This process of redirection is used frequently in unix. Because the screen is the standard input and output for a unix command, unix expects you to input information from your keyboard and it directs the output to your screen. Redirection allows you to change the standard input and output sources. In this next example, you change the output destination so that it is a file rather than the screen. This example takes the output from the ls -la command and redirects it to a file called file.list rather than to the screen.
Many unix commands tend to be cryptic or hard to remember.
You can alias commands to another word or character that is easier for you to remember. Another way to use aliases would be to set up an alias that changes you into another directory. For example, suppose you have access to filespace where your web documents are located. Be sure to include the command in single quotes. If you go over, you will not be able to get to your files without first deleting some old ones.