this post was submitted on 06 May 2025
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Linux

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 25 minutes ago

I am a Linux noob as far as the desktop goes. But I'm quite comfortable in the terminal because for years I've maintained a home server running Debian. After I install the OS, I unplug the keyboard and monitor and the only way to talk to that box is through SSH.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 hours ago

tl;dr: Gradual exposure over time.

I got used to it through work, as I had to ssh into a server to run simulations. That mainly involved navigating the file system and text editing (which I used vim for) to make some basic Python and bash scripts, including sed and awk. The latter two I never got comfortable using, and haven't really touched since.

I was using macOS at the time, and after using that for work, the terminal in macOS got at first less scary and then a preferred way of accomplishing certain tasks. On my work Windows computer I started missing having a proper terminal around, and I eventually found Cygwin and later Git Bash to give me that terminal fix in Windows as well. Especially with the latter I noticed few differences and could use it to a large extent as I would have on my then Macbook.

2-3 years ago I was in need of a new computer, and at that point a laptop with Linux on it was not a very scary prospect. That is by no way saying I went into Linux as an expert, far from it, and I am still very much a newbie - but opening the terminal to work with things is not at all a barrier, which helps a lot if you use Linux and want to be able to do some changes from the defaults. If you don't want that, I think you can go far these days without opening the terminal, but it is certainly a good skill to have.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago) (1 children)

Mastering the command line? A few observations. First, consult and take notes (yes, even seasoned terminal veterans forget syntax.) Secondly, embrace tab completion. It’s your friend, and a surprisingly effective substitute for remembering every single command. Third, the true test: procure a VPS or remote server and exclusively use the command line. No GUI crutches allowed. It’s a digital wilderness, and you'll learn to navigate it.

Lastly, and this is non-negotiable: keep a terminal window permanently resident on your desktop. Consider it a vital organ, deserving of its space. It’s a constant reminder of the power you wield, and a readily available portal to a world beyond the pretty buttons.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 hours ago

I upvoted this comment multiple times while reading.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago)
/

to search man pages was a gamechanger

[–] [email protected] 8 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

I think just doing it more, and thinking it's cool to interact more directly. At least that helps me. I do feel bad for dyslexic peiple though, it's a lot harder for them to use CLI.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah that was it for me. Just keep regular backups and bear in mind that you'll probably break stuff at first. But once you get the hang of it, it's like a whole other level of control over your system.

Also I'm not dyslexic but would things like tab completion and aliases help maybe? I sometimes shorten often-used commands with aliases just for convenience (as an example, I use rsync a lot, particularly the command rsync --ignore-existing -ravwhich I just shorten to rs to save time) so maybe that could also be used to avoid mis-spelling?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 hour ago

Thats a good idea, i have not made any aliases yet. Also remembering all of those aliases is another challenge ha. I keep a text file named commands on my desktop with a whole bunch of commands I forget.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 hours ago
[–] [email protected] 6 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

I set it so when I hit CTRL-Tilde it drops down from the top of the screen.

Quake-style, baby.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

CTRL-tilde or CTRL-backtick?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 hours ago
[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 hours ago

Using computers since before GUI was available... Sometimes I think we ought to go back to it

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

Maybe controversial, but the fish shell. I know it's not strictly bash syntax, but the OOTB features are just so user-friendly. The most helpful features for learning: the autocomplete (with descriptions of subcommands and flags!) and the fuzzy history search.

I write bash scripts all the time, and am significantly more knowledgeable than anyone else on my team (admittedly frontend) because I got comfortable in fish.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago)

I use Fish sometimes, even when I know exactly what I need to type, but just don't feel like having to type out entire file names.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 hours ago

I’m trying to make it a regular thing but my problem is I like to get my hands dirty by working on projects. The snag is that I get stuck a lot due to not knowing basics. My personality gets in the way = get dirty and learn fast(not necessarily shortcuts). Maybe I haven’t found that right source to learn that not too beginner and not too intermediate. Maybe a cool cluster of small projects to setup your computer then environment to setting up projects to do your everyday life takes to what you really want to learn.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

For me, it was having a cool-looking and user-friendly terminal app.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 hours ago (2 children)

How do you get a terminal app that’s cool and user-friendly? Any recommendations?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 hours ago

Konsole and yakuake. Bear in mind that the terminal I was comparing them to was Windows' CMD.EXE, and anything is better than that.

Yakuake is a Quake-style terminal, which means that you can open and close it with an F-key, and it scroll down from the top of the screen. This is both cool-looking and convenient. I like to have some window transparency, so that I can see through the terminal window somewhat. I also like to use a nerd font like Fantasque Sans Mono.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago) (1 children)

Install some terminal apps

Examples:

https://github.com/clangen/musikcube

https://github.com/yorukot/superfile

This is the font I use

https://github.com/ryanoasis/nerd-fonts/tree/master/patched-fonts/Meslo/M-DZ

I also use ghostty because it’s themeable, I found adding transparency helped me because i can have whatever I need to see under the terminal (helps for command cheatsheets)

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 hours ago

These do look nice 🤩 Thanks!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 hours ago

As someone who started with nothing but command line - Timex Sinclair, Apple IIe, DOS, I can’t even relate to the concept of being scared of command line.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 15 hours ago (2 children)

Colors. And a nice, readable font. Make your terminal pretty so you feel good every time you interact with it. Think about window dimensions (I personally always find the standard 80x24 too small), maybe set up some manual tiling so you can have two terminal windows fill your screen. Use the keyboard to move around your desktops.

