Linux Shell Prompt Basics
Command Line
The command line is where options to a command are placed.
Eg: command -options filename
Shell Prompt
The shell prompt is the marker on the screen that shows where the command line should be placed. The following is an example of a shell prompt in Redhat Linux : [username@localhost.localdomain username]$
Shell
The shell is the program that interprets commands so that the operating system can understand them.
Terminal Window
The terminal window is the window that contains the shell prompt, command line, and output from the shell in linux.
There are many number of symbols that can be used to indicate end of the shell eg "$" and "#".There is a slight difference between these sysmbols. Whenever the shell is ending with :$" i.e.,
[username@localhost.localdomain username]$
The symbol, "$", is the last character in the prompt when you are logged in as a normal user.
And when the shell prompt ends with "#" i.e.,
[root@localhost.localdomain root]#
The symbol, "#", is the last character in the prompt when you are logged in as a root user.