Workshop 3: Building a new skill takes time and directed effort: a practice plan for learning the command line

Tuesday, March 28, 2023 - 9:00-11:00am PT / 12:00-2:00pm ET / 5:00-7:00pm BST

This workshop will not be recorded
Workshop registration limit: 30 participants

Dianne Dietrich, Cornell University Library; Farrell, Matthew, Duke University Libraries; Brian Dietz, NC State University Libraries

There is a lot of value in learning to work at the command line: it can be more efficient than graphical interfaces, it can lead to the automation of tasks, and some tools are only available as command line applications. While there is no shortage of workshops and tutorials on learning the command line, it can be challenging to put that new knowledge into consistent practice. Without practice, however, new skills often fade and we can find ourselves returning to our old routines rather than incorporating those new skills into our day-to-day.This workshop proposes techniques for incorporating command line practice into everyday tasks. The purpose of this is to solidify core skills so that they become automatic (pun intended), ultimately to help learners advance. We will outline a two-month program to practice command line tasks and incrementally build fluency in using, and troubleshooting use of, the command line in everyday work. This workshop is for you if you have a desire to learn the command line, and maybe have even tried before, but for whatever reason, it just hasn’t stuck. A little bit of previous experience will be helpful for attendees. Folks who are brand new to CLI may register/attend, but it will be a good idea to get some pre-workshop experience (https://learnpythonthehardway.org/book/appendixa.html). If you’re looking to develop a command line practice, this is for you!

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