Most computers run one version of the Microsoft Windows operating system, but many servers and desktops are starting to use Linux, a free Unix-like operating system. Learning Linux may seem daunting at first because it is quite different from Windows, but at the same time it can be a very rewarding experience.
Steps
Step 1. Familiarize yourself with the system
Try downloading and installing it on your computer. If you are not sure, remember that it is possible to leave your current operating system and simply allocate some disk space for Linux (and you can also run both operating systems using VirtualBox).
Step 2. Test your hardware with the "Live CD" that comes with many Linux distributions
This is especially useful if you don't want to install a second operating system on your computer. The Live CD will allow you to boot Linux from a CD without having to install anything on your computer. Ubuntu and some other Linux distributions also offer CDs or DVDs that allow you to boot live and then install from the same disk.
Step 3. Try to do what you usually use your computer for
Try to find a solution if, for example, you cannot modify a document or burn a CD. Write down what you want to do, what you can do, and what you can't do before you take the plunge.
Step 4. Explore Linux distributions
When people talk about "Linux", most of the time they mean "GNU / Linux Distribution." A distribution is a collection of software that runs on top of a very small program called the Linux kernel.
Step 5. Consider a dual boot option
This will help you understand the concept of disk partitions and will also allow you to continue using Windows. But be sure to back up all of your personal data and settings before attempting to dual boot.}
Step 6. Install the software
Get used to installing and uninstalling software as early as possible. Understanding package and repository management is essential to a fundamental understanding of Linux.
Step 7. Learn to use (and get used to doing it) the command line interface
It is known as 'terminal', 'terminal window' or 'shell'. One of the main reasons people are switching to Linux is because it has a terminal, so don't be intimidated by it. It is a powerful helper that does not have the same limitations as the Windows Command Prompt. But you can just as easily use Linux without using a terminal, just like on Mac OSX. Using the "apropos" command will help you find a command that does a specific task. Try typing "apropos user" to see a list of commands that have the word "user" in their descriptions.
Step 8. Familiarize yourself with the Linux file system
You will notice that there is no longer the "C: \" that you used on Windows. It all starts at the root of the filesystem (also known as "/") and other hard drives are accessible through the / dev folder. Your home folder, which in Windows XP and 2000 was usually located in C: \ Documents and Settings, is now located in / home.
Step 9. Continue to unleash the potential of your Linux installation
Try encrypted partitions, new and very fast file systems (like btrfs), redundant parallel disks that increase speed and reliability (RAID), and try installing Linux on a bootable USB stick. You will soon find that you can do a lot!
Advice
- Build your first Linux system with a specific purpose and follow the HOWTO step by step. For example, the steps to set up a file server are pretty simple, and you can find tons of sites that walk you through this step by step. This will familiarize you with the location of different things, what they do, and how to change them.
- Be patient and persistent if you really want to learn how to use GNU. You shouldn't go from distribution to distribution in search of one in which everything works correctly. You will learn more by learning how to fix something not working.
- Call directories "directories" rather than "folders"; although the two words seem to be synonymous, "folders" is a Windows concept.
- You can get help for almost any program or distribution on the irc server irc.freenode.net (ex: #debian, #ubuntu, #python, #FireFox, etc.). Also on irc.freenode.net you can find user communities.
- Remember that only DOS uses a backslash ("\") to separate directories, while Linux uses a forward slash ("/"). The backslash in Linux is mainly used for escaping characters (for example, \ n is a newline, \ t is a tab).
- There are many different Linux sites and mailing lists on the Internet. Search the Internet for answers to your questions.
- For those wishing to learn more about Linux, there are books from publishers John Wiley & Sons, O'Reilly, and No Starch Press. There is also a book "In the Beginning … was the Command Line" by Neil Stevenson, available at http://www.cryptonomicon.com/beginning.html, and "LINUX: Rute User's Tutorial and Exposition "available at
Warnings
- On all * nix systems (Linux, UNIX, * BSD, etc.), the administrator or supervisor is 'root'. You are the administrator of your computer, but 'root' is not a user account. If the installation process does not do this, then create a regular account yourself using 'useradd' and use it for your day to day activities. the reason for separating you as a user and as an administrator is that the * nix system assumes that root knows what he is doing and will not harm. Therefore, there are no warnings. If you write the appropriate command, the system will silently delete the file from the computer without asking for confirmation, because it is root who asks about it.
- Sometimes people advise malicious commandsso check the commands before using them.
- Don't run rm -rf / or sudo rm -rf / unless you really want to delete all of your data. Type the command 'man rm' for more details.
- Always back up your files before trying to change partitions on your disk when installing Linux. Back up your files to removable media such as CDs, DVDs, USB drives, or another hard drive (not another partition).
- Likewise, don't create a file named '-rf'. If you run the command to delete files in that directory, it will treat the file '-rf' as a command line argument and delete all files in subdirectories as well.
- It can be tempting to just write the same command that you find on a website, waiting for the same task to be completed. However, this often does not work because you have a newer version, different hardware, or a different distribution. Try running the command with the --help option first and see what it does. After that it is usually very easy to fix some minor problems (/ dev / sda -> / dev / sdb, etc.) and achieve the desired goal.