Learning Linux

[el_vandragon]

So I have been wanting to switch to Linux for a while but I haven't been able to find any good resources to learn how to use it. I have been taking a command line class on codecademy but that is a pretty limited guide. Do you know of any video tutorials that explains the functions of different things and how they work? Or maybe any books? Thanks

[Guest]

You'll learn the best by trying it. I suggest making a ubuntu virtual machine

[Samfisher]

So I have been wanting to switch to Linux for a while but I haven't been able to find any good resources to learn how to use it. I have been taking a command line class on codecademy but that is a pretty limited guide. Do you know of any video tutorials that explains the functions of different things and how they work? Or maybe any books? Thanks

Best way to learn Linux, at least at the beginning is to think of a small project that could be done with a Linux install.  Maybe set up an ingest server, or host a website, etc.  Have a goal in mind which forces you to learn specific things, and from there on you have an idea of what you lack and the possibilities of more.

[ForsakenLive]

This is how I learned how-to-linux:
I installed it, GPU, Ethernet and sound drivers didn't worked. I scavenged the web on how to, then I got them working.

Then I proceed to use basic functionality and programs I used in windows, that were also in Linux. Tried doing everything I was used to do, couldn't. Went through forums and guides, got most of it.

After this, I started installing many programs that I always wanted to try, I found alternatives to windows programs which were not available in the OS, got lots of tips about other software in forums. Basically, every time I wanted to do something with the system, I'd find the way to do it, the way I liked it.

I customized the hell out of it, and as the same time I broke everything, crashed, lost data, and all sorts of undesirable stuff happened. Found out what went wrong and why (most of the times), fixed it sometimes, replaced/reinstalled some others.

 

The way I see it, you are better off by doing this with trial and error. It takes a lot of time and you must be very mindful of backing up data and never risking your files or the files of others. Once you get to the point when you got the basics covered, you will see that it's definitively worth it.

[Brian_Wee]

just google it.

PS use a 'buntu if not ubuntu if you want it fast

[Azgoth 2]

The best way to learn Linux is to make an install somewhere (either on a small partition of your hard drive or a virtual machine--virtual machine might be better at first, while you figure out what distribution you want) and just use it for whatever tasks you would normally do on your main OS.  Things like web browsing, coding, editing documents, etc.  That'll help you just get familiar with the day-to-day side of interacting with the particular flavor of Linux you choose.  Along the way you'll almost certainly learn a few things about the command line out of necessity, e.g. installing/uninstalling software and basic uses like that.  As you find yourself needing to do things, like search for a file, Google how to do that through the command line rather than through a GUI interface.  You'll eventually start getting a really good feel for the types of things the command line lets you do, and you'll get adept at reading help/man pages to pick things up more quickly.  It might be frustrating at first, since you have to learn a whole new OS and OS philosophy, but if you force yourself to stick with it you'll get the hang of it all pretty fast.

 

There are a lot of beginner-friendly distros out there that will make the transition easier, since a lot of them let you use the command line if you need/want to, but give you other ways to get things done if you just need to get it done.  The various versions of Ubuntu, Mint, Elementary OS, and a few others are great beginner and daily driver distros.  I personally use Mint, but Ubuntu is by and large very similar aside from the default desktop environment, and both are great choices, and both let you choose how much to interact with the OS/command line/etc.  You can either delve pretty deep and do a lot of tweaking, or just stay away from it all and use it through GUIs and such.