term -- Bashing around in Linux

Some neat tricks and How-Tos concerning that "command Box" thingy known as an xterm. Now -- I know some of you folks may be playing around with rxvt or an eterm or some other little side-dish, but most of the following will likely still apply.

• Running Programs from an xterm
  
  Why would you want to? Well, if there's a program you just installed, it's the best way to test it. If an app won't run when you click on a menu item or a shortcut you usually don't know what's going on. But run it from a "term" window, and you may soon be enlightened.
  
  Any decent program is going to include error handlers in the code that send messages to stderr or stdout. And guess what -- you see that output in an xterm.
  
  For example, the beginning of my FONTpage program checks for a few things before getting down to business. Before it would become visible it might be sending the following messages to stderr:
  
  "pyGTK version 2.6 or greater is required for this application"
  "Cannot load Pango"
  "You need FontConfig to run FONTpage"
  
  And then there are checks for commanline parsing . . . Missing libraries and other support files are tough to find out about if you do not resort to running apps from a term to test them. It's usually just as simple as typing in the command to run the program.

• cut and paste
  
  In an xterm?
  You bet.
  
  to paste:
  copy a string of words from somewhere on your system -- and paste it into the xterm. Don't use <ctrl>V though -- use <Shift><Insert>
  
  
  To copy from an xterm:
  simply select the text.
  Then paste it into another program (for instance, in Nedit, the text editor I use all the time) via a middle-button click or (if emulating 3-buttons) click left and right mouse buttons at the same time. (Normal paste Ctrl+V will not work.)

• Repeating commands
  
  Another way I've saved tons of time is by repeating old commands.
  While in a term, clicking the Up Arrow key will show the last command entered. Up again will display the second to last command -- and so on. Go back as many commands as you want -- usually as much as a couple hundred . . to move back to more recent commands use the down arrow. When you are at the command you want, just hit Enter

• Print an xterm
  
  Sure you can, and without any fancy cutting or pasting . . . because an xterm has Menus. The option to print appears in the general menu, which you bring up by holding down the <Ctrl> key and clicking the Left Mouse Button.
  
  To access the FONTS MENU you down the <Ctrl> key and clicking the Right Mouse Button.

• I think I did something wrong --
  
  You entered something and suddenly output keeps streaming out nonstop, or you lost your prompt and there is nothing you can do.
  
  Sounds like you started a process that is running endlessly or will not return. Now, while closing the xterm should stop that process -- that is rather extreme, and simply a waste of time if you're going to try again. Instead, if such a problem arises, stay calm, (and don't look aound to give anyone a clue) -- simply, casually
  press <Ctrl>+C
  That will stop whatever process you started and return you to the prompt.

• So much text, it's tough to read. (Clear the term) --
  
  You could type clear and then Enter, and that would give you a clean window with just the prompt. But what is easier is to just type:
  <Ctrl>+L

• All done with your xterm?
  
  Press <Ctrl>+D