But mostly, colors.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Colors and ASCII graphics.

It doesn't have to be complicated. Or fancy.

But breaking things up so it's readable helps massively.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 hours ago

Or a nice prompt that creates a distinguishable marker across output.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

And the message "DON'T PANIC" in big friendly letters.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 hours ago

And make sure you know where your towel is.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 15 hours ago

Working in a remote environment

[–] [email protected] 19 points 16 hours ago

Stumbled across a game that teaches the command line as you play it. Seems like a good place to share https://gitlab.com/slackermedia/bashcrawl

personally, writing and saving simple scripts - IE project based learning - is how i got time in the saddle.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago) (1 children)

In my experience repetition helped. Not memorization, but more like muscle memory.

Also, ensuring to never copy and paste commands but to type them in manually yourself. It's hard to enforce this on yourself, but worth it.

I appreciate that this article started with "ways to reduce risk" because that's an extremely valid concern and tied to why you shouldn't ever copy and paste. The one time in my early Linux forays where I copied and pasted I wiped the wrong drive. It definitely taught me to always manually type it in and not get too lazy, because what you copied might not match what you want to do exactly.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Also, ensuring to never copy and paste commands but to type them in manually yourself. It's hard to enforce this on yourself, but worth it.

"Command: sido not found..."

[–] [email protected] 8 points 16 hours ago

As a fan of german rap this gave me a good chuckle. Thx.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 17 hours ago (2 children)

What helps me is to understand what commands acronym means. For instance cp for copy, mkdir for make directory, blkid for block id, ls for list (not too sure about actual meaning for s) and so on!

Nice tips about ctrl+r to search in command history. Was not aware it existed!

[–] [email protected] 10 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

pwd for password, man for mansplain, and dd for destroy disk

[–] [email protected] 4 points 13 hours ago

Hey, the first two don't sound quite right

[–] [email protected] 9 points 17 hours ago

'ls' is an abbreviation for 'list', not an acronym. Like copy -> cp, and the other keystroke saving abbreviations.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 17 hours ago

Okay, this is not Linux-specific, but it's about a transferable skill:

What helped me get comfortable and learn a lot of basics was setting up NetBSD. The basic install throws you into a basic command line, with no graphical interface installed and not even the internet configured. But the online guide for setting the system up is incredibly well-written and teaches you all the concepts you need to know.

After doing this, I was familiar with a larger set of terminal commands, knew how to use vi, had a bunch of practice setting up config files in CLI and even finally learned how pipes work. It's a very enjoyable experience, the guide is so good I didn't feel overwhelmed once and anything you have to look up is tied to a problem you're solving (like cursor movement in vi).

It also teaches you how NetBSD is structured. It's not Linux, but similar enough to understand a lot of how and why things are done in Linux systems

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 hours ago

Virtual environment? Taking notes of what they did?

Anyway, tell them it's okay you experiment and mess things up. Show them how to backup their important work. Then walk them through inevitably having to reinstall their distro.

They'll learn that you can just keep moving forward, fixing and learning as you go.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 17 hours ago

Really specific here, but font control.

Us folks with dyslexia in its various expressions have trouble with command line. If you can't read a specific command, good luck ever getting comfortable with it. You can't error check yourself, so until you build up memory, you're kinda screwed if you can't use the fonts that are available.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago) (1 children)

To things that helps no mater your skill level the tab key is your best friend and man pages are great but if those are overwhelming install the package tldr then you can use the command tldr and the command you are trying to run to give you helpful examples of how to use that command.

Also old users don't remember long commands if we use a command more than once. You save it to your bash alias file to create your own commands.

[–] zygo_histo_morpheus 3 points 14 hours ago

tldr is great, sometimes you can't remember the exact syntax for a certain command and just need a quick reminder as well.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 hours ago
  1. making it ✨pretty✨
  2. using it a bunch
  3. man pages
  4. arch wiki
[–] [email protected] 5 points 17 hours ago (2 children)

Play around in a virtual machine so you don't have to worry about messing anything up. Start with the basics such as navigating through directories and creating, editing, and moving files. If you break something, just restore a snapshot.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 hours ago

Or just use Time Shift or a similar tool. I broke my first linux install like a dozen times, and I learned so much about how my computer operates in the process.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

The way I usually start teaching using the console to my (very much non-tech) students is set up a safe container and then let them type whatever, invariably generating a lot of error messages. Then I challenge them to generate different error messages, "gotta catch em all" style. Then we talk about the error messages and what they might mean. After this exercise they usually get the basic idea of command -- response, what to look out for and how to compose valid commands.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 hours ago

That's clever

[–] [email protected] 3 points 17 hours ago

Clear instructions on how to do a clearly defined, specific task, in a failsoft manner, faster and easier, which helps them in a project they are doing now.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago) (1 children)

Step 1: Use a youtube tutorial for the basic commands. Don't worry, you'll forget about them soon enough. But doing them once, helps with muscle memory.

Step 2: When in need to do something, copy/paste from Q&A/forums various commands that they suggest for your problem. Your basic knowledge from step1 will come back as you do that.

After a few days, you'll be understanding what's going on and how the whole thing works in an abstract level.

[–] Zykino 4 points 16 hours ago

I would recommand to never copy paste but retype so you have the commands on your finger memory.

Also don't be afraid to --help everything. It give more option for commands you know quicker than the man.