IDEs, Editors, and Terminal

How development tools and the command line work

• The command line is a program that allows you to interact with the computer. It is a text based interface that allows you to type commands to the computer. It is very similar to how you interact with the computer using a GUI (Graphical User Interface). The only difference is that instead of using a mouse and clicking on buttons, you type commands to the computer.
• The command line is very powerful, and it is the most efficient way to interact with the computer. It is also the most efficient way to develop software aswell.
• This is why we have such a big emphasis on using Linux and its kernel, and why we recommend you use the command line to develop software for SCRobotics.
• Whilst any development tool will work, the next section we will explain why we recommend you use a text editor or the command line to develop software for SCRobotics instead of an IDE.

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IDEs vs Editors

• Most tools you used before (whether it is through academia or Youtube tutorials) like Esclipse, Visual Studio, CLion, etc. are IDEs (Integrated Development Environment). They work by providing a GUI (Graphical User Interface) to interact with the computer, and they are usually used to develop software.
• In reality, they are just a bunch of programs that are bundled together to make it easier for the user to use them. For example, Eclipse is a Java IDE, and it is made up of a bunch of Java programs that are bundled together to make it easier for the user to use them. The same goes for Visual Studio, CLion, etc...
• You can achieve the same thing by using the command line or a regular text editor (Notepad works just as well if not faster if you know what you're doing), it is often much easier and efficient to use than an IDE.
• IDEs are great for beginners because they provide a GUI to interact with the computer, and they are usually very easy to use. However, they are not as efficient as using the command line or a regular text editor.
• Which is why we recommend you use a text editor or the command line to develop software for SCRobotics.
• Again, use whatever you are comfortable with, as long if you know what you're doing. Same idea applies, all tools work the same way.
• These are tools we recommend you using (in order of preference):
  • Visual Studio Code (VSCode)
  • Sublime Text
  • Nano
  • Vim

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Terminal

• The terminal is a program that allows you to interact with the computer. It is a text based interface that allows you to type commands to the computer. It is very similar to how you interact with the computer using a GUI (Graphical User Interface). The only difference is that instead of using a mouse and clicking on buttons, you type commands to the computer.
• Common commands you should know or be familiar with:
  • cd - Change directory
  • ls - List files in the current directory
    • Example: If my terminal looks like this:

      jasper@wlux: /home/jasper$
    • This means I am in the /home/jasper/ directory or "Home from the user Jasper". If I type ls into the terminal, it will list all the files in the /home/jasper/ directory.

      jasper@wlux: /home/jasper/$ ls
      Desktop  Documents  Downloads  Music  Pictures  Public  Templates  Videos
    • I could then now type cd Desktop to change my directory to the /home/jasper/Desktop/ directory.

      jasper@wlux: /home/jasper/$ cd Desktop
      jasper@wlux: /home/jasper/Desktop$
    • I could then type ls again to list all the files in the /home/jasper/Desktop/ directory.

      jasper@wlux: /home/jasper/Desktop/$ ls
    • If I wanted to go back to the /home/jasper/ directory, I could type cd .. to go back to the parent directory.

      jasper@wlux: /home/jasper/Desktop/$ cd ..
      jasper@wlux: /home/jasper/$
  • mkdir - Make a directory
  • rm - Remove a file
  • rmdir - Remove a directory
  • mv - Move a file or directory
  • cp - Copy a file or directory
  • cat - Print the contents of a file
  • touch - Create a file
    • Example: If I wanted to create a Python file called main.py, I could type touch main.py into the terminal.
    • But first, let's create a directory called dev/ to store all our source code in.

      jasper@wlux: /home/jasper/$ mkdir dev
      jasper@wlux: /home/jasper/$ cd dev
      jasper@wlux: /home/jasper/dev/$ touch main.py
      jasper@wlux: /home/jasper/dev/$ ls
      main.py
  • sudo - Run a command as the superuser
    • Example: If I wanted to install a program, I would need to use sudo to run the command as the superuser.

      jasper@wlux: /home/jasper/dev/$ sudo apt install python3
  • sudo apt-get update - Update the package list
  • sudo apt-get upgrade - Upgrade all installed packages
    • Usually you would run these two commands before installing any program.
    • This is because the package list and installed packages may be outdated.
    • If you don't update the package list and installed packages, you may not be able to install the program you want.

      jasper@wlux: /home/jasper/dev/$ sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade
    • Note: && is a command that allows you to run multiple commands in one line. You can also use ; to do the same thing.
  • sudo apt-get install - Install a program
    • Example: If I wanted to install Python 3, I would type sudo apt-get install python3 into the terminal.

      jasper@wlux: /home/jasper/dev/$ sudo apt-get install python3
  • sudo apt-get remove - Remove a program
    • Example: If I wanted to remove Python 3, I would type sudo apt-get remove python3 into the terminal. (ALSO PLEASE DON'T UNINSTALL PYTHON3, DON'T ACTUALLY RUN THIS LMAO)

      jasper@wlux: /home/jasper/dev/$ sudo apt-get remove python3
  • sudo apt-get autoremove - Remove all unused packages
    • Example: If I wanted to remove all unused packages, I would type sudo apt-get autoremove into the terminal.

      jasper@wlux: /home/jasper/dev/$ sudo apt-get autoremove
• You can find more commands here.