How to learn Linux?

[FuturePilot]

Forget books. Set up a system that you can break and not have to worry about losing anything important. Then have at it. Find a guide on how to do something specific and follow it. Then go beyond that and start customizing it. Then go beyond that and make it secure if it's some kind of server. You can even go beyond that and figure out how to integrate it with other things to make it even more useful.

I have never touched a Linux book.

[matt_symes]

Hi

If the OP is going to study this, he will have to read books. Comes as part of the territory . You do learn fast with experimentation though.

@OP. Look at VMWare or Virtual box (google both). They will allow you to virtualise a system to break and fix to your hearts content.

Kind regards

[gamebusterzade]

Best way to learn how to use Linux, is to use Linux.

i agree with this. this is how i learned how to handle Linux

but if u need to read to learn try a magazine like: Linux pro magazine or Ubuntu user

there are more but these can get u started

[Shining Arcanine]

I have no idea how to learn linux. i am a college student information systems major but i have not started my program. i was wondering if there was anyway i could start learning how to do advanced things. i run ubuntu 10.10 solely on my notebook. luckily it is user friendly or i would be lost. any suggestions on how to learn? what is code or something?

sorry if this is a stupid post

Install a virtual machine and then install Gentoo Linux inside it. You will learn how to use Linux very quickly.

http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handbook/

[FuturePilot]

Hi

If the OP is going to study this, he will have to read books. Comes as part of the territory . You do learn fast with experimentation though.

@OP. Look at VMWare or Virtual box (google both). They will allow you to virtualise a system to break and fix to your hearts content.

Kind regards

What I mean is don't rely solely on books. I see this all the time. Someone wants to learn Linux and they immediately go for books. Now maybe some people learn better though reading, but there's one shortcoming of books that you will run into regardless of how you learn. Linux books teach you things as they would happen in a pristine environment which is almost never the case in the real world.

[t0p]

The Linux Documentation Project (tldp.org)is a great resource for newbies, gurus, and the rest of us! You'll find stuff there aimed at just about every level of Linux knowledge/ignorance.

This site (Ubuntuforums.org)is also a great place to learn about Linux in general and Ubuntu in particular. The Ubuntu community is by and large very friendly and helpful. You won't get any of those nasty "RTFM" responses here!

I'm afraid I don't agree with FuturePilot's stance on books. I haven't touched many Linux books... but only because I have a stack of them in .pdf format! There are countless books about Linux that you are free to copy. I'm afraid I can't give you any specific titles as I'm not at my desktop machine right now, but one useful book that comes to mind is called something like The Linux Dictionary. It explains some of those scary-sounding topics in easy-to-follow language, and helped me pierce the "mystique" that some newbies get put off by.

To really learn "about Linux", you really need to clarify in your mind what it is you want to do with Linux. It's a vast subject, as in many ways the story of Linux encompasses the history of the internet and of computing itself! Sit down and make a list of the subjects that you really feel you need or want to know about; then try concentrating on those subjects first. Everything's interconnected at some level, so you'll get a pretty good general grounding even when concentrating on just a few subjects. For example, a while back I decided I really wanted to know more about Linux in networking. So I googled up a heap of info about Linux networks, and in the process I learned a whole heap of other stuff!

I hope all this talk about heaps of info and endless tomes hasn't scared you off! If all you want to do is learn how to use Linux competently, there isn't really need to go anywhere near the more arcane stuff. Nowadays there are lots of wonderful applications with clear, intuitive user interfaces that you'll be able to pick up in no time at all. You certainly don't need to be a computer expert to use Linux!

[linuxforartists]

Here are two books that I found to be hugely helpful in learning Ubuntu:

Ubuntu for Non-Geeks - This is the book I wish I had when first started with Ubuntu and didn't know how to make things work. Nicely organized around chapters for multimedia, productivity, etc.

Ubuntu Kung Fu - Chock-full of tips, tricks, and hacks for doing all sorts of useful and cool things in Ubuntu. It's getting a little outdated, since it was published in 2008. But every time I open it up, I learn something interesting. If I even applied 25% of that content, I'd feel like a power user. Bonus is that awesome title!

Like others have said, also spend a lot of time exploring the system, checking out the menus, and tweaking settings.

[sidzen]

what books do you recommend?

Try starting with Mike McGrath's Linux in Easy Steps. It helped me!

[buddyd16]

The arch linux wiki is also an excellent source of information.

[Starks]

Jumping right in.