It takes some time to find your way around Linux very well. About as long, who would have thought it, as under other operating systems? However, the more you work with Linux, the sooner you will get to know and appreciate the real advantages of this operating system.
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Tip 1: Do not work permanently as root - sudo instead of su
Tip 2: As root only do something if you understand what you are doing with it
Tip 3: Do not store user data in the root directory
Tip 4: Under Linux, everything is a file that can (mostly) be read
Tip 5: Learn the most important console commands
Tip 6: period - or where important files are hidden
Tip 7: Linux software from the software sources
Tip 8: Only install third-party programs if you can trust the source
Tip 9: If something doesn't work right away - logs and error messages
Tip 10: Ubuntu is Linux but Linux is not Ubuntu. This also applies to other distributions
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In the following, I would like to recommend some tips for working with Linux. As a beginner, they are a good guide for the first overview. Don't be confused by the fact that there are always console commands and commands that have to be entered using the keyboard. Even if you prefer to use the mouse, these tips will be useful for you. If you keep that in mind when working with Linux, you can easily avoid most of the biggest accidents that can happen to a Linux user and get an idea of what makes Linux tick.
Tip 1: Do not work permanently as root - sudo instead of su
The root directory of Linux, as the name suggests, is the root directory into which all other directories are classified. It is obvious that this area must be protected against changes by normal users because this contains system files that are important for the operation as well as the directories of all users.
Below that, in the “/ home” directory, every user with his own account normally has his own directory. He usually only has the rights that allow him to access files within this directory.
On a system with several users, an administrator usually takes care of system maintenance, for example, the installation of programs and other tasks. However, only one user is usually installed on your own PC, who of course then has to do it himself from time to time to make changes to the system.
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For this purpose, root rights can be temporarily granted to a user. There are two ways to do this in Linux
With the command “su” on the command line, you take over the role of the root, do the tasks and switch back to the normal user after entering “exit”.
“Sudo” briefly gives you root privileges for the execution of the next statement (s). Once the instructions have been carried out, you automatically switch back to the normal user.
What do you think, which option is more likely to protect against unintentional changes to the system?
Right, with “Sudo” you are on the safe side. Because with “su” you would be root until you end the fun with a courageous “exit”. You can quickly forget that and screw up the system really nicely. And don't think that this can only happen to beginners. Even “old hands” are sometimes not at the point.
Remember: If you have at least a rough idea of what you are hammering into the keyboard, as root you are always just one button away from wrecking your entire installation. In most cases, the system assumes that Root knows exactly what he is doing.
If you like Linux, sooner or later you will probably discover the convenience of operating the console. That is great! I can only recommend.
Just don't just execute any command sequences that you may have found anywhere on the Internet. As long as you don't really understand what a command line or script does, be careful. If you want to experiment a lot, a virtual Linux installation is recommended as a guest system in Virtualbox. This is a Linux installation within a specially protected area. In it you can test everything in peace without endangering your basic installation.
The root directory contains many important system files. You should not create any files yourself - unless you know exactly what you are doing and why. You can store as many files in your own home directory as there is space available. The root directory is usually only managed by the system and is taboo for normal users!
On the one hand, you may endanger the system, on the other hand, it is quite possible that when you update the system, your files saved outside the home directory are simply overwritten.
Not so important for beginners, but very practical if you get used to it from the start: Everything under Linux is a file. This means that all inputs or outputs of the Linux system take place via the file system. As I said, not really important for beginners but good to know and easy to remember. At the latest when you need more extensive system information, this knowledge could be very helpful to you.
When I started to work intensively on Linux about twenty years ago, the graphical user interface of the system was anything but mature. Accordingly, it was probably not just me who was happy when, after a few years, more and more really well-functioning desktops appeared. The world seemed fine again because now you could finally "work properly with Linux".
To make it short: Today, the desktops under Linux are better than ever and are equipped with every conceivable and unthinkable comfort. But today I prefer to work and almost exclusively in a terminal or directly at the console. I can do most of the small tasks, install, set up, delete programs or search through my archive, research and write texts without any graphic support. If I have to use the mouse every time, it feels like it takes twice as long and just can't get going properly.
Whether it is worthwhile to take a closer look at Linux commands and use the terminal for individuals depends on whether you only use Linux in your free time or for any productive use.
But I am convinced that anyone who uses Linux in the long term will sooner or later benefit from it. Therefore, I can really only recommend taking a look at one of the other Linux command every now and then. Good candidates to start with are often required commands such as ls, man, df, cp, mv, less and nano. (In the forums and portals linked below you will also find a lot of information on the use of Linux commands.) This almost automatically gives you deeper insights into the functioning and interaction of the individual components of Linux.
If you have to reinstall the system, you usually want to transfer not only your own data to the new system but also the settings of programs that have already been installed. The question often arises here where these settings can be found. Linux uses a special property of the file system for this: Folder and file names with a preceding point are normally neither displayed in the file manager nor listed in the console or in the terminal with the corresponding command. To display these files, you have to select the option “Show hidden files” in the file manager or enter a corresponding command extension in the console (eg “ls -all”).
