IDG Contributor Network: Unix tip: Using bash on Windows

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The fairly recent appearance of bash on Windows, more properly known as “bash on Ubuntu on Windows” gives Windows some special appeal to those of us who love living on the command line. And it's not just bash, but bash along with all the tools you're likely to be looking for to get your work done.

Jumping in

I have to admit that, during my first few hours, it felt a little strange to be typing Unix commands while running Windows 10. Even so, the command line was obviously so much more powerful and familiar than using PowerShell, that it was also quite exciting. These hours reminded me what it felt like when I first started working from home on the desktop of a system that sat in a data center at work (several hours away) or when I discovered that I could enjoy a glass of my favorite beer while watching a movie at a local movie theater -- all good things, but sufficiently disconcerting to make me do a quick double take. Wow, it actually works. Using bash on a Windows desktop feels more than a little strange.

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