Learning Linux. Where do I start?!

[ibex333]

I am completely new to Linux, but I want to get to an advanced level where I would be able to understand how this OS works and able to issue commands to accomplish anything I need to do from basic program operation to networking and anything in between.

My problem is, I really don't know where to start! I tried looking up books on Amazon, but it looks like all these authors assume I already have some basic knowledge of Linux, which I do not. Tried looking up Linux guides and forums, but that requires the patience of a saint, and iron determination, because I have to sort through pages of material, when ideally, I'd like to start with the basics and progress to something more difficult.

How did you learn Linux? Where did you start?

If this bears any relevance I use a Netbook with a Karmic Koala netbook distro.

 

[VinylxScratches]

Install Debian and have at it. I installed it on a old P4 and it's headless. I SSH into it from my Mac and have written scripts to accomplish what I need it to do. That's all I can suggest.

 

[sivart]

What OS background do you have? Just Windows GUI based? If so, it might take a little longer. I went from knowledge of DOS when I first jumped into Linux...so I knew some command line stuff already from the old DOS days. You know...before computers had mice

Read a lot online, look at half price books for Linux / Unix books and go from there.

 

[ibex333]

I have minor DOS knowledge, and I know my way around windows. I wouldn't call myself a pro by far, but I am definitely above "user" level with windows. I know many shortcuts, I know many commands from the run menu, etc... I've also been using computers from the time they didn't have mice. ; )


Btw, love the avatar.... Two stupid dogs.... That was when?! 10? 12 years ago? Ahh.. Those were the days...

 

[VinylxScratches]

That is moot to be honest. You will find that *Nix/BSD CLI is way more robust then Windows will ever be once you start using it.

If you want to grasp it for now, setup VirtualBox and install a *nix distro and have at it.

 

[classy]

Install it and buy any linux book, no matter how old either for the most part. You may need an updated one for some of the updated graphical interfaces of linux, but linux by nature has stayed pretty much the same.

 

[KeypoX]

Over at the linux forum lol

http://forums.anandtech.com/forumdisplay.php?f=46

 

[Nothinman]

I am completely new to Linux, but I want to get to an advanced level where I would be able to understand how this OS works and able to issue commands to accomplish anything I need to do from basic program operation to networking and anything in between.

That's a pretty tall order because "anything in between" is pretty much an infinite statement. Linux runs on everything from phones to super computers, you'll never be able to commit everything to memory. The better thing to learn is how to find what you need with individual command's help (i.e. blah --help), man pages (i.e. man blah) and local documentation (i.e. /usr/share/doc/packagename). To be properly proficient you'll need to learn to fish.

How did you learn Linux? Where did you start?

Lots of trial and error with those on-line guides back in the late 90s and early 2000s. Because it was such a PITA back then I was forced to learn a lot to get it running. Things are a lot simpler now, which helps with the initial introduction. However so much works out of the box these days that you don't have to do any real work to get to a desktop so you don't learn anything. You pretty much have to set a goal and force yourself to work through it.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Best way to start is to know what you want to do on it. Just installing and having linux won't teach you anything worth a damn. But, if you decide you want to use use it for certain things, then you will learn along the journey. I installed linux just te be familiar with it in the late 90s, and learned almost nothing. In the early 00s, I took an olde computer with 2 nic cards and built my first Ip Masquerade box. (essentially, a router, but back then routers were expensive!)

Examples, set up a file server for your lan, build an htpc with mythpc, set up your own personal database + apache server, build a development box, set up ip masquerade....

Once you have your goal figured out, if you want to learn how everything works, then you want a very manual Linux, not an automated linux that does everything in the background and hides it from you.

If you insist upon continuing to use the same distribution you've already got, then I'd suggest you do everything in terminal sessions or simply delete X windows.

Then, get used to the command line.
Look up "howtos" for whenever you run into issues or need help.

Ideally ... you may want to consider Slackware, as I've found it leaves the user in control, and doesn't have a bunch of buggy garbage interface obscuring what happens in the background.

