You're already done! Bash is provided by default with _nearly_ every version of Linux. ## Terminal The first thing you need to determine is: _how to open a **Terminal**._ This is different in different Linux _distributions._ There are a few ways to do this: - On Ubuntu, simply type <kbd>Ctrl</kbd>+<kbd>Alt</kbd>+<kbd>T</kbd> - If your distribution of Linux has an application launcher, open it and type `Terminal` and see if any applications show up! - If none of these options work, search online. ### Open Terminal Once you have a terminal open, you should be staring at a "black box" or "white box" similar to the one shown below:  > Note: there is a small chance that your Linux distribution's **terminal** does not use Bash, by default. > > You can check by typing the following and then pressing the return key <kbd>⏎</kbd>: > ```shell > echo $SHELL > ``` > > If this does not print out `/bin/bash` or `/???/bash`, then your terminal does not use Bash by default. > > First, check to see if Bash is installed by running: > ```shell > bash --version > ``` > This will either print the Bash version (_as seen [[#bash --version|below]]_) or it will fail. > > If it fails, **consult your Linux distributions's instructions for installing Bash.** > > Once you have determined that Bash is on your system, > you can either: > - Run Bash manually without changing the default by simply typing `bash` followed by the return key <kbd>⏎</kbd> > - Change the default shell to Bash so the terminal always runs Bash > > To change the default shell to Bash: > 1. Run `which bash` to get the "path" to Bash, e.g. `/bin/bash`, or run `cat /etc/shells` to see a full list of all installed shell paths. > 2. Run `chsh --shell [path to bash]`, e.g. `chsh --shell /bin/bash` > 3. Close the terminal with `exit` > 4. Open a new terminal and run `echo $SHELL` to verify that the terminal now runs Bash by default! > > ℹ️ `chsh` is short for "change shell." ##### bash --version There will be a few times in **The Adventurer's Guide to Bash** where the _version of Bash_ is mentioned. This might be a good time to check what version of Bash you have Type this into the terminal prompt and then press the return key <kbd>⏎</kbd> ```shell bash --version ```  In the example above, the Bash version is `5.0.17(1)-release`. _You can ignore everything after `5.0`._