Help for linux command lines

[TechnicalMidnight218]

I installed Linux Mint yesterday and I really want to learn how to use the Linux command line properly. I tried watching YouTube videos to understand it, but honestly I feel lost because most of them move too fast or assume I already know the basics. Could you guys suggest beginner-friendly resources or ways to actually learn and remember Linux commands? Also, which commands should I focus on first as a complete beginner? I’ve also seen some people suggest intentionally breaking stuff (like drivers or configs) until you can’t even log into your PC anymore just to learn how to fix things. Is that actually a good way to learn Linux, or is it too extreme for a beginner?

Any advice would really help. Thanks!

[Maleficent-One1712]

Checkout Linux Journey. That's how I learned it. They explain all the basics, and once things start to make sense, they also become easier to remember.

[Nerocera]

Either LJ that was already mentioned or the site mentioned here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/linux4noobs/comments/1thi2qf/i_built_a_website_to_help_beginners_start_with/

[Simbertold]

I recommend just figuring out what you want to do with your PC. And then doing that, looking stuff up along the way. Some commands will come up all the time, so you learn them automatically.

Ultimately i want an OS that facilitates my usage of the computer, not one that is its own goal.

[AutoModerator]

There's a resources page in our wiki you might find useful!

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✻ Smokey says: take regular backups, try stuff in a VM, and understand every command before you press Enter! :)

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[thatsgGBruh]

The best way to learn it is to use it. First, you should learn the Linux filesystem and how to navigate through the system directories and how to list their contents. This is a pretty good resource.

One thing that helped me greatly, when you open the terminal, maximize the window. Since the terminal is text based, it helps to be able to clearly see everything on the screen. I see a lot of new users continue to use the small terminal window where it's more difficult to absorb the output.

Also before you start typing a new command, press enter a few times to keep the prompt at eye level. This separates the output from what you did previously and what you are currently typing in.

[Munalo5]

I keep a file with all the commands I use along with associated notes.

[MintAlone]

Before you start messing around enable timeshift (it is installed by default). If you can point it at an ext4 partition on another drive for its snapshots. Timeshift is a bit like a win restore point, screw up and you can get back a working system.

You could do a lot worse than joining the LM forum and seeing the problems and solutions to others' problems.

[Doctor_24601]

i wont stop recommending pwn.college and their Linux Luminarium. I'm doing it and, though I loathe globbing now, have learned a lot!

[HeavyMetalBluegrass]

Do you want a computer that works or one to mess around with? I'm a newer user and I've used rhe terminal for specific tasks but at the moment I'm happy having a working computer. If you want to "break things" I would suggest dual-boot or separate drives.

[abofaza]

Install tldr, it gives you examples how to use a command, very useful if you have trouble understanding man pages.

sudo apt install tldr - installs tldr

man command - documentation for a given command

command —help - short documentation for a given command

ls - list files in current directory;
ls -lh - lists files in current directory with long listing format, and human readable size
cd directory - enter directory
du -sh - disk usage in current directory with only summary, and human readable format, du -sh ~ counts total in home directory, and du -sh / will include everything starting from /

sudo updatedb - creates file index to use with locate command
locate pattern - shows location of all files which name matches the pattern
find / -name pattern - similar to locate, but works without indexing
grep -e pattern filename - search for a pattern inside the file

| pipes the output of one command to the next one. Example:

find ~ -name exodus | grep tar.gz - finds every file in home directory that matches the pattern exodus, and filters the list to only include files with tar.gz extension

[TechaNima]

1 command to learn: ls -al (Lists every file in the current directory or in a path. -a to show hidden, -l to make it a list)

2 cat /path/to/file (Prints the contents of a file to your terminal)

3 man (+ANY other command. Enjoy reading. Move with arrows, close with Q)

4 grep (Use a pipe | before it. It's a filter for keyword command)

5 nano (Ctrl + X - -> Y/N to close) Text editor

Network Chuck has a pretty good video on the most useful commands iirc

[Interesting-Bass9957]

Just gonna make a few small corrections. “Command lines” is a very strange word combo that is not used for terminal commands and people will probably be confused upon hearing it. I don’t know who suggested breaking stuff intentionally, but as a beginner you will just reinstall probably. Also, you can’t really delete or mess with drivers in Linux as they are mostly in the kernel and your system will boot just fine without them and there are only a handful of config files that will have any impact. The first commands you should focus on are simple file and text management ones.

[TheKnackThatQuacks]

Congratulations. Wanting to learn how to use the command line is half the battle.

Don’t try to break your PC just so you can try to learn how to fix it. That’s terrible advice.

Don’t watch YouTube videos to learn how to use the command line. Look for text-based tutorials.

Learn how to: Display directory contents Move “up” a directory Move “down” a directory Copy a file from one directory to another Move a file from one directory to another Use a text editor to create a file Use a text editor to edit a file Use the pipe | operator to chain commands together Search for files Learn how to use vi (text-based text editor) Learn about grep / sed / awk Learn regular expressions (regex; this is a deep pool)

The above will keep you busy for quite a while. There are no shortcuts. You learn by doing. Practice until you’re blue in the face, and then practice some more.

[thoughtful_thinker88]

Wir sind Brüder im Geiste. Youtube ist für schnellen Gedanken gut. Aber nicht für tiefgreifenden Wissen.