


Make sure not to blindly copy and paste commands you find online only rely on trusted resources for any command you don't fully understand. As a result, the command line must be used with caution. There is often no feedback after a command has run and it is possible to delete an entire computer with a single command: no warning will pop up. Given its minimal user interface-just a blank screen and a blinking cursor-the command line is intimidating to newcomers. With a little practice most developers find that the command line is actually a faster and more powerful way to navigate and control a computer. A typical user will never need to use the command line but software developers do because certain tasks can only be done with it: running programs, installing software, using Git for version control, or connecting to servers in the cloud. It is an alternative to the mouse or finger-based graphical user interface familiar to most computer users. If you have ever seen a show where hackers are furiously typing into a black window, that's the command line. The command line is a powerful text-only interface for computers.
