Using the Terminal

The terminal provides full command-line access to your spaces. Execute commands, manage files, and run development tools with a touch-optimized interface designed for mobile productivity.

Getting started

Understanding the prompt

When connected to a space, you’ll see:

user@hostname:~$

This prompt shows:

• user - Your username
• hostname - Space name
• ~ - Current directory (~ means home)
• $ - Ready for commands (# for root)

Basic navigation

Essential commands for moving around:

Command	Function	Example
pwd	Print working directory	pwd
ls	List directory contents	ls -la
cd	Change directory	cd /var/log
cd ..	Go up one level	cd ..
cd ~	Go to home directory	cd ~

Terminal interface

Touch toolbar

Quick access buttons above the keyboard:

• Tab - Command completion
• Ctrl - Control key combinations
• Esc - Cancel operations
• Arrows - Command history navigation

Gesture controls

Navigate efficiently with touch:

• Pinch - Zoom text size
• Two-finger tap - Paste clipboard
• Swipe from left - Toggle keyboard
• Long press - Select text

Session management

Work with multiple terminal sessions:

1. Tap + to create new session
2. Swipe between active sessions
3. Long-press tab to close
4. Sessions persist during app switches

Essential commands

File operations

Common file management tasks:

# View file contents
cat filename.txt
less large_file.log

# Edit files
nano simple.txt
vi advanced.cfg

# Copy and move
cp source.txt destination.txt
mv oldname.txt newname.txt

# Create and remove
touch newfile.txt
mkdir newfolder
rm unwanted.txt
rmdir emptyfolder

System information

Monitor system status:

# Process management
ps aux          # List all processes
top             # Real-time process view
htop            # Enhanced process viewer
kill PID        # Terminate process

# System resources
df -h           # Disk usage
free -m         # Memory usage
uptime          # System uptime
uname -a        # System information

Network tools

Debug connectivity:

# Network status
ifconfig        # Network interfaces
ping google.com # Test connectivity
netstat -an     # Network connections
curl httpbin.org/ip # Check external IP

Productivity features

Command completion

Use Tab for intelligent completion:

cd Doc[TAB]     # Completes to: cd Documents/
git sta[TAB]    # Completes to: git status
ssh us[TAB]     # Shows matching hosts

History navigation

Access previous commands efficiently:

• Up/Down arrows - Browse history
• Ctrl+R - Search history
• !! - Repeat last command
• !$ - Use last argument
• history - View command history

Aliases

Create shortcuts for common tasks:

# Add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc
alias ll='ls -lah'
alias ..='cd ..'
alias ...='cd ../..'
alias gs='git status'
alias gp='git pull'
alias dc='docker-compose'

Advanced usage

Input/Output redirection

Control command data flow:

# Output redirection
ls > files.txt          # Write to file
ls >> files.txt         # Append to file
command 2> errors.txt   # Redirect errors

# Input redirection
sort < unsorted.txt     # Read from file
wc -l < document.txt    # Count lines

# Pipes
ls | grep ".txt"        # Filter output
ps aux | grep node      # Find processes
cat log | tail -n 50    # Last 50 lines

Background processes

Run long tasks without blocking:

# Run in background
npm run build &

# List background jobs
jobs

# Bring to foreground
fg %1

# Send to background
Ctrl+Z (suspend)
bg

Terminal multiplexing

Use tmux for persistent sessions:

# Session management
tmux new -s dev         # New named session
tmux ls                 # List sessions
tmux attach -t dev      # Reattach session
tmux detach            # Detach (Ctrl+B, D)

# Window management
Ctrl+B, C              # New window
Ctrl+B, N              # Next window
Ctrl+B, P              # Previous window
Ctrl+B, [0-9]          # Switch to window

Customization

Shell configuration

Personalize your environment:

# ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc
# Custom prompt
export PS1='\[\e[32m\]\u\[\e[0m\]@\[\e[34m\]\h\[\e[0m\]:\w$ '

# Environment variables
export EDITOR=nano
export PATH=$PATH:~/bin

# Functions
mkcd() { mkdir -p "$1" && cd "$1"; }

Color schemes

Kisuke offers multiple terminal themes:

1. Open Settings
2. Select Terminal
3. Choose theme
4. Adjust font size

Troubleshooting

Common issues

Characters display incorrectly

• Check locale settings: locale
• Set UTF-8: export LANG=en_US.UTF-8
• Verify terminal encoding in Settings

Commands not found

• Check PATH: echo $PATH
• Verify installation: which command
• Update package manager: apt update or brew update

Session disconnects

• Check network stability
• Increase SSH timeout in space settings
• Use tmux for persistence

Keyboard issues

• Toggle keyboard with swipe gesture
• Check external keyboard settings
• Reset keyboard toolbar in Settings

Performance tips

Optimize for mobile

• Use aliases for long commands
• Enable command history search
• Configure minimal prompts
• Limit terminal scrollback

Network efficiency

• Use tmux to survive disconnects
• Enable SSH compression
• Reduce keepalive intervals
• Cache frequently used data

Next steps

• File management →
• Port forwarding →
• Authentication setup →

Note

The terminal in Kisuke provides a full Unix environment. All standard command-line tools work as expected, making it suitable for serious development work on mobile devices.