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Recently I installed Ubuntu 15.04. It's really fantastic but I don't want to use the GUI. I want to practice commands.

How can I make Ubuntu CLI only?

Yet Another User
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rakeshz bejgum
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2 Answers2

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If you really want Ubuntu to be CLI only, install Ubuntu Server. It is possible to rip out the GUI but that might break your installation. Please backup your data before doing this: sudo apt-get autoremove --purge ubuntu-desktop.

If you want to learn commands without having a fairly unusable machine, consider running Ubuntu Server in a VM or even just opening a terminal with Ctrl+Shift+T.

Some example pieces of software that run VMs on Ubuntu are:

  • VirtualBox: install with sudo apt-get install virtualbox

  • VMM/KVM: install with sudo apt-get install virt-manager

Yet Another User
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If you want to practice command-line scripting opening a terminal, as suggested, is one way to go about it.

A second way, which will allow you to keep your DE, is to login to a text-only virtual console. It has kind of an old Unix server feel to it. There are 6 virtual consoles in Ubuntu accessed by the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+Alt+F1 to Ctrl+Alt+F6. The console can be accessed at any time during your session, but preferably when the login manager presents itself (unity-greeter).

In the console type your user name (hit Enter) at the prompt and then your password at the next prompt. To exit the session, type exit (assuming you're still in your account and at shell-lvl 1) and you will be returned to the login prompt. Press the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Alt+F7 to return to the login manager screen or your desktop environment.

You can check what tty you are currently logged in on by typing the who command at the prompt, in the textual console. For the case of Ctrl+Alt+F6 you would be logged into tty6.

karel
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oOpSgEo
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  • For more info about shell levels: http://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/3212/how-to-know-the-level-of-shells-i-am-in/3217#3217 – karel Jun 07 '15 at 07:26
  • Thanks Karel, you are right, the more informative, the better. – oOpSgEo Jun 07 '15 at 08:16