You open Terminal much the same way you would any program on the Mac - from the Finder, Launchpad or Spotlight. Terminal is a handy program for changing settings and solving technical problems. The OS X Terminal is a very powerful tool for configuring and using a Mac, and can be used to script and program a number of aspects of the computer's operations however, its text-based interface. Screenshot by Topher Kessler/CNET If you are just getting started with using the Terminal, you may find it useful to build your command vocabulary. Hitting Tab with no previous text entered will get you a list of all the available commands.
Of course there are basic commands like 'ls' for listing directory contents or 'cd' for changing directory, but in addition there are text editors, string parsers, expression managers, and numerous other commands that, depending on the purpose, can make the Terminal a hidden but exceptionally powerful tool. There are thousands of Terminal commands available, but when you first launch it you might not have a clue where to look for them.
The OS X Terminal is a very powerful tool for configuring and using a Mac, and can be used to script and program a number of aspects of the computer's operations however, its text-based interface can be a bit of a cryptic environment to first-timers, especially when it comes to finding out what you can use it for.
