Concepts
Operating Systems and Environments
An operating system provides the core environment in which files, applications, development tools, and other software run.
Operating system
An operating system is software that provides a computer's core functions, including managing hardware, files, and applications.
System files
System files are files required by the operating system and are not intended to be modified by users.
Popular operating systems include Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Windows
Windows is a widely used operating system developed by Microsoft.
macOS
macOS is an operating system used on Apple computers, called Macs.
Linux
Linux is an open-source operating system commonly used on servers and development systems.
Administrator
An administrator is a user account with elevated permissions to create, delete, or modify system settings and files.
Command Line
The command line provides a text-based way to work with the computer and development tools.
Terminal
A terminal is a text window where you type commands to the computer.
Shell
A shell is the program inside the terminal that interprets your commands.
Examples include PowerShell on Windows, zsh on macOS, and bash on Linux.
GUI
A GUI, or graphical user interface, lets you interact with the computer visually, often using a mouse.
Command line interface (CLI)
A command line interface, or CLI, lets you work by typing commands rather than clicking.
Files and Folders
Files and folders organize the information stored on a computer.
Folder / directory
A folder, also called a directory, is a container used to organize files on a computer.
Path
A path is the address of a file or folder.
For example, a path might be C:\Repos on Windows or ~/Repos on macOS and Linux.
Current folder (working directory)
The current folder, also called the working directory, is the folder the terminal is "in" right now.
File name
A file name is the full name of a file, including its extension.
File extension
A file extension is the suffix at the end of a file name that indicates the file type.
Examples include doc, xls, md, and html.
User Interfaces
User interfaces provide different ways to interact with files, applications, and operating-system features.
Context menu
A context menu is a menu that appears when right-clicking, or control-clicking, an item.
Windows File Explorer
Windows File Explorer is the graphical interface used to browse files and folders on Windows.
Finder
Finder is the graphical interface used to browse files and folders on macOS.
Version Control and Repositories
Version control records project history so work can be saved, shared, and updated over time.
Git
Git is a tool that records project history.
GitHub
GitHub is a website that stores project repositories online.
Repository (repo)
A repository, often called a repo, is a folder that Git tracks, including its history.
git clone
git clone makes the first local copy of a GitHub repository.
git add
git add adds files so Git manages them.
git commit
git commit saves a snapshot of changes to local history.
git push
git push sends local commits up to GitHub.
git pull
git pull brings changes down from GitHub to the computer.