In this way, settings of the programs used by the users and other configuration files are hidden from the user and protected against unintentional changes. For example, if you have installed Firefox or the Thunderbird mail program, you will almost certainly find a folder in your directory called “.firefox” or “.thunderbird”. It contains all the files of the respective programs that are necessary for the configuration, which you can easily copy to the new system.
For many other programs, the settings are saved in a corresponding file in the “.config” folder, which you can also copy if necessary.
The use of fixed software sources is often surprising for beginners. Linux is downloaded by most users as a complete distribution (Ubuntu, Mint, Debian, Suse, Redhat, etc.). Additional programs can be downloaded in the form of so-called packages from the package sources (repositories) of the distribution manufacturers on the Internet. The package sources are mostly coordinated with each other and the respective distribution and are maintained and updated by the manufacturers.
The package sources of the different distributions are usually very different from each other. So it makes no sense to want to install packages from another distribution on a Linux installation of a certain distribution. (There are exceptions here, such as the distributions derived directly from Debian, which can usually also install pure Debian packages.) The provision of updates and upgrades are handled differently by different manufacturers. Some manufacturers place more emphasis on current software, others more on stability.
If you want to use Linux in the long term, you should find out more about the distribution in question. All available complete and live distributions are certainly suitable for beginners to try out. There are even special distributions for music, graphics or photo editing and much more. Linux is Linux, but there are differences in the distributions and in the long run, you should try to find the one that meets your own requirements.
In addition to the distribution sources just mentioned, there are of course other sources with Linux software. You can even download and compile the source code of most programs yourself. It's not even that difficult. But if it doesn't keep you going, postpone it until you get to know Linux better. Because third-party installation sources should be used with caution. I think Linux is very safe, but if you bring software from unknown sources onto your own PC, you can quickly get into trouble even under Linux!
One of the main reasons for my switch to Linux was to troubleshoot Windows, which made me really crazy. (If you live in a region of our beautiful country where this term is not familiar: I was completely annoyed! - But joking aside, Windows was and is a wonderful operating system. After twenty years of Linux, I'm just no longer compatible with it ... :)
Linux creates important log files of essential system components during startup and operation. These are located in the file system under / var/log and can be viewed with a text viewer (e.g. tail, cat, less, more, etc.). The logging behavior of the system can be configured. As a beginner, you probably won't be able to do much with it. But even then you will find that after a while you can get valuable information about the state of the system in these files. If at any time you should ask for help in a forum on a real problem or a very specific question, you can assume that there will be a reference to a corresponding log file. Then you know ...
Linux has matured over the years. Today's distributions allow almost everyone to install Linux in a matter of minutes. Despite important differences, the operation hardly differs from that of other operating systems. However, you will not learn how to use a new operating system in a day.
If you have installation problems, if a program steadfastly refuses to do so, and Linux still puzzles you after weeks, don't blame yourself or Linux. Contact a forum, describe your problem and ask for help in a few nice words.
Try to provide as relevant additional information as possible so that they can help you. If you e.g. B just write “suddenly the monitor stays black and flashes in a strange way… you will hardly be able to help. But if you explain the matter a little, e.g. Ubuntu 17.10, graphics card changed, then no more picture, the species are already listening. And rely on it: there are sometimes real experts among the forum participants.
With the command “su” on the command line, you take over the role of the root, do the tasks and switch back to the normal user after entering “exit”.
“Sudo” briefly gives you root privileges for the execution of the next statement (s). Once the instructions have been carried out, you automatically switch back to the normal user.
What do you think, which option is more likely to protect against unintentional changes to the system?
Right, with “Sudo” you are on the safe side. Because with “su” you would be root until you end the fun with a courageous “exit”. You can quickly forget that and screw up the system really nicely. And don't think that this can only happen to beginners. Even “old hands” are sometimes not at the point.
Tip 2: As root only do something if you understand what you are doing with it
Remember: If you have at least a rough idea of what you are hammering into the keyboard, as root you are always just one button away from wrecking your entire installation. In most cases, the system assumes that Root knows exactly what he is doing.
If you like Linux, sooner or later you will probably discover the convenience of operating the console. That is great! I can only recommend.
Just don't just execute any command sequences that you may have found anywhere on the Internet. As long as you don't really understand what a command line or script does, be careful. If you want to experiment a lot, a virtual Linux installation is recommended as a guest system in Virtualbox. This is a Linux installation within a specially protected area. In it you can test everything in peace without endangering your basic installation.
Tip 3: Do not store user data in the root directory
The root directory contains many important system files. You should not create any files yourself - unless you know exactly what you are doing and why. You can store as many files in your own home directory as there is space available. The root directory is usually only managed by the system and is taboo for normal users!
On the one hand, you may endanger the system, on the other hand, it is quite possible that when you update the system, your files saved outside the home directory are simply overwritten.
Tip 4: Under Linux, everything is a file that can (mostly) be read
Not so important for beginners, but very practical if you get used to it from the start: Everything under Linux is a file. This means that all inputs or outputs of the Linux system take place via the file system. As I said, not really important for beginners but good to know and easy to remember. At the latest when you need more extensive system information, this knowledge could be very helpful to you.
