Hey guys and gals!

I just wanted to ask a question or two (or three)

I am needing / wanting to get back into Linux, and would eventually like to abandon Micro$oft altogether (at least as a primary OS), and maybe even run a Linux based server. Maybe even get into some penetration testing. Not really sure where I want the end result to be but I know it lies somewhere in this area.

It is to this end that I ask the following: Can anyone point out a book or set of books (audio or eBooks?, tutorials, or videos that teaches the reader / listener / watcher from beginner to advanced (I would just prefer to start at the beginning to refresh my knowledge, which was not extensive to begin with).

Also, are there any Linux distros that teach one to use it?

All answers / comments are welcome.

Thank you in advance.

Chris

Hi,

Welcome back to Linux,

There's a book you can easily read: http://www.tldp.org/LDP/intro-linux/html/index.html
You can find other formats of this book and other books at: http://www.tldp.org/guides.html

There is a lot of material at http://www.tldp.org

For the distro, maybe you can start with something more user-friendly like Linux Mint or Debian. Software package management is really smooth on these distros. Then, if you feel you're ready for more advanced stuff you can try something more suited for your needs. Have a look around for different distros. There are lots of them: https://distrowatch.com/

All the best.

Full on manuals etc www.linuxtopia.org

HTH & Welcome to LQ

Linux for Dummies in the excellent "for Dummies" series that are well liked
The Beginners Guide to Linux in the beginners guide series.

Both have been available online for free as PDFs - I don't know if they are still free.

That falls under the category of Training/Experience.
One you pay to get, one pays you for what you got.

No. Linux is Self-serve.
Making mistakes is how we learn.

http://tldp.org/HOWTO/HOWTO-INDEX/howtos.html
http://tldp.org/HOWTO/Multi-Disk-HOWTO.html

1 members found this post helpful.

Reading the documentation to the distribution that you are going to install would be a good start. Learning the package management system is a plus as well.

As time progresses learning the cmd-line is a plus.
http://linuxcommand.org/learning_the_shell.php

The Linux Bible is the first link to this search and it's available as a pdf.
Can't beat a free book on Linux.
https://www.google.com/#q=linux+bible+pdf&*

http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/Teaching/Unix/

You should be able to find youtube videos on how to run certain distro's.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSdchGgZrMM

Slackware is a darn good teacher if you have the time to look up and study what you don't understand. The documentation is great!
http://www.slackware.com/

The best way to learn Linux is to install it and start using it.-
https://linuxmint.com/

Good Luck kraihavok and happy learning:-

1 members found this post helpful.

the most important tip is still missing: obviously you can read books, manual pages and tutorials, but without real practice it will not give you anything.
so practice, practice and again: practice.

1 members found this post helpful.

My thanks to everyone who responded. It was awesome. All you responses were so cool, and extremely helpful. I cannot say thank you enough. I will look into all of the suggestions. As of right now, I installed Linux Mint with the cinnamon environment. I like mint just fine, but cinnamon feels clunky to me, so I may have to try out another one. Any suggestions on environments? Anyone have a favorite? Why do you prefer it?

Anyhoo - I am off to check out these resources.

Thank y'all again.

Chris

Try Xfce is my advice.
It's pretty lean and has "familiar elements".
Cinnamon is aggressive on resources, IMO.
https://linuxmint.com/documentation.php

The best method is by far is installing it and using it on a daily basis,
to do daily things. Not so hard.

Start with 64bit download if your system can handle it.

You're Welcome.

Maybe give the Mate desktop instead.

I use XFCE because it rocks! It's light and fast.

I find KDE to be a real RAM hog:-

kraihavok,

Welcome to LQ. It’s good to know that we have a member of Shakespeare’s fan club on board!

Feel free to try the following suggestions:

Linux Made Simple is available FREE as a 143 page pdf:
https://ia801501.us.archive.org/12/i...le_2015_UK.pdf

Blog:
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...7304/#comments

I agree with Habitual and Ztcoracat about using either Linux Mint 18.1 MATE or Xfce instead of Cinnamon. Use 64 bit unless your hardware is old.

As H, Z and pan64 have mentioned, the only real way to learn Linux is by USING it!

An alternative distro is MX Linux which is based on Debian and uses an Xfce Desktop Edition.

Here is a review by Dedoimedo:
http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/mx-16.html


Whether you decide to use MX Linux or not, do have a look at their excellent manual:
https://mxlinux.org/user_manual_mx16/mxum.html

The Installation process (2.5) is very informative:
https://mxlinux.org/user_manual_mx16...Subsection-2.5

Good luck with your Linux adventure.

Tossing in a link to free [limited time tho] Learning Linux Shell Scripting 2015 book

kraihavok,

Not of course forgetting The Linux Command Line from William E. Shotts Jr which is freely available as a pdf download:

https://sourceforge.net/projects/lin...7.pdf/download