Alias

An “alias” is essentially a different name or nickname for someone or something. It’s used both in everyday life and in computing. Let’s look at how this concept applies in both contexts.

Alias in Everyday Life

For instance, imagine someone named “John.” If his friends start calling him “Johnny,” then “Johnny” is an alias for John. When his friends shout “Hey, Johnny!” John responds as if he were called by his real name. In this case, “Johnny” is the alias used to refer to John.

Alias in Computing

In the world of computing, an alias is also used frequently. For example, consider a command-line environment where you have a command “rm -i.” If you create an alias called “rm” for this command, then typing “rm” will actually execute “rm -i.” Here, “rm” is an alias for the more detailed “rm -i” command. This means “rm” is a shorter, user-friendly name for “rm -i.”

Alias on Mac

Additionally, on Mac computers, the term “alias” refers to something similar to a “shortcut” in Windows. On a Mac, you can create an alias for files or folders, which acts as a link to the original item. This allows you to quickly access the original file or folder through the alias without having to navigate to its original location.

Summary

When you come across the term “alias,” think of it as a different name or nickname. This concept of aliasing is used in various contexts, from personal nicknames to command-line shortcuts and file links on Macs.