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Learning how to use linux

Share your HowTo, Documentation, Tips and Tricks. Not for support questions!.
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Breezeon@bigpond.com
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Learning how to use linux

#1 Post by Breezeon@bigpond.com »

This guide (W.I.P.) aims to provide a new user with everything they need to know in an 'order' that builds upon their previous knowledge. This includes explanations of what commands do but also how the environments they run in work and context on when and why they're used. A large problem that new linux users face is that we spend more time searching for what we need to know and piecing it all together, rather than learning the material itself.
Last edited by Breezeon@bigpond.com on 2019-10-01 10:23, edited 1 time in total.


v&n
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Re: Learning how to use linux

#3 Post by v&n »

Seems a bit odd sharing Ubuntu based guide on Debian forum, but in general - Good work!
Very useful and very nicely formatted, laid out. Thanks for sharing the impressive work!

A humble suggestion - Adding a short, hyperlinked Index at the beginning of the guide, and detailed Index at the beginning of every chapter can make it multifold useful.

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golinux
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Re: Learning how to use linux

#4 Post by golinux »

drive.google.com? No thanks!
May the FORK be with you!

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Head_on_a_Stick
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Re: Learning how to use linux

#5 Post by Head_on_a_Stick »

Had a quick glance, seems like a nice resource but I have a few comments:
  • For the stock GNOME desktop the login screen is on TTY1 and the desktop loads up on TTY2 so the advice to use <ctrl>+<alt>+F2 to get to a console screen won't work and F1 will return to the login screen. Other login managers use TT7 for the graphical desktop, just to make things a bit more confusing.
  • Debian's bash package does not ship ~/.bash_profile, it uses ~/.profile instead so that it will apply to all shells and not just bash. If ~/.bash_profile is created then ~/.profile will be ignored, which may lead to problems.
  • The source command should be replaced with . (dot), which is the POSIX equivalent: https://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/0 ... s/dot.html
  • Scripts shouldn't have a .sh suffix, only n00bs do that.
  • All the repository information is Ubuntu-specific but I suppose the guide is aimed at *buntu.
  • PPAs can break Debian so that bit is positively dangerous for users of this forum.
  • Use sed 10q instead of head.
  • No ip command?
deadbang

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Re: Learning how to use linux

#6 Post by sunrat »

Hopefully your username is not your real email address. You just told the whole internet to start sending you spam.
“ computer users can be divided into 2 categories:
Those who have lost data
...and those who have not lost data YET ”
Remember to BACKUP!

Breezeon@bigpond.com
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Re: Learning how to use linux

#7 Post by Breezeon@bigpond.com »

sunrat wrote:Hopefully your username is not your real email address. You just told the whole internet to start sending you spam.
It seems the website only permits you to use an E-mail address as your username.

Breezeon@bigpond.com
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Re: Learning how to use linux

#8 Post by Breezeon@bigpond.com »

v&n wrote:Seems a bit odd sharing Ubuntu based guide on Debian forum, but in general - Good work!
Very useful and very nicely formatted, laid out. Thanks for sharing the impressive work!

A humble suggestion - Adding a short, hyperlinked Index at the beginning of the guide, and detailed Index at the beginning of every chapter can make it multifold useful.
You can see chapters in the 'side pane' on the pdf version.

Breezeon@bigpond.com
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Re: Learning how to use linux

#9 Post by Breezeon@bigpond.com »

v&n wrote:Seems a bit odd sharing Ubuntu based guide on Debian forum, but in general - Good work!
Very useful and very nicely formatted, laid out. Thanks for sharing the impressive work!

A humble suggestion - Adding a short, hyperlinked Index at the beginning of the guide, and detailed Index at the beginning of every chapter can make it multifold useful.
My journey to learn linux has been so long and tedious that I'm beginning to lose all interest. In terms of actually applying knowledge in any meaningful manner, I haven't made one iota of progress. Except perhaps being able to search for process I.D.'s to use with the kill command.

How did you learn how to use linux? Isn't there a guide that's just as good or even better than this .pdf? I'm very hesitant to buy books because they either wouldn't have any useful information (move file, remove file, ect) or probably don't have enough context for new users to follow along. Any recommendations?

v&n
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Re: Learning how to use linux

#10 Post by v&n »

Breezeon@bigpond.com wrote:Isn't there a guide that's just as good or even better than this .pdf?
I believe no single guide can suit the needs of all 'Beginners'. Because their interests, likes-dislikes, reasons for using computer, levels of understanding, patience, motivations for choosing Linux etc. are almost as diverse as the flavours and uses of Linux.

As for me, I also learnt it the hard way. First tried Linux out of curiosity, then chose it to escape from the world of bloats and virus. While being free, it offered me all the flexibility and capabilities I had ever dreamt of. No course, no training. Just installed, used and never felt the need to look back. Whatever little problems I faced got solved using online help like forums, guides etc. Curiosity kept me going, acquiring knowledge along the way.

I needed well organised, detailed guides only while learning how to do bash scripting (needed for various things at various times). I don't know any programming and I believe bash scripting is probably the best and most useful thing I have learned in computers till date (not that I've become an 'expert' in it. In fact there is nothing in computers that I can consider myself an 'expert' of. I know just enough to get things done). While stackexchange Q-A helped a little solving minor problems, resources like grymoire tutorials (e.g., tutorial on 'sed' : http://www.grymoire.com/Unix/Sed.html) and bash reference manual (https://www.gnu.org/software/bash/manual/bash.pdf) helped immensely. Actually these two links are the only recommendations I can think of from the top of my head right now.

andre@home
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Re: Learning how to use linux

#11 Post by andre@home »

It's more a compilation of man's, nothing for me, too boring.... :oops:

I learned Linux "redhat 6.1" via a book I bought in the 90-ies.
There was a CD in that book, RH6.1, impossible to download that via 48kbps per landline....
The book was very readable, structured, quite some readable code example.
I had an old 486DX to exercise on, RH6.1 with desktop just could manage it on that machine.
Later I made a server from it and that worked for quite some years as a router too for our cable connection we shared with the neighbors.
Using MAC spoofing we kept de cable company outside our home...

When cheap and fast ADSL router came, I stopped this work but in 2011 my son needed 2 servers for his photography work,. He can approach the 2 Debian based server (different location) world wide via wedav.
If I would not have experimented in the past... it would have been much more difficult to set up these servers.

So try to get a goal so that you are motivated on this small "project".
You will see, you will learn very fast when you really want it.
Try to do more than a standard installation.

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Re: Learning how to use linux

#12 Post by Head_on_a_Stick »

Breezeon@bigpond.com wrote:Isn't there a guide that's just as good or even better than this .pdf?
https://www.funtoo.org/Linux_Fundamentals,_Part_1
Breezeon@bigpond.com wrote:being able to search for process I.D.'s to use with the kill command
Use pkill instead.
deadbang

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