If you are just getting started with using the Terminal in OSX, you may have trouble getting to common things like your hosts file. It is possible to create a Symlink (symbolic link) or shortcut in Terminal to get to that specific folder extremely quickly.
Use the following formula to create a symlink
ln -s /any/file/on/the/disk shortcut-nameExample: Creating a symlink to your hosts file.
ln -s /etc/hosts hosts-shortcutNow to quickly open your hosts file all you have to do is use the symlink you created. In this example, we are opening our hosts file with the vim text editor.
sudo vim hosts-shortcutNote: You must run sudo to modify your hosts file.
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