Just like with other operating systems like MS Windows, it is important to learn how to '''open a command prompt in order to issue commands to perform common tasks'''. In Unix/Linux, a '''shell''' is simply an interface / interpreter to allow a user to communicate with the Linux computer system (server). Linux shells have evolved (improved) over a period of time. You will be using the '''Bash Shell''' which is considered to be user-friendly. By understanding how to issue Linux commands, you can create a file consisting of Linux commands and programming techniques called a '''shell script ''' (learned later in this course) to automate tasks to make you a more productive user and administrator.