Using the shell

If your Linux system has no GUI, you will most likely see a shell prompt after you log in. Your primary means of using the Linux system will be to interact using the shell by typing commands. If you log in as a regular user(non-root) the default prompt will be a $ (dollar) sign and if you log in as root it will be a # (hash) sign.

In most Linux systems, the $ and # prompts are preceded by your username, system name, and current directory name. For example, a login prompt for the user named torvald on a computer named linus with /home/Desktop/ as the current working directory would appear as [torvald@linus Desktop]$

In most Linux systems, your default shell is the bash shell. To find out what your default login shell is, type the following commands: 

$ who am i 

chris pts/0 2011-11-26 07:19 (:0.0) 

$ grep chris /etc/passwd 

cnegus:x:13597:13597:Chris Negus:/home/cnegus:/bin/bash

The who am i command shows your username and the grep command shows the definition of your user account in the /etc/password file. The last field in that entry shows that the bash shell (/bin/bash) is your default shell.