A recurring issue with MATE PPC not shutting down from the Terminal with command “sudo shutdown -r now” . . . instead the computer reboots. The problem has happened a number of times, from memory I’m thinking that if I log out I can use the shutdown option, but, from the desktop or Terminal it doesn’t happen. Have to switch to OSX on reboot to select shutdown . . . . Anyone else have this issue or is there a fix or bug report out there for it?
n
You have put a smile on my face 
The -r option is instructing the shutdown command to reboot. It is doing what you are asking it to do. Read the manual page for shutdown: man shutdown
Glad I could be of assistance . . . I’m always up for a laugh, even if it’s at my expense. And, OK, it usually is “operator error” that is involved in a problem, so I’m glad I posted what I was doing. But, I’m fairly sure that in Lubuntu or in other instances I’ve used that command and it did “shut down” without rebooting . . . ??? When I get back to that computer I’ll try it out, and either mark this thread as “solved” or probably “delete” it . . . foot, meet banana-peel, etc.
n
PS: For the most part I don’t find the “man” to be a source of guidance, just an endless scroll of terms with nothing about how to actually use the command . . . so for the most part I never think of it . . . .
OK, yep, just using “sudo shutdown now” did indeed do just that. Just to check I did “man shutdown” before that and as I mentioned . . . a very general description of the term “shutdown” . . . nothing about how to string it together so that it does something . . . . Marking this “solved” or erasing it . . . so as not to spread the humor around too much.
n
Protip: There’s another way:
sudo poweroff