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This file was last updated with new material on
math-cs:~/web> date
                    Fri Apr 11 19:06:10 CDT 2003    
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Here is a portion of the output of the history command:

-------------------------------------------------------
    29  17:44   cd ..
    30  17:44   pico c023.html
    31  17:55   pine
    32  17:55   pine
    33  18:34   pine
    34  18:35   cd 023
    35  18:35   mv ../../email023Apr11th2003.txt .
    36  18:36   pico email023Apr11th2003.txt
    37  18:37   ls -l *Apr11*
    38  18:37   history
math-cs:~/web/023>
math-cs:~/web/023>     
---------------------------------------------------------

Questions:

  1.  How do I learn more about a Unix command on cowboy.cns.uni.edu?

      Use the online help or online manual.

      Type man commandName to find out about the command.

      Examples:      man ls            man history         man history   
                     man cd            man mv              man chmod

  2.  What are the numbers in the left column that range from 
      29 to 38?

      They indicate the the command history is currently holding only
      a total of 38 commands here.  We are looking at the last 10
      commands.

  3.  Do these numbers have any practical use?

      Yes, one way to use the command history to be a more effective
      user, is to type and exclamation mark (!) followed by a command
      history line number to resubmit that command or executable 
      program or batch file.

      !30 
          would give the same result as typing:
                                                pico c023.html

          or as pressing the up arrow key 9 times,

          or as typing 
                       !pic

  4.  What does !pic accomplish in the previous discussion of
      alternatives to doing !30, 9 arrow keys, or typing the
      14 keystrokes for pico c023.html again?

      It searches back through the command history to find the
      first or most recent command that begins with those 
      3 letters pic, so it would actually give us:

                          pico email023Apr11th2003.txt
        
      and would be the same as doing:

                          !36 

      and would NOT be the same as !30 at all.

      This is one of the great reasons to know about the 
      !historyNumber (!#) technique, as the above example 
      illustrates and motivates.  Right?  Wright!  :-)