Windows-to-Linux roadmap: Part 2-Console crash course

IBM e-business architect Chris Walden is your guide through a nine-part developerWorks series on moving your operational skills from a Windows to a Linux environment. In this part, we cover the different shells, as well as some of the most essential Linux commands.
Any administrative task can be done from the console in Linux. In many cases, using the console is faster than using a graphical program and may provide additional functionality. Furthermore, any console task can be placed into a script, and thus automated. To really take control of your Linux environment, you will want to learn how to do things from the console. The information here is a guide to get you started at the Linux console if you have a DOS/Windows background.