Terminator: A useful terminal emulator for advanced users
Continuing with the update of the content of old articles, today it is the turn of the application Terminator. Which, is an application that 10 years ago, we already called it with good reason, the King of Terminals.
Personally, I came to use it around 10 years ago, when I worked as a Sysadmin in an organization whose server platform it was 100% based on Linux. Therefore, with knowledge of the facts, I can affirm that it is a excellent app to try and use, if you constantly use the terminals for various activities.
Terminals: Aminal, Cool Retro Term and various customization tricks
And, before starting reading this post about the app Terminator, a robust Terminal for advanced Linux users, we will leave some links to previous related posts:
Terminator: Terminal tiling with advanced options
What is Terminator?
In simple words, we can describe the application Terminator like a gtk application based on the application GNOMETerminal using VTE3 (GTK3 Virtual Terminal Emulator Widget). Therefore, it includes the use of some dependencies related to the GNOME desktop environment. However, despite this, it can be used in other DE and WM, without major difficulties.
However, Terminator It is not a high consumption application, rather, on the contrary, it is relatively light (low consumption) when used.
“Terminator was originally developed by Chris Jones in 2007 as a simple python script of about 300 lines. Since then, he has become the future terminal robot. Originally inspired by projects like quadkonsole and gnome-multi-term and more recently by projects like Iterm2, and Tilix, it allows you to mix and recombine terminals to suit whatever style you like. If you live on the command line, or are connected to 10 different remote machines at once, you should definitely give Terminator a try."
How to use it?
Basically, when installed and launched, we will see a typical Terminal with a single shell or console window. And with simple key shortcuts we can create or delete the necessary console sessions, riding a vertical or horizontal way, or move on them, among other things. As we will see below:
Create more terminals by:
- In horizontal position: Ctrl-Shift-o
- Vertical position: Ctrl-Shift-e
Move between terminals:
- Go to the following terminal: Ctrl-Shift-n.
- Return to the previous terminal: Ctrl-Shift-p.
Create tabs or windows:
- New tab: Ctrl-Shift-t.
- New window: Ctrl-Shift-i.
Close an open console (shell):
- Ctrl-Shift-w Or just right click on the mouse and press the close option.
Close the entire Terminator application (Window open with all consoles and tabs open)
- Ctrl-Shift-q.
Reset the Zoom of an open console session:
- Ctrl-0 or just press the Ctrl key and roll forward or backward the mouse wheel.
Access the Application Preferences Menu:
- Click with the right mouse button on an open console session, and press the Preferences option in the new popup menu.
Terminator Installation
Currently, Terminator goes for the current version number 2.1.2 Of date 19/10/2022. And it can be easily installed in many GNU / Linux Distros in the usual way by console, according to your Operating System. In my own case, when using the MX Distro (Through the Respin Miracles), the installation method is through the command command:
- sudo apt install terminator
Summary
In summary, the GNU / Linux Distros they have many alternative Terminal apps, ranging from the simplest to the most complex, one of the latter being Terminator. So if you really are a IT professionalAs an SysAdmin or DevOps, or other similar ones, we advise you to try it. Since, very surely, it will be very useful for you to do and monitor multiple CLI activities, among many other normal or advanced things.
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