from permissions. Flags can only be set by an administrative user or the owner of the file, except in cases of system flags. […]
Pro Terminal Commands: Editing the SSH Configuration File
The SSH configuration file on your Mac controls how secure shell, aka SSH, operates. It can be used for simple alternations, like changing the ssh port on your devices, can often eliminate a huge number of ssh “cold calls” on your machine, the ssh configuration file can do much more than that. Where is the […]
Pro Terminal Commands: Customize Terminal on macOS
If you spend any time in Terminal on your Mac, it’s worth customizing the look and feel of the application. Here are some of the most interesting ways you can customize Terminal with themes, colorization, and first-run commands. Tweaking Terminal’s Theme Terminal has the built-in ability to theme your shell windows, but you’d never know […]
Pro Terminal Commands: Copy Colored Code into Word
If you want to copy colored code from Terminal to Word with the correct colorization, simple copy and paste won’t work. You’ll need to use a tool to generate colorized HTML, then import the HTML into Word. We can use ansi2HTML to convert our Terminal code to HTML, then drop it into our Microsoft Word […]
Pro Terminal Commands: Run a Python Script on Mac
Python is a very Mac-style language. It ditches many of the syntax conventions of traditional programming languages in favor of human-readable code, tab-based hierarchy, and abstracted memory management. It’s a great first programming language especially, which leaves a lot of folks looking for explanations on how to perform tasks that are apparently so simple, no […]
Pro Terminal Commands: How and Why To Edit Sudoers on macOS
Within your macOS system, there’s a file called “sudoers” which controls the deepest levels of your permissions system. This file says which users can run sudo, and what they can do when they run it. Basically, it decides who is in charge. We can edit sudoers on macOS to administer a multi-user system more effectively. […]
Pro Terminal Commands: Working with Awk
Awk is a pro terminal command for data processing built right into your Mac, but that’s not all it is. It also has the power and capabilities of a general-purpose programming language.
Getting Started with Terminal: Hide Files on macOS
Your Mac has a few built-in ways to hide files on macOS from Finder windows. This will make the file invisible until you choose to reveal it or turn the invisibility off. Keep in mind that this doesn’t remove the file from your system or encrypt it. What does it mean when you hide files […]
Pro Terminal Commands: Editing bash_profile
There are a number of hidden files tucked away in your home directory. On macOS, you’ll find a file named “.bash_profile” up near the top of your hidden files. The bash_profile file can be used to customize and control your Terminal commands, adding shortcuts and adjusting how commands are run. If you’ve used Linux, it’s […]
Upgrade Your Mac’s Terminal with a New Shell
If you’re used to using the shell, you might have forgotten how strange it was the first time you opened Terminal. The application uses interaction rules from decades ago, with text only commands and cryptic abbreviations. For most users it’s unlike any other program on their computer. Xiki brings the shell out of the past […]
