How to Learn Linux: An Easy Guide

Learning a new skill always begins with a simple "how to" guide. The same holds true for learning Linux.

If you're interested in Linux, a complete and open source operating system, you've likely encountered some "how to" guides. But learning Linux is more than just following instructions—it's about understanding why you do what you do, and not just what to do.

As a beginner, knowing how to get started with Linux can be tricky. You may find yourself overwhelmed by the sheer number of resources out there. How do you choose? What's going to work for you and your unique set of skills?

First Things First

Of course, the first step is to get Linux on a computer. For new users, it's not that hard—Linux is now available on everything from Chromebooks to Raspberry Pis.

If you want to install Linux yourself, there are many distributions to choice from. Some examples for beginners are shown here.

Most of these Linux distribution provide the same software and differ mainly in system details and package management. You can run your favorite web browser and programs on any of them, but the time you may lose and how much manual config you need to do depends per distro.

Once you've installed a Linux environment, it's a good idea to learn the command line. There are hundreds of commands, it's a good time investment to practice the command line

Who is Linux for?

It is not for everyone. But if you're a programmer who wants to learn more about how the operating system works, it could be a great way to advance your career.

Besides developers, sysadmins must know Linux. Linux is the most widely used server operating in the world. You can easily spin up a Linux VPS for as little as 5 bucks a month.

These days Linux comes with tons of apps and many apps that used to run on the desktop now run on the web. Apps like office, accounting and others.

It's easier to switch to Linux than it was 15 years ago, but if it's for you depends on what you want to do with your computer.

Personally I use all operating systems including Apple OS X, Windows, Linux and others. Reason being it depends on what the client wants (I'm a freelancer). Chances are you need to use Linux for your client in the future.

Almost all of your favorite programming languages can be used in Linux, so it's a great platform for web programming as well as embedded programming.

Linux uses another desktop system (X/Wayland), but you can create cross-platform apps with Linux as well using something like PyQt.