Why Use the Shell?

Moving from the GUI to the command line is a conscious choice for most people, although it is increasingly rare that it is an either choice. While using a graphical desktop on top of the X server, you can press Ctrl+Alt+F1 (or any of F2 to F6) at any time to switch to a terminal, but most people tend to run an X terminal application that allows them to have the point-and-click applications and the command-line applications side by side, such as the default one found in the menu at Applications, Accessories, Terminal.

Reasons for running the shell include the following: