The Unix Workbench

Johns Hopkins University

About this Course

Unix forms a foundation that is often very helpful for accomplishing other goals you might have for you and your computer, whether that goal is running a business, writing a book, curing disease, or creating the next great app. The means to these goals are sometimes carried out by writing software. Software can’t be mined out of the ground, nor can software seeds be planted in spring to harvest by autumn. Software isn’t produced in factories on an assembly line. Software is a hand-made, often bespoke good. If a software developer is an artisan, then Unix is their workbench. Unix provides an essential and simple set of tools in a distraction-free environment. Even if you’re not a software developer learning Unix can open you up to new methods of thinking and novel ways to scale your ideas. This course is intended for folks who are new to programming and new to Unix-like operating systems like macOS and Linux distributions like Ubuntu. Most of the technologies discussed in this course will be accessed via a command line interface. Command line interfaces can seem alien at first, so this course attempts to draw parallels between using the command line and actions that you would normally take while using your mouse and keyboard. You’ll also learn how to write little pieces of software in a programming language called Bash, which allows you to connect together the tools we’ll discuss. My hope is that by the end of this course you be able to use different Unix tools as if they’re interconnecting Lego bricks.

100% online course

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Beginner Level

Approx. 18 hours to complete

Suggested: 4 weeks, 4 hours per week

English

Subtitles: English, Spanish, German, Chinese (Simplified)

Skills you will gain

Bash (Unix Shell)GithubUnixShell Script

100% online course

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Beginner Level

Approx. 18 hours to complete

Suggested: 4 weeks, 4 hours per week

English

Subtitles: English, Spanish, German, Chinese (Simplified)

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

1

Section

5 hours to complete

Unix and Command Line Basics

This week we'll help you get access to Unix (you may already be using it), and you'll start using the command line. We'll draw parallels between using your mouse and keyboard with your computer's graphics versus only using the command line....

1 video (Total 1 min), 13 readings, 1 quiz

1 videos

Welcome to Week 10m

13 readings

Introduction10m

The Unix Workbench Book10m

What is Unix?10m

Mac & Ubuntu Users10m

Windows10m

Hello Terminal!45m

Hello Terminal! Exercises10m

Navigating the Command Line45m

Navigating the Command Line Exercises10m

Creation and Inspection45m

Creation and Inspection Exercises10m

Migration and Destruction45m

Migration and Destruction Exercises10m

1 practice exercises

Command Line Basics20m

2

Section

3 hours to complete

Working with Unix

Now we'll get into the power of different Unix tools. We'll walk through several scenarios where you could use Unix to perform tasks at a much faster speed than you would be able to normally....

1 video (Total 0 min), 16 readings, 1 quiz

1 videos

Welcome to Week 20m

16 readings

Self-Help10m

Self-Help Exercises10m

Get Wild10m

Get Wild Exercises10m

Regular Expressions10m

Metacharacters10m

Character Sets10m

Escaping, Anchors, Odds, and Ends10m

Find10m

Search Exercises10m

History10m

Customizing Bash10m

Differentiate10m

Pipes10m

Pipes Exercises10m

Make10m

1 practice exercises

Working with Unix20m

3

Section

5 hours to complete

Bash Programming

During this week we'll unleash the command line's usefulness as a programming language. By the end of this week you'll be writing your own little computer programs that you can use on the command line....

1 video (Total 1 min), 25 readings, 1 quiz

1 videos

Welcome to Week 30m

25 readings

Math10m

Math Exercises10m

Variables10m

Variables Exercises10m

User Input10m

User Input Exercise10m

Conditional Execution10m

Conditional Expressions10m

If and Else10m

Logic and If/Else Exercises10m

Arrays10m

Arrays Exercises10m

Braces10m

Braces Exercise10m

for10m

while10m

Nesting10m

Loops Exercises10m

Writing Functions10m

Getting Values from Functions10m

Functions Exercises10m

The Unix Philosophy10m

Making Programs Executable10m

Environmental Variables10m

Writing Programs Exercises10m

1 practice exercises

Bash Programming20m

4

Section

5 hours to complete

Git and GitHub

First you'll learn how to use Git, which is like "track changes" for your code and plain text files, but much more powerful. We'll then explore how to use Git with GitHub, a social coding network where you can publish you projects and explore other's code. ...

1 video (Total 1 min), 16 readings, 2 quizzes

1 videos

Welcome to Week 40m

16 readings

What are Git and GitHub?10m

Setting Up Git and GitHub10m

Getting Started with Git10m

Git Exercises10m

Gitting Help, Logs, and Diffs10m

Ignoring Files10m

Important Git Features Exercises10m

Branching, Part 110m

Branching, Part 210m

Branching Exercises10m

GitHub10m

Markdown10m

Pull Requests10m

Pages10m

Forking10m

GitHub Exercises10m

1 practice exercises

Git & GitHub10m

2 hours to complete

Nephology

Finally we'll set up a cloud computing environment so we can explore how computers communicate with each other using the internet....

11 readings, 1 quiz

11 readings

Introduction to Cloud Computing10m

Setting Up DigitalOcean10m

Connecting to the Cloud10m

Moving Files In and Out of the Cloud10m

Talking to Other Servers10m

Automating Tasks10m

Cloud Computing Exercises10m

Shutting Down a Server10m

Next Steps10m

Giving Feedback10m

Using This Book10m

1 practice exercises

Nephology10m

Instructors

Sean Kross

Department of Biostatistics

Jeff Leek, PhD

Associate Professor, Biostatistics

Brian Caffo, PhD

Professor, Biostatistics

Roger D. Peng, PhD

Associate Professor, Biostatistics

About Johns Hopkins University

The mission of The Johns Hopkins University is to educate its students and cultivate their capacity for life-long learning, to foster independent and original research, and to bring the benefits of discovery to the world....

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Once you enroll for a Certificate, you’ll have access to all videos, quizzes, and programming assignments (if applicable). Peer review assignments can only be submitted and reviewed once your session has begun. If you choose to explore the course without purchasing, you may not be able to access certain assignments.
What will I get if I pay for this course?
If you pay for this course, you will have access to all of the features and content you need to earn a Course Certificate. If you complete the course successfully, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. Note that the Course Certificate does not represent official academic credit from the partner institution offering the course.
What is the refund policy?
Is financial aid available?
Yes! Coursera provides financial aid to learners who would like to complete a course but cannot afford the course fee. To apply for aid, select "Learn more and apply" in the Financial Aid section below the "Enroll" button. You'll be prompted to complete a simple application; no other paperwork is required.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center

The Unix Workbench