How should I got about learning Terminal for Linux?

[Appleboy45]

For a long time, I’ve been wanting to learn how to use Linux, especially using Terminal. I recently dedicated a Dell OptiPlex 755 as a Linux machine. It runs Linux Mint 18 (I have been meaning to upgrade it to 19). I’m wondering, how should I go about learning Terminal and the commands?

[Crunchy Dragon]

I would just look up a bunch of Terminal commands and start messing around.

 

There are books you can get that cover this, as well as online resources:

https://www.howtogeek.com/140679/beginner-geek-how-to-start-using-the-linux-terminal/

This might help you a bit more, since you're using Mint: https://community.linuxmint.com/tutorial/view/244

 

I've picked up a few commands from my time spent with Linux that I've found pretty useful.

 

"sudo" commands are basically the same as running something as an admin in Windows.

"ifconfig" is the same as ipconfig, tells you all your IP addresses and what they relate to(ethernet, wireless, etc).

"netstat" tells you your network stats relating to ports.

"apt-get install" is what you use to install software via Terminal. Most often, these will be prefaced by a "sudo", so you'd type in "sudo apt-get install <software name>".

 

Another good way to learn is find something you want to do with that PC and find a guide on how to do it via Terminal. One of my Raspberry Pi projects required a lot of Terminal commands which is how I picked up most of what I know.

[Ashleyyyy]

easy. just use it. google the commands and discover the possibilities. 

 

2 hours ago, Crunchy Dragon said:

"apt-get install" is what you use to install software via Terminal. Most often, these will be prefaced by a "sudo", so you'd type in "sudo apt-get install <software name>".

wasn't that replaced with apt install?

[Ashleyyyy]

oh one thing, never ever paste commands from the internet into a terminal if you don't know what they are. especially commands that require root. figure out how it should be used and type it manually. 

[Crunchy Dragon]

2 hours ago, firelighter487 said:

wasn't that replaced with apt install?

To my knowledge, no.

 

I was using apt-get in the last month or two to install software on the latest version of Raspbian.

[Wild Penquin]

Another good read is this: http://write.flossmanuals.net/command-line/introduction/

[jpenguin]

Ton a resources as already linked, just start with a search.  You could also take a free intro to Linux course from edX

[AlTech]

14 hours ago, Crunchy Dragon said:

To my knowledge, no.

 

I was using apt-get in the last month or two to install software on the latest version of Raspbian.

It's not replaced per se but it's deprecated.

 

Basically, apt-get still works but apt by itself is generally preffered going forward.

16 hours ago, firelighter487 said:

easy. just use it. google the commands and discover the possibilities. 

 

wasn't that replaced with apt install?

See above.

[Guest]

On 10/11/2018 at 1:18 AM, Appleboy45 said:

For a long time, I’ve been wanting to learn how to use Linux, especially using Terminal. I recently dedicated a Dell OptiPlex 755 as a Linux machine. It runs Linux Mint 18 (I have been meaning to upgrade it to 19). I’m wondering, how should I go about learning Terminal and the commands?

Why not using the builtin linux manual? If you want to really learn how an OS like linux works, there are tons of manuals of the entire OS.
The terminal runs a shell. Programs you run on the terminals have a man too. 
Try the ' man ' command, you put the program you like to learn of for example bash, with 'man bash' 
This is the most detalied documentation you can get


If you don't understand something you can also try google, you will probably find the same material.

You can also learn C 

 

[Shura]

try installing arch linux in vm while reading the wiki. it gives you a good idea on how some of the commands work or do the install while following along the Arch Linux install video on youtube by Luke Smith. He does a pretty good explaining the step by step process and what each command used does. repeat the process a few times just to get the hang of using the commands and you can try doing the install with different desktop environments each time.

[VanBantam]

fww...

So one of the problems I have with learning about the terminal from a book or guide or website is that it just doesn't stick for me.  I've learned the most when I have a specific project or task I want to do and then go and read about the pieces that are needed to make that work.  SO I would say pick a couple of your everyday workflows and see if you can write a bash script to do most of it.  Or if you're a programmer type rather using Python or Visual Basic or JavaScript or Fortran, lol, to do some quick calc write a bash script.  

 

Or for that matter... along similar lines to @shura try linux from scratch.  

[Linus_torvalds]

On 10/10/2018 at 11:18 PM, Appleboy45 said:

For a long time, I’ve been wanting to learn how to use Linux, especially using Terminal. I recently dedicated a Dell OptiPlex 755 as a Linux machine. It runs Linux Mint 18 (I have been meaning to upgrade it to 19). I’m wondering, how should I go about learning Terminal and the commands?

easy set this as your wallpaper

[EPENEX]

It's not too hard, just use the command line frequently, look in the man pages, and maybe play a wargame, they can help you learn commands- you can find some here: http://overthewire.org/wargames/