in the terminal, the command "ls" lists the directory contents of the directory you're in.
"ls -l" lists the directory contents in "long" format, allowing you to see each file's/directory's privileges.
"ls -la" lists the COMPLETE directory contents in "long" format, including all . files.
Shortcuts:
simply typing "l" is equivalent to "ls -l"
simply typing "ll" is equivalent to "ls -la"
[Editor: And typing "alias" will show you some other pre-defined shortcuts!]
hope this helps!
jmil
Mac OS X Hints
http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20010430160331459