Tip 5: Learn the most important console commands
When I started to work intensively on Linux about twenty years ago, the graphical user interface of the system was anything but mature. Accordingly, it was probably not just me who was happy when, after a few years, more and more really well-functioning desktops appeared. The world seemed fine again because now you could finally "work properly with Linux".
To make it short: Today, the desktops under Linux are better than ever and are equipped with every conceivable and unthinkable comfort. But today I prefer to work and almost exclusively in a terminal or directly at the console. I can do most of the small tasks, install, set up, delete programs or search through my archive, research and write texts without any graphic support. If I have to use the mouse every time, it feels like it takes twice as long and just can't get going properly.
Whether it is worthwhile to take a closer look at Linux commands and use the terminal for individuals depends on whether you only use Linux in your free time or for any productive use.
But I am convinced that anyone who uses Linux in the long term will sooner or later benefit from it. Therefore, I can really only recommend taking a look at one of the other Linux command every now and then. Good candidates to start with are often required commands such as ls, man, df, cp, mv, less and nano. (In the forums and portals linked below you will also find a lot of information on the use of Linux commands.) This almost automatically gives you deeper insights into the functioning and interaction of the individual components of Linux.
Tip 6: period - or where important files are hidden
If you have to reinstall the system, you usually want to transfer not only your own data to the new system but also the settings of programs that have already been installed. The question often arises here where these settings can be found. Linux uses a special property of the file system for this: Folder and file names with a preceding point are normally neither displayed in the file manager nor listed in the console or in the terminal with the corresponding command. To display these files, you have to select the option “Show hidden files” in the file manager or enter a corresponding command extension in the console (eg “ls -all”).
In this way, settings of the programs used by the users and other configuration files are hidden from the user and protected against unintentional changes. For example, if you have installed Firefox or the Thunderbird mail program, you will almost certainly find a folder in your directory called “.firefox” or “.thunderbird”. It contains all the files of the respective programs that are necessary for the configuration, which you can easily copy to the new system.
For many other programs, the settings are saved in a corresponding file in the “.config” folder, which you can also copy if necessary.
Tip 7: Linux software from the software sources
The use of fixed software sources is often surprising for beginners. Linux is downloaded by most users as a complete distribution (Ubuntu, Mint, Debian, Suse, Redhat, etc.). Additional programs can be downloaded in the form of so-called packages from the package sources (repositories) of the distribution manufacturers on the Internet. The package sources are mostly coordinated with each other and the respective distribution and are maintained and updated by the manufacturers.
The package sources of the different distributions are usually very different from each other. So it makes no sense to want to install packages from another distribution on a Linux installation of a certain distribution. (There are exceptions here, such as the distributions derived directly from Debian, which can usually also install pure Debian packages.) The provision of updates and upgrades are handled differently by different manufacturers. Some manufacturers place more emphasis on current software, others more on stability.
If you want to use Linux in the long term, you should find out more about the distribution in question. All available complete and live distributions are certainly suitable for beginners to try out. There are even special distributions for music, graphics or photo editing and much more. Linux is Linux, but there are differences in the distributions and in the long run, you should try to find the one that meets your own requirements.
Tip 8: Only install third-party programs if you can trust the source
In addition to the distribution sources just mentioned, there are of course other sources with Linux software. You can even download and compile the source code of most programs yourself. It's not even that difficult. But if it doesn't keep you going, postpone it until you get to know Linux better. Because third-party installation sources should be used with caution. I think Linux is very safe, but if you bring software from unknown sources onto your own PC, you can quickly get into trouble even under Linux!
Tip 9: If something doesn't work right away - logs and error messages
One of the main reasons for my switch to Linux was to troubleshoot Windows, which made me really crazy. (If you live in a region of our beautiful country where this term is not familiar: I was completely annoyed! - But joking aside, Windows was and is a wonderful operating system. After twenty years of Linux, I'm just no longer compatible with it ... :)
Linux creates important log files of essential system components during startup and operation. These are located in the file system under / var/log and can be viewed with a text viewer (e.g. tail, cat, less, more, etc.). The logging behavior of the system can be configured. As a beginner, you probably won't be able to do much with it. But even then you will find that after a while you can get valuable information about the state of the system in these files. If at any time you should ask for help in a forum on a real problem or a very specific question, you can assume that there will be a reference to a corresponding log file. Then you know ...
Tip 10: Ubuntu is Linux but Linux is not Ubuntu. This also applies to other distributions
Linux has matured over the years. Today's distributions allow almost everyone to install Linux in a matter of minutes. Despite important differences, the operation hardly differs from that of other operating systems. However, you will not learn how to use a new operating system in a day.
If you have installation problems, if a program steadfastly refuses to do so, and Linux still puzzles you after weeks, don't blame yourself or Linux. Contact a forum, describe your problem and ask for help in a few nice words.
Try to provide as relevant additional information as possible so that they can help you. If you e.g. B just write “suddenly the monitor stays black and flashes in a strange way… you will hardly be able to help. But if you explain the matter a little, e.g. Ubuntu 17.10, graphics card changed, then no more picture, the species are already listening. And rely on it: there are sometimes real experts among the forum participants.
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