Learn Linux in a structured way

muasif80 · 10-01-2008, 07:15 AM

Hi All,

I want to open this thread, so that we can share with each other the resources that offer a good structured way of learning linux.

If you have one good resource of linux knowledgebase please post it here too.

Thanks
Asif

muasif80 · 10-01-2008, 07:17 AM

I have this url to share for a blog. This blog is a try to collect useful linux information along with the links from where that information is being collected. Thanks

http://linux-certification.blogspot.com/

pixellany · 10-01-2008, 07:26 AM

Welcome to LQ!!

Perhaps we need a "sticky" on how to learn Linux.....

My recommendations:
First, don't worry about "structure". You find what works for you.
To learn something like Linux, simply start using it. Poke around in the menus to see what things do, try things, etc. Until you have a lot of data on the machine, the worst that can happen is that you will have to re-install.**
After you have poked around a bit, then get a book. "Linux in a Nutshell" from O'Reilly is a good start. Many also recommend RUTE
When you get tired of reading, poke around some more.
.
.
Repeat as required....

**With dual-boot, there ARE thing you can do to mess up the other OS. See disclaimer below.

muasif80 · 10-01-2008, 07:32 AM

Ok right, but what this means "POKE AROUND MENUS". You mean using the graphical linux?

jb_get · 10-01-2008, 07:40 AM

Poking around the graphical end is always the start since it is the easier side of linux. If you dont play around you will never learn, but from the graphical end you start incorporating things from the command line. It all will come with just doing it, no book can substitute for that.

Fedora Development

IsharaComix · 10-01-2008, 07:50 AM

Well, you've got two choices there. Either you can play in graphical Linux (KDE, Gnome, etc) and look at all the stuff that there is on the system. Make some folders. Make some files. If you're feeling particularly nerdy, try to make some "Hello World" programs.

When you get settled with the self-explanatory graphical interface, open up a terminal window (most of the time, there's a shortcut right there in your menu bar), and start punching in commands. The greatest thing about Linux is its user-friendly help files. When you're in a terminal, all you have to do is punch in ~$man some program name and read what it has to say. Plus, the help command will show you the lowest level control over your system.

One of the first things that I think a user should do in a terminal is this:

Code:

~$help pwd
~$pwd
~$help ls
~$ls
~$help cd
~$cd /
~$ls
~$ls -a
~$man xterm
~$xterm &

... and so on.

If you can learn to navigate through your directories, you can learn a lot. Also, if you want to learn your program names, go to /bin and /usr/bin and just look at everything there in list view. There's a ton of program names in there, and all you have to do is type ~$man program to see what each one does. You can find all sorts of cool programs in there.

I hope this long intro was helpful.

sundialsvcs · 10-01-2008, 09:52 PM

It might be useful to consider what "learning Linux" means to you.

Hundreds of thousands of Macintosh (and iPhone) users very happily use their systems every day, never realizing that those systems are based on Unix and knowing not one single thing about them. "It Just Works."

rabbit2345 · 10-01-2008, 10:00 PM

ummm in case you haven't noticed, but the ONLY way you will ever learn anything about linux is a method called "messing around". You will never learn anything just by read stuff. you have to do it. say there's this command in a book that is chmod a+x. this command make that file executable. but what if you need to do something else? you just have to experiment around. nothing ever works the first time, and linux is too powerful to be contained within books and web sites. you have to go out and do it!!! not just read about it!!! just find something intersting and go try it
btw, when i first started linux, i had your kind of thinking, read a lot of stuff about it. now i know more about it than what i learned in 2 years of book reading. from experimenting.

also, it depends on what kind of learning you want to do. it-just-works learning is not really learning. you have no idea what's under the hood. once you see what's under it all, you can use that to make whatever you want

good luck,
rabit2345 ^_^

chrism01 · 10-01-2008, 10:21 PM

This is good: http://rute.2038bug.com/index.html.gz and structured...

onebuck · 10-01-2008, 11:14 PM

Hi,

You can look at the 'Linux Newbie Admin Guide' to help you. The 'Linux Command Guide' can assist you with the cli. Remember that you can always 'man' a command to get the full explanation for understanding.

Just few more links;

Linux Documentation Project
Rute Tutorial & Exposition

LinuxSelfHelp
Getting Started with Linux

These links and others can be found at 'Slackware-Links' .
More than just Slackware® links!

You can always use in parallel the system and your reference material. As stated by others you definitely need to use the system to fully understand. Too use the GUI you will learn the point and click along with the semantics of the Desktop you use. If you are comfortable with the results of the GUI then albeit the way you are comfortable with.

But to learn the 'cli' for your system you indeed will be learning the intrinsic commands of your system instead of relying on someone else to create the GUI to perform the tasks at hand. I prefer the 'cli' because I can move to any UNIX/Linux based machine without to much effort.