Notes on unix, X-windows, and numerical routines on "big".

First some basics.

• To log into big, use a "telnet" program on one of the workstations in the lab.
• To move files between the workstations and big, use an FTP program. (On the Macs this is called "Fetch.")
• There are lots of online resources on Unix; one place to start reading is  UNIXhelp or  Yahoo's Unix Links .
• The basic commands at the prompt are "ls" (list), "cd" (change directory), cp (copy), mv (move), and "man" (help).
• Ending a command with the ampersand (&) will run that command in the background.  This is espcially useful if your terminal will do X-windows, since you can launch applications which pop up on your desktop.  Try typing "xclock &", for example.
• The best editor is xemacs - trust me on this one.  Or just create and edit your text files on a Mac or PC, and use FTP to move the back and forth.