hi everyone i'm a noob trying to learn unix language.. but seems like i got no leads on how to start..
i'm playing with the 'ps' command.. i'm trying to show the pid, ppid, username, command, cpu utilization (in desc order), process start time and process status.. all in a command.. am i able to do that..? cos i've been trying for days and cant really 'read' the manual..
any help or advice would be appreciated.. thanks..
ps -ef -o pid,ppid,user,pcpu,stime,s,args | tail +2 |sort -nr +3
should do you (note, I rearranged your order slightly to put the command at the end to avoid any issues with spaces/column counting for the sort)..and the "tail +2" is just to get rid of the header line.
If you just want your processes try:
ps -fu $USER -o pid,ppid,user,pcpu,stime,s,args | tail +2 |sort -nr +3
HTH,
hi Tytalus, thanks for the quick reply.. 
anyway i tried both your commands.. the first one returned in a whole chunk of words.. the 2nd one couldnt work.. 
Hilofat, while the reply which you received is correct, it is not quite the one which I would have given you.
I'm sure you've heard the old "print is dead" lecture, but having a bookshelf with some well-selected books is, IMO, very helpful. In your situation, you might want to get a copy of Daniel J. Barrett's Linux Pocket Guide , published by O'Reilly Media. It gives the novice a handy guide to hundreds of Unix commands. It is also a popularly-priced paperback in a compact format.
I hope this helps...