Documentation for the susmic.dev terminal

[susmic]

Hello everyone,

This page explains the terminal on susmic.dev.

The terminal is the command-line box on the home page. You type commands into it, press Enter, and it prints a response. You do not need to install anything or know Linux beforehand.

1. Getting started

The prompt looks like this:

root@susmic:~#

When you see that prompt, the terminal is ready.

Best first commands:

help
ls
cat about.txt
cat projects.txt
posts
fastfetch

A simple path through the terminal:

Type help.
Type ls.
Pick a file name from the list.
Type cat followed by that file name.

Example:

cat projects.txt

2. Startup text

The terminal opens with a short login-style message. The exact timestamp comes from your local clock in the America/New_York timezone, so it changes every visit. Example:

Welcome to Linux 6.12.5 (GNU/Linux)

 * Documentation:  https://susmic.dev/docs
 * Type 'help' to see what's available.

Last login: sun may 24 16:51:31 2026 from 127.0.0.1
root@susmic:~#

The final line is the prompt. Type after it.

3. Main commands

help

Shows the command list.

available commands:
  ls            list projects
  ls -l         long listing
  cat <file>    read about a project
  posts         list all blog posts
  post <n>      open a specific post
  ps            list running processes
  pstree        process tree
  kill <pid>    send a signal
  tail          last bit of a file
  dmesg         kernel ring buffer
  history       command history
  whoami        who is this gremlin
  neofetch      RIP -- try fastfetch
  fastfetch     system info
  clear         wipe terminal
  sudo rm -rf / please don't
  :(){:|:&};:   really please don't

ls

Shows readable files.

about.txt
projects.txt
uses.txt
rootkit-vm.txt
rig.txt
socials.txt
blog-latest.json

Use cat to read one of them.

cat about.txt

ls -l

Shows the same files with extra listing details.

total 7
-rw-r--r--  1 root  root   720 may 22 21:00 about.txt
-rw-r--r--  1 root  root  1.2K may 21 09:14 projects.txt
-rw-r--r--  1 root  root  1.1K may 20 18:30 uses.txt
-rw-r--r--  1 root  root  1.1K may 14 03:08 rootkit-vm.txt
-rw-r--r--  1 root  root   612 apr 30 17:33 rig.txt
-rw-r--r--  1 root  root  1.4K may 22 23:18 socials.txt
-rw-r--r--  1 root  root    14 may 22 17:58 blog-latest.json

cat <file>

Reads a file.

cat about.txt
cat projects.txt
cat uses.txt
cat socials.txt

Files:

about.txt -- about susmic and the site
projects.txt -- current projects
uses.txt -- hardware, software, and daily tools
rootkit-vm.txt -- private lab note
rig.txt -- workstation details
socials.txt -- public links
blog-latest.json -- latest blog metadata

If the file does not exist, the terminal returns:

cat: filename: No such file or directory

posts

Lists blog posts. The exact post list depends on what is currently published. Example output if four posts exist:

posts -- 4 total

  #4 . newest post title may 24 2026
  #3 . another post may 23 2026
  #2 . older post may 20 2026
  #1 . first post may 18 2026

try: post 4

post <n>

Opens a numbered blog post.

post 4

If no number is given, the terminal returns:

post: usage: post <number>

history

Shows commands you already typed in the current session.

   1  help
   2  ls
   3  cat projects.txt

clear

Clears the terminal screen and gives you a fresh prompt.

4. File guide

about.txt

A short introduction to susmic and the site.
cat about.txt

projects.txt

Shows project links and project descriptions.
cat projects.txt

uses.txt

Shows the hardware, software, services, and tools used by susmic.
cat uses.txt

rootkit-vm.txt

Shows the lab note. This file may reveal more if you keep exploring nearby commands.
cat rootkit-vm.txt

rig.txt

Shows workstation details.
cat rig.txt

socials.txt

Shows public links.
cat socials.txt

blog-latest.json

Shows the current latest blog metadata as JSON.
cat blog-latest.json

5. System-style commands

whoami
root

pwd
/root

cd

Accepts cd ~, cd /root, cd ., cd .., and cd / silently. Anything else returns:
bash: cd: somewhere: No such file or directory

date

Shows the current date and time in the America/New_York timezone. Output adjusts automatically for EDT vs EST.
Sun May 24 12:51:31 EDT 2026

uname
Linux susmic 6.12.5-susmic #1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC x86_64 GNU/Linux

tty
/dev/pts/0

echo

Prints back whatever you type after echo.
echo hello
hello

ps

Shows running process entries.

