Run statistics on typed shell commands
Programming Snapshot – Shell Stats
© Lead Image © Scott Rothstein, 123RF.com
In the history log, the Bash shell records all commands typed by the user. Mike Schilli extracts this data with Go for a statistical analysis of his typing behavior.
How did the long command to connect to the database server work again? Shell power users know this memory problem and have taught themselves tricks over the years to repeat or resend modified versions of previously sent command lines. For example, the sequence !! repeats the last command (useful to prepend a sudo you might have forgotten); with Ctrl+R you can find and reuse commands that were sent further back in time by using search patterns. Bash remembers the entire typing history and shows it with the history command, which lists the tail end of what it has in memory (Figure 1).
Figure 1: The history command displays the last commands that were issued.
If you have ever taken a look at the .bash_history file in your home directory, you will know its little secret. This is where Bash simply appends every command sent, regardless of if it was successful or aborted with an error. If you ask for the last commands you entered, Bash simply looks there (Figure 2).
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Kubuntu Focus Goes Ultra
The Kubuntu Focus team has upped the performance ante of its M2 and Zr laptops with the latest, greatest CPUs from Intel.
-
Linux Gamers May Soon See Less Mouse Lag in KDE Plasma
Gamers using KDE’s Plasma desktop have been suffering from a slight input delay in mouse movement that could lead to getting fragged.
-
Three Lines of Code Improve Linux Storage Performance
A developer changed three lines of code, giving Linux storage performance a 5% bump.
-
AUR Hit Again with Malicious Packages
Once again the Arch User Repository is plagued by a high volume of malicious packages.
-
Alpine Linux 3.24 Features Fresh Desktops and a Newer Kernel
If you're a fan of Alpine Linux, it's time to upgrade because the latest version has been released with KDE Plasma 6.6, Gnome 50, and Linux kernel 6.18 LTS.
-
EU Open Source Strategy Plays Key Role in Tech Sovereignty Package
Comprehensive measures adopted by the European Commission aim to reduce dependency on non-EU countries.
-
Linux Foundation Report Indicates AI Driving Tech Hiring
Within growing security and skills gaps, AI has been found to be a positive driving force behind tech hiring trends in Europe.
-
United Nations Open Source Portal Goes Live
A new open source portal seeks to coordinate and scale open source efforts across the United Nations system.
-
KDE Linux Drops AUR
KDE Linux developers have dropped the Arch User Repository from the build pipeline due to security concerns; other distributions should consider doing the same.
-
California May Exempt Linux from Its Age-Verification Law
After backlash from the Linux community, California may be backing off on its promise to force all operating systems to verify age, but one platform may still have to comply.