Written 31 Aug 2026. This is a how-to, not a product card.

Clear the window

After SSH works, clear the window so old output stops cluttering the session. History still remembers the commands. You don't need extra software for this.

See the terminal name showed which session you are in. Tonight you clear the window: clear. Clear wipes the screen. Old output is gone from the window. History still remembers the commands. You are still only practicing in home on the computer. It does not need extra system software, htop, Grafana, or a NAS for this one job.

Skip until SSH already works

SSH from the couch should already get you a prompt. If the terminal name is what you want, that is see the terminal name. If window size is what you want, that is see window size. If a garbled terminal is what you want to fix, that is fix a garbled terminal. If reusing a command you already typed is what you want, that is reuse a command you already typed.

What this is

clear wipes the window. You type clear. The prompt sits near the top. History still remembers the commands. That history job is reuse a command you already typed, not tonight. It is not reset. Reset is a garbled terminal fix. It is not stty. Stty prints window size.

Practice clear in home

SSH in. Make sure home is where you sit:

pwd

You want a path that ends in your login name. If not:

cd ~

Make a little clutter so the window has lines:

seq 1 40

Or echo hello a few times. Seq prints numbers. That clutter is only so clear has lines to wipe. Don't make seq the job.

Wipe the window:

clear

The window should look empty. The prompt sits near the top. Old output is gone from the window. History still remembers the commands. That is enough for tonight. Practice only in home.

Debian and Ubuntu usually already have clear. Don't make apt the job. If clear is missing:

sudo apt install ncurses-bin

Then stop. That install is not the lesson.

No files are required for this practice. If you made practice files anyway, throw them away with careful delete only. That is delete a file carefully. Skip rm -rf.

Useful extras, still home only

Optional: clear -x if present:

clear -x

On some terminals, clear also wipes scrollback. clear -x means window only; scrollback stays. You can stop at clear.

Optional: Ctrl+L often clears the window too in many shells. You can stop at clear.

Optional: window size:

stty size

That line is rows and columns. That is see window size. Don't make stty the job tonight.

Skip reset as tonight's job. Reset is a garbled terminal fix. That is fix a garbled terminal.

What this is not

This is not tty. That is see the terminal name. It is not stty. That is see window size. It is not reset. That is fix a garbled terminal. It is not history. That is reuse a command you already typed. It is not less. That is read a file one screen at a time. It is not opening SSH to the internet. That is keep the computer on the house network. Don't forward port 22.

What next

Need the terminal name? See the terminal name. Need window size? See window size. Need a garbled terminal fixed? Fix a garbled terminal. Keep SSH on the house network: keep the computer on the house network. Don't forward port 22.

Skip

• Skip if SSH still fails. Finish SSH from the couch first.
• Skip reset as tonight's job. Reset is a garbled terminal fix.
• Skip tty, stty, history, and less as tonight's job. Those pages already exist.
• Skip screen, tmux, script, mesg, wall, and write as tonight's job. Tonight: the window, not session school.
• Skip files under /etc, SSH folders, or paths you don't own. Practice only in home.
• Skip rm -rf. Careful delete only: delete a file carefully.
• Skip opening SSH to the internet so you can do this from a coffee shop. That is keep the computer on the house network. Don't forward port 22.