Windows
Linux
Terminal & Shell Scripting
Scripts
Windows choice equivalent in Linux
Reads an interactive answer from the user.
Windows
→
choice
Linux equivalents
read -r -p "Continue? [y/N] " answer
read -r -p "Continue? [y/N] " answer
read -r -p "Continue? [y/N] " answer
Overview
What this command does
Reads an interactive answer from the user.
Migration tip: Check the distro-specific rows before copying; package names and service names can differ even when the tool name is similar.
Practical tasks
Common use cases
Prompt for choice
Reads an interactive answer from the user.
read -r -p "Continue? [y/N] " answer
Prompt for choice
read --help
Show command help when supported
man read
Open the manual page when installed
Ready to run
Copyable Linux commands
Review paths, device names, package names and permissions before running any command.
read -r -p "Continue? [y/N] " answer
Walkthrough
Examples with explanations
# Windows equivalent: choice
read -r -p "Continue? [y/N] " answerReference
Common options and variations
| Command or option | Use |
|---|---|
read -r -p "Continue? [y/N] " answer | Prompt for choice |
read --help | Show command help when supported |
man read | Open the manual page when installed |
Distro differences
Debian/Ubuntu vs Fedora vs Arch
The equivalent is shown for Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora and Arch. Some rows use a different package manager or helper tool where Linux distributions commonly diverge.
| Distribution | Package manager / base | Equivalent command | Difference to notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian/Ubuntu | same command | read -r -p "Continue? [y/N] " answer |
Same command on this distribution. |
| Fedora | same command | read -r -p "Continue? [y/N] " answer |
Same command on this distribution. |
| Arch | same command | read -r -p "Continue? [y/N] " answer |
Same command on this distribution. |
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