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Reorder items so that tty0 is a subcase of tty{0..N}. Note on highest TTY number.

/dev/console is a virtual set of devices which can be set as a parameter at boot time. It might be redirected to a serial device or a virtual console and by default points to /dev/tty0. When multiple console= options are passed to the kernel, the console output will go to more than one device.device;
/dev/tty0tty[0-N] is the current virtual console

(/dev/tty[1-x]N is the highest attributed TTY number, e.g. 63) is one of the virtual consoles you switch to with control-alt-F1 and so on.on;

/dev/tty0 is also by default virtual console;
/dev/tty is kind of an alias to the console (physical, virtual or pseudo device, if any) associated to the process that open it. Unlike the other devices, you do not need root privileges to write to it. Note also that processes like the ones launched by cron and similar batch processes have no usable /dev/tty, as they aren't associated with any. These processes have a ? in the TTY column of ps -ef output.

/dev/console is a virtual set of devices which can be set as a parameter at boot time. It might be redirected to a serial device or a virtual console and by default points to /dev/tty0. When multiple console= options are passed to the kernel, the console output will go to more than one device.
/dev/tty0 is the current virtual console

/dev/tty[1-x] is one of the virtual consoles you switch to with control-alt-F1 and so on.
/dev/tty is kind of an alias to the console (physical, virtual or pseudo device, if any) associated to the process that open it. Unlike the other devices, you do not need root privileges to write to it. Note also that processes like the ones launched by cron and similar batch processes have no usable /dev/tty, as they aren't associated with any. These processes have a ? in the TTY column of ps -ef output.

/dev/console is a virtual set of devices which can be set as a parameter at boot time. It might be redirected to a serial device or a virtual console and by default points to /dev/tty0. When multiple console= options are passed to the kernel, the console output will go to more than one device;
/dev/tty[0-N] (N is the highest attributed TTY number, e.g. 63) is one of the virtual consoles you switch to with control-alt-F1 and so on;

/dev/tty0 is also by default virtual console;
/dev/tty is kind of an alias to the console (physical, virtual or pseudo device, if any) associated to the process that open it. Unlike the other devices, you do not need root privileges to write to it. Note also that processes like the ones launched by cron and similar batch processes have no usable /dev/tty, as they aren't associated with any. These processes have a ? in the TTY column of ps -ef output.

added 72 characters in body

edited Sep 19, 2015 at 8:28

/dev/console is a virtual set of devices which can be set as a parameter at boot time. It might be redirected to a serial device or a virtual console and by default points to /dev/tty0. When multiple console= options are passed to the kernel, the console output will go to more than one device.
/dev/tty0 is the current virtual console
/dev/tty[1-x] is one of the virtual consoles you switch to with control-alt-F1 and so on.
/dev/tty is kind of an alias to the console used by(physical, virtual or pseudo device, if any) associated to the process queryingthat open it. Unlike the other devices, you do not need root privileges to write to it. Note also that processes like the ones launched by cron and similar batch processes have no usable /dev/tty, as they aren't associated with any. These processes have a ? in the TTY column of ps -ef output.

/dev/console is a virtual set of devices which can be set as a parameter at boot time. It might be redirected to a serial device or a virtual console and by default points to /dev/tty0. When multiple console= options are passed to the kernel, the console output will go to more than one device.
/dev/tty0 is the current virtual console
/dev/tty[1-x] is one of the virtual consoles you switch to with control-alt-F1 and so on.
/dev/tty is the console used by the process querying it. Unlike the other devices, you do not need root privileges to write to it. Note also that processes like the ones launched by cron and similar batch processes have no usable /dev/tty, as they aren't associated with any. These processes have a ? in the TTY column of ps -ef output.

/dev/console is a virtual set of devices which can be set as a parameter at boot time. It might be redirected to a serial device or a virtual console and by default points to /dev/tty0. When multiple console= options are passed to the kernel, the console output will go to more than one device.
/dev/tty0 is the current virtual console
/dev/tty[1-x] is one of the virtual consoles you switch to with control-alt-F1 and so on.
/dev/tty is kind of an alias to the console (physical, virtual or pseudo device, if any) associated to the process that open it. Unlike the other devices, you do not need root privileges to write to it. Note also that processes like the ones launched by cron and similar batch processes have no usable /dev/tty, as they aren't associated with any. These processes have a ? in the TTY column of ps -ef output.

added 259 characters in body

edited Jan 8, 2013 at 21:30

/dev/console is a virtual console deviceset of devices which can be set as a parameter at boot time. It might be redirected to a serial device, or a virtual console, whatever and by default points to /dev/tty0. MultipleWhen multiple console= options can beare passed to the kernel in which case, the console output will go to more than one device.
/dev/tty0 is the maincurrent virtual console
/dev/tty[1-x] is one of the other virtual consoles you switch to with control-alt-F1 and so on.
/dev/tty is the console (if any) used by the process querying it. Unlike the other devices, you do not need root privileges to write to it. Note also that processes like the ones launched by cron and similar batch processes have no usable /dev/tty, as they aren't associated with any. These processes have a ? in the TTY column of ps -ef output.

/dev/console is a virtual console device which can be set as a parameter at boot time. It might be redirected to a serial device, a virtual console, whatever and by default points to /dev/tty0. Multiple console= options can be passed to the kernel in which case the console output will go to more than one device.
/dev/tty0 is the main virtual console
/dev/tty[1-x] is one of the other virtual consoles you switch to with control-alt-F1 and so on.
/dev/tty is the console (if any) used by the process querying it.

/dev/console is a virtual set of devices which can be set as a parameter at boot time. It might be redirected to a serial device or a virtual console and by default points to /dev/tty0. When multiple console= options are passed to the kernel, the console output will go to more than one device.
/dev/tty0 is the current virtual console
/dev/tty[1-x] is one of the virtual consoles you switch to with control-alt-F1 and so on.
/dev/tty is the console used by the process querying it. Unlike the other devices, you do not need root privileges to write to it. Note also that processes like the ones launched by cron and similar batch processes have no usable /dev/tty, as they aren't associated with any. These processes have a ? in the TTY column of ps -ef output.

answered Jan 8, 2013 at 16:18