Where to start?

[whahahah]

Hi there!

I'm very new to Linux, so i wanna know about how i could go about learning it.

I wanna ask :

- Should I start off by learning command line? At my school library i found a book 'Beginning the Linux Command Line' published by Apress.

- Is it 'healthy' to start learning general linux instead of going through a book that only covers a single distro?

- I've found some free online tutorial sources(general tutorial on Linux), but most of the sources seems old, some dated back in 2002. Do I have to worry about outdated tutorials? Because I don't want to go through the entire tutorial only to find out that it doesn't applies to latest linux kernel, or something like that.

Thanks in advance.

[jayd512]

Hello and Welcome!

Terminal commands are a good place to start. And the commands will generally be the same, or very similar, across all distros. One of the main differences you'll find is the location of some files or directories. So tutorials can get you going in the right direction.
A good one can be found here: LinuxCommand.org: Learn the Linux command line. Write shell scripts.
Personally, though, I think there is an even simpler way of learning to use the command line... just use that instead of the GUI.

[oz]

Where to start?

Hello and welcome to the forums!

Check the link in my signature for lots of good information on getting started with Linux.

Regarding books, most hard copy books become outdated fairly quickly since things are changing so fast with Linux, but as for commands, it never hurts to know some basic Linux commands to help you out along the way. I'd personally recommend downloading and installing the distribution of your choice, then start playing around with it until you know your way around. Dual-booting between Linux and Windows is usually a good idea for those just starting out with Linux.

Above all, try to have fun with it!

[Tsquad]

I personally did what jayd512 did. When i just started out, i installed ubuntu and just tryd to do everything from the command line. It is defiantly a good way to learn the basics while keeping the functionality of a desktop OS. I would just pick a distro and get to playin around with it. When looking for guides or tutorials, just include your distro name and version in the search, that should help keep out dated guides from your search.

Distrowatch.com is a good place to find the top used/rated linux distros. I started with ubuntu, but due to some changes the made in the newest version, i switched to linux mint 11, and im loving it. Youtube is also a good place to find good video reviews of all the distros. Check it out.

Good luck to you!

[whahahah]

Thanks guys!

Went to download a copy of ubuntu. Gonna play around with the command line for a start!

The linuxcommand.org source is indeed quick and easily understood too!

[elija]

My take is not to learn Linux. That is a huge task. Far simpler to learn how to do what you need to do. That way you get a actual reward for your effort and (here's the secret) you learn Linux as a bonus!

[rohit87]

Hello friend, i would like to say that you start of with a distro suitable for you. there are many distros out. So you can have a good choice. After you select your distro I would say try to install it on your pc. If your new to linux you may even crash your system but don't mind. You are learning it. i almost 20 times crashed my pc while installing linux for the first time and now if you ask I can explain the process very easily and can say the common mistakes newbies make on installing.(I learned actually learned 20 ways not to install linux).

[Haze]

Hi whahaha

I think you can bring all together in one word: "practicing". I started with ubuntu as well but wanted to be "underground" and "pro". Then I've selected debian without X. Who needs a browser, be a hacker and write your own HTTP requests

Of course, this was stubid, but it gave me a lot about the command line and general linux becuase I needed to think about every action that I want to make (Because you don't know how). You can do all the things that you need to do but not that much comfortable. So take the chance, install a server system, use it as desktop and trew yourself into cold water I give you two weeks then you will be familar with command line and the most comman tools.

By the way: You don't need to write your own HTTP Requests, w3m can do that for you.

Br
Haze

[Hyp0tez]

I did my learning with a vmware install, then i could screw things up and easilly startover, for me the install wasn´t that hard, it where the tweaking and fiddling around in the config files that got me into crashmode
Know the CLI is a goood way to start.
If I had started today, i would have gone Ubuntu, downside is that nowwadays most things works good in any distro, "back in the day" (99) one had to do much more settings cuss things never worked

[jayd512]

Hi, essayyweb1! Welcome aboard!

Check out the distro quiz.
Find yourself a LiveCD, read some posts, and let the fun begin!