  PID TTY          TIME CMD
    1 ?        00:00:04 systemd
  428 ?        00:00:01 systemd-journal
  511 ?        00:00:00 sshd
  823 ?        00:00:00 NetworkManager
 1247 ?        00:00:02 gnome-shell
 1893 pts/0    00:00:00 bash
 1894 pts/0    00:00:00 qemu-system-x86
 4291 pts/0    00:00:00 ps

You can also try:
ps aux

pstree

systemd-+-NetworkManager
        +-gnome-shell---{gnome-shell}
        +-sshd
        +-bash---qemu-system-x86---{qemu-system-x86}
        `-systemd-journal

dmesg

Shows kernel-style messages.

[    0.000000] Linux version 6.12.5-susmic (root@susmic) #1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC
[    0.000000] Command line: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-6.12.5-susmic root=UUID=...
[    1.247991] systemd[1]: Started Journal Service.
[    2.018472] EXT4-fs (sda1): mounted filesystem with ordered data mode
[   18.014872] qemu-system-x86[1894]: launched VM 'susmic-sandbox'

fastfetch

Shows system information: operating system, host, kernel, uptime, packages, shell, display, desktop environment, terminal, CPU, GPU, memory, disk, local IP, and cat status.
fastfetch

neofetch

bash: neofetch: command not found
try 'fastfetch' -- neofetch has been unmaintained since 2024

6. Logs and signals

tail

Shows the end of a readable file or log. Supports -f to follow, and -n N, -nN, or --lines=N to set how many lines.

tail projects.txt
tail -n 5 projects.txt
tail rootkit-vm.txt
tail /tmp/sample.log
tail -f /tmp/sample.log

If no file is given:
tail: missing operand

If the file cannot be found:
tail: cannot open 'filename' for reading: No such file or directory

kill <pid>

Sends a signal request to a process id. Supports -9, -KILL, -s KILL, and -n 9 forms.

kill 1
kill 31337
kill -9 31337
kill -s KILL 31337

If the process does not exist:
kill: (pid): No such process

7. Cursed commands

sudo

bash: sudo: command not found -- you're already root, genius

sudo rm -rf /

Prints a destructive-looking sequence and then the page ends. Only triggers when one of the arguments is literally / or /*. Things like sudo rm notes.txt are safe.

[sudo] password for root: ********
rm: it is dangerous to operate recursively on '/'
rm: use --no-preserve-root to override this failsafe

:(){:|:&};:

Prints a fork-bomb-style crash sequence and then the page ends. You can also type forkbomb.

pacman

pacman -U neofetch
pacman -S neofetch

Possible output:

loading packages...
error: 'neofetch': could not find or read package

or:

error: target not found: neofetch
use fastfetch instead

exit

nope, you live here now

8. Keyboard controls

Enter runs the command.
Up Arrow brings back an older command from history.
Down Arrow moves forward through command history.
Tab completes cat commands and cycles through readable file names.
Clicking inside the terminal focuses the input again.

9. Good things to try

Start with:

help
ls
cat about.txt
cat projects.txt
cat uses.txt
posts
fastfetch

Then poke around:

ps
pstree
dmesg
tail /tmp/sample.log
uname
date

Then try the cursed stuff if you want the page to start acting like it drank solder flux:

sudo rm -rf /
:(){:|:&};:

10. Getting unstuck

If the terminal says command not found, the command is not available.

If cat says No such file or directory, run ls again and copy one of the listed names.

If post says post: usage: post <number>, run posts first, pick a number, and then run post with that number.

If the screen is too full, run:

clear

If you are completely lost, run:

help

--
susmic
susmic at susmic (dot) dev