Project $1-12$

The cat command has several purposes, but one of the most commonly used is to view the contents of a file. For example, in this project, you use the cat command to view a file called shells that resides in the $/$etc directory. This file contains a list of valid shell programs available through UNIX$/$Linux$.$

To use cat to view the shells file:

$1.$ Type cat $/$etc$/$shells after the command prompt, and press Enter $($see Figure $1-18).($The forward slash $(/)$ is used to indicate a directory or folder change.$)$ What shells do you see on your system?

Figure $1-18$ Using the cat command to view the contents of a file

$2.$ Sometimes, it is helpful to see a file$$s contents displayed with line numbers. The $-$n option causes the cat command to display a number at the beginning of each line of output. Type cat $-$n $/$etc$/$shells and press Enter. You see the same list of shells as before, but this time a number precedes each line.