Linux - NewbieThis Linux forum is for members that are new to Linux.
Just starting out and have a question?
If it is not in the man pages or the how-to's this is the place!
Notices
Welcome to LinuxQuestions.org, a friendly and active Linux Community.
You are currently viewing LQ as a guest. By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics, receive our newsletter, use the advanced search, subscribe to threads and access many other special features. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today!
Note that registered members see fewer ads, and ContentLink is completely disabled once you log in.
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us. If you need to reset your password, click here.
Having a problem logging in? Please visit this page to clear all LQ-related cookies.
Get a virtual cloud desktop with the Linux distro that you want in less than five minutes with Shells! With over 10 pre-installed distros to choose from, the worry-free installation life is here! Whether you are a digital nomad or just looking for flexibility, Shells can put your Linux machine on the device that you want to use.
Exclusive for LQ members, get up to 45% off per month. Click here for more info.
I'm new to Linux, I want to master all of the lovely little details about what makes Linux tick, and how it ticks. I would love to know any suggestions of where I should start. I want to know how anything, the hardware, software, and firmware works. I am wanting to get into computer science, I'm very motivated and am willing to put in the time to learn and master Linux. I figure that Linux is a good of a place to start as any, seeing how there is a lot of source code to study and open source software to play around with.
You should read a book on linux, introductory, intermediate, and then advanced.
Install linux and use it daily.
Most linux software packages have documentation. Read them.
Two most useful documentation commands; 'man' and 'info'. If don't know a command just run 'man command' or 'info command'. It may show help about them if the commands have their man pages and info pages installed.
For hardware read book about PC. Also pc repair and upgrade books may be helpful.
Yes linux has free source code of software packages which use one of open source license.
If you are deft in programming languages you can make use of it.
Web search your friend. Learn how to find remedies to solve your issues.
You don't say which distro you're using (see how I've mentioned mine) but its documentation may be good. Although I'd never use Arch, their wiki is one of the best — https://wiki.archlinux.org/
As well as the distro and software manuals, don't forget the site for your desktop.
As well as the man pages, you can find types of command with apropos, like
apropos sound
Man pages can be read more conveniently on-line at http://linux.die.net/
The best place to start, in my opinion/experience, is to hang out on the forums and help people with their questions. Even if you only know the answers to absolute beginner questions (like "what is the difference between kde and gnome?" or "how do I install steam in ubuntu?") you can still share that little bit of knowledge (and it has value to the person you helped).
Not only will you be learning about Linux and helping the community, you will also be getting exposure to actual real-world questions and challenges faced by everyday users. Sometimes this practical knowledge of helping someone with a tangible problem can be more valuable than anything you can learn in school or read from a book.
I want to know how anything, the hardware, software, and firmware works.
hmmm
read about the basic building blocks, like X, toolkits, various daemons running (htop, as root, shows em all)
learn the shell and everything that goes with it
to learn how linux boots (after bootloader and initialization) install slackware
read /etc/inittab (man inittab), /etc/rc.d/rc.S and rc.M
read the man pages of all the tools used in those scripts
kernelnewbies probably has links to OS related stuff
linux is an unix clone, so everything is a file
learn about /proc, /dev, and if you want to get down /sys
if you really want to get down
learn C
make some common tools (like at, for example)
make a shell
read http://lwn.net/Kernel/LDD3/ and make a kernel module
linux knowledge is abound everywhere on teh internets,
at places less clear and some times missleading, outdated or plain false
(it's hard to make it apart)
the "Documentation" directory in the kernel source holds plenty of text to read
i probably missed a lot, and i could write pages about how the kernel goes about things
so be more specific
Have a look at Linux from scratch.
It goes through the nuts and bolts on how the OS hangs together.
It is fairly easy to follow the guide in creating your own build. Have a play.
I'm new to Linux (..) I would love to know any suggestions of where I should start.
Most simple advice: just use it. Read, practice, persevere:
Try and make it do stuff you're accustomed to using any other OS and you'll get acquainted with FAQs, READMEs and documentation in no time.
Try and make it do stuff you want it to do and you'll get acquainted with Linux-is-not-Windows, HOWTOs, philosophy and code in no time.
Try and make it do stuff nobody else envisioned and in no time you'll be teaching us :-]
There's a hell of a lot to learn. Can anybody honestly say they've mastered Linux?
It depends where (or if) you draw the line between Linux and the packages themselves. For example, I feel comfortable editing my fstab, because I've done it a lot and I have a (hopefully) fairly accurate understanding of how it works. But if you asked me to install and customize something like a DNS server or Apache, I'd be right back here at the forums.
Being a Linux using scooter tramp. I find visual aids help me when being a babe lost in the woods.
I just change the wallpaper and am off to the races.
So it helps having a wallpaper up that shows me what I need to accomplish during learning a new
task that I have no clue on accomplishing.
It does not make me a master. But I have a life that encompasses more than being just that.
Oh. The books in my sig don't hurt to have either.
I'm new to Linux, I want to master all of the lovely little details about what makes Linux tick, and how it ticks. I would love to know any suggestions of where I should start. I want to know how anything, the hardware, software, and firmware works. I am wanting to get into computer science, I'm very motivated and am willing to put in the time to learn and master Linux. I figure that Linux is a good of a place to start as any, seeing how there is a lot of source code to study and open source software to play around with.
Install it. Use it. Write some programs. Write some scripts. When you get good enough at it, force it on a friend or relative and be responsible to support their questions. Kidding a bit, don't force, but consider asking someone who doesn't use it to let you experiment and set them up, you support them so you can learn to deal with problems generated by someone else.
Buy some embedded hobby boards like the Raspberry Pi and play with that.
Compile a new kernel. Make actual changes to the kernel configuration and validate that what you did, worked. Alter a driver and recompile it, also verifying that what you did worked. For instance, add debug to core kernel files and driver files so that when things happen, your debug statements get put into the logs and you can see them.
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing
Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute
content, let us know.