 

[rasczak]

Best way to start is to know what you want to do on it. Just installing and having linux won't teach you anything worth a damn. But, if you decide you want to use use it for certain things, then you will learn along the journey. I installed linux just te be familiar with it in the late 90s, and learned almost nothing. In the early 00s, I took an olde computer with 2 nic cards and built my first Ip Masquerade box. (essentially, a router, but back then routers were expensive!)

Examples, set up a file server for your lan, build an htpc with mythpc, set up your own personal database + apache server, build a development box, set up ip masquerade....

Once you have your goal figured out, if you want to learn how everything works, then you want a very manual Linux, not an automated linux that does everything in the background and hides it from you.

If you insist upon continuing to use the same distribution you've already got, then I'd suggest you do everything in terminal sessions or simply delete X windows.

Then, get used to the command line.
Look up "howtos" for whenever you run into issues or need help.

Ideally ... you may want to consider Slackware, as I've found it leaves the user in control, and doesn't have a bunch of buggy garbage interface obscuring what happens in the background.

^ this is a great way to start. When I started I had a goal of just setting up a simple ubuntu box with desktop, which for me as a total noob was the equivalent of climbing everest. currently i run my linux box as a file server/media center. i forced myself to learn as much as I could about the CLI because i wanted to be able to translate these skills over to my work (which was really nice since now I work with unix boxes).

 

[Kirby]

I've found that I learn more if I constantly use it (duh). Make it your main machine and do everything you normally do in Windows (except gaming). Surf the web, watch porn, program, everything. I've found that if I dualboot or use a VM I end up going back to Windows most of the time and not learning as much.

 

[bruceb]

Look here first

http://www.pixelbeat.org/cmdline.html

 

[ch33zw1z]

Get a spare PC, install any Linux distro, have at it. Ditch windows altogether and you will force yourself to learn it faster.

 

[AtlantaBob]

Get a spare PC, install any Linux distro, have at it. Ditch windows altogether and you will force yourself to learn it faster.

This. Force yourself to solve all of the minor annoyances of a default Linux install (there are lots, just as there are in Windows-world--the benefit is that in free-software land, you can change things.) One nice thing about starting with Ubuntu or something similar, is that you can typically find a lot of advice online about how to modify system settings by using the terminal (and make sure that you learn why you're typing what you're typing -- you're not learning if you can only parrot what someone else tells you). Also (in my experience), an Ubuntu box provides a nice mix between "generally working" and giving you a few problems that you can work to solve (or just improve -- such as a daily/weekly backup cron script).

Also, make yourself work to solve problems (e.g., it sure would be great if I could email the last 10 lines of the security log files to myself every hour -- or whatever.) These things provide you with good real life experience, an appreciation for how the various UNIX utils fit together, and give you a tangible result at the end.

Then again, I'm a Linux Noob and I'm sure most of the guys on this forum have more experience than I do.... but take it for what it's worth.

 

[lxskllr]

The Ubuntu Pocket Guide is a very good basic introduction to Ubuntu. It's specifically for Ubuntu, but there's a lot of things that apply to Linux in general. Install Ubuntu, read the guide and you'll learn the basics. Take those, and build on them for more advanced things...

http://www.ubuntupocketguide.com/index_main.html

 

[DrZoidberg]

Do all your web browsing and try and use Linux instead of windows for everyday tasks.

For every command there is a man page. So man grep would give u the manual page for the grep command.

 

[Modelworks]

I started with redhat when there was no gui just text, not recommended. Having to ask friends for help over irc using the same system you are learning on is not fun. Especially on dialup.

If I were doing it now I would use virtual box and install a distribution onto that.
http://www.virtualbox.org/

The reason I would do things that way is because a lot of getting linux installed, the partitioning, boot managers, hardware setup is not what linux is about and tends to cause many people to turn away from it.

Install something common like ubuntu into virtual box and familiarize yourself with how the linux file system works, the various commands , and while you can easily get help online, before you start making changes to hard drive layouts and figuring out how to make your hardware work. It is much easier to learn something when the changes you make are not going to result in frustration which can often be the case with new linux users.