For information on editing, see the description of Plan 9 wiki syntax.
The command set of Plan 9 is similar to that of UNIX. The commands fall into several broad classes. Some are new programs for old jobs: programs like ls(1), cat(1), and who(1) have familiar names and functions but are new, simpler implementations. Who, for example, is a shell script, while ps is just 163 lines of C code. Some commands are essentially the same as their UNIX ancestors: awk(1), troff(1), and others have been converted to ANSI C and extended to handle Unicode, but are still the familiar tools. Some are entirely new programs for old niches: the shell rc(1), text editors acme(1) and sam(1), debuggers acid(1) and db(1), and others displace the better-known UNIX tools with similar jobs. Compatibility was not a requirement for the system. Where the old commands or notation seemed good enough, we kept them. When they didn't, we replaced them. The following list of some UNIX commands, files, and shell terminology, which you can emulate in a Plan 9 system: ! UNIX Plan 9 from Bell Labs ! ! `command` `{ command } ! ! .profile $home/lib/profile ! ! ^C (Ctrl+C) DEL key -- doesn't work without rio(4) though. ! ! ~ $home ! /usr/$user/ ! ! ~username /usr/username ! ! "$@" $* ! ! 1>&2 >[2=1] ! ! apropos lookman(1) ! ! at specific-time while (! ~ (`{ date }) (specific-time)); commands ! ! cc one of ones in 0c(1) followed by the same of 0l(1) ! pcc(1) for Standard C/POSIX programs ! ! cp -r /foo/ /bar/ mkdir /bar/foo/ && dircp /foo/ /bar/foo/ ! ! crontab -e sam /cron/$user/cron ! ! curl http://foo/bar ! wget http://foo/bar hget http://foo/bar > bar ! (progress bar, -t for ascii) hget -v -o bar http://foo/bar |[2] aux/statusbar [-t] 'downloading' ! ! cut awk -F ... ! ! apt-get dist-upgrade ! rpm -Ua ! yum -c update /usr/glenda/bin/rc/pull ! ! apt-get install ! rpm -i package ! yum -c install package 9fs sources ; cd /n/sources/ ! /n/sources/contrib/fgb/root/rc/bin/contrib/install fgb/contrib ; contrib/install $who/$what ! ! df disk/kfscmd check ! echo fsys all df | con -l /srv/fscons ! df in fossilcons(8) ! ! ee ! emacs ! jim ! joe ! nano ! pico ! vi ! xedit sam ! acme ! ! expr hoc -e ! ! find du -a | grep pattern ! grep pattern `{du -a root} ! -name du -a root | grep name ! pattern in a file grep -n pattern `{du -a root | awk '{print $2}'} ! -exec cp '{}' x ';' cp `{ du -a | grep pattern } x ! ! fsck echo fsys all check fix | con -l /srv/fscons ! if running venti, for a thorough fix: echo fsys all check fix venti snapshot | con -l /srv/fscons ! ! ftp ftpfs host.domain (Remote files apear in /n/ftp). ! ! ftpd aux/listen ftp ! ! getopt getflags(8) ! ! groff -l troff | lp ! ! grops dpost - see troff(1) ! ! head sed 10q ! ! hwclock cat '#r/rtc' ! aux/timesync ! ! id echo $user ! cat /dev/user ! grep `{cat /dev/user} /adm/users ! grep $user /adm/users ! ! iostat iostats(4) ! ! ifconfig(IP address) cat /net/ndb ! ! ifconfig ip/ipconfig ether /net/ether0 add 192.168.1.32 ! ip/ipconfig # let dhcp do it ! ! kill pid stop processname | rc ! echo stop > /proc/pid/ctl ! (in both cases, switch stop with start to get it back) ! ! kill -9 pid ! kill -KILL pid slay processname | rc ! echo kill > /proc/pid/ctl ! ! ld one of the ones in 0l(1) ! ! ls lc -F ! ! lspci pci -v ! ! make mk (not exactly the same) ! if necessary, use make in ape/psh ! ! man -k lookman(1) ! ! less ! more p ! ! mount [-p flag] bind(1) ! unmount(1) ! 9fs(1) ! srv(1) ! import(4) ! exportfs(4) ! -p ns(1) ! ! mount /dev/fd0 /mnt a: ; cd /n/a: ! ! mount /dev/acd0 /mnt 9660srv ! mkdir /n/9660 ! mount /srv/9660 /n/9660 /dev/sdD0/data ! ! netcat -l aux/listen1 -t tcp!*!$port command ! ! netstat [-r flag] netstat(1) ! -r cat /net/iproute ! ! nfsstat iostats(4) ! ! nslookup ndb/dnsquery ! ! passwd auth/changeuser username (first time) ! passwd (subsequent times) ! ! paste [FILE] ... pr -m [FILE] ... ! ! PATH=$PATH:... bind -a directory /bin ! ! ping ip/ping ! ! pkginfo wrap(8) ! ! reboot fshalt -r (note that there is a reboot command, but it doesn't call fshalt) ! ! rmdir rm(1) ! With contents inside: rm -r dir ! ! sh rc(1) ! if necessary, ape/psh ! ! shutdown fshalt(8) ! echo reboot > /dev/reboot ! echo panic > /dev/reboot ! ! snoop snoopy(8) ! ! source . ! ! startx ! launch (Andrew Project) ! mux (Blit's wm) rio (replaces 8½ and help) ! ! tar xzf file.tgz tar xf file.tgz ! ! tcpdump snoopy(8) ! ! traceroute ip/traceroute ! ! tree du $* | awk '{print $2}' | sort | sed 's/[^\/]+\// /g' ! ! ufs{dump|restore} yesterday(1) ! history(1) ! fs(4) ! ! vigr ! vipw [Adding a new user] ! ! vlock http://mirtchovski.com/lanlp9/rlock ! (specify password at invocation) ! ! vmstat stats(1) ! cat /dev/sysstat ! cat /dev/swap ! ! which whatis ! ! xbiff faces ! ! xclock clock ! games/catclock ! faces ! ! xditview troff | page ! troff | proof ! ! xload stats -l ! ! xlock /n/sources/contrib/steve/conslock ! (authenticates against authentication server) ! ! xlogo window 'hget http://plan9.bell-labs.com/plan9/img/plan9bunnysmblack.jpg | page' ! ! xman cat man -t cat | page ! ! xv file.jpg page file.jpg ! ! xwininfo winwatch ! ! yes while() { echo y } ! yes arg while() { echo arg } ! OTHER APPLICATIONS: * [Web browsers] * Word processing: troff(1)