Hey rookie!
My first experience was probably technically in 1997 at Elementary School. Their computers all ran on Linux. It is free. Why would you spend $100 a piece on individual installs of Microsoft Windows. To be fair, this is my first honest crack at it. There’s more to life than Gizmos and Gadgets.
So you decided to dive into this wonderful world known as Linux? Well, you better strap in, because it’s going to be a long and hard road. My name is Penguin Pete, and I’m here to guide you through this journey. Let’s get started with a little bit of backstory about Linux.
To learn about how Linux came to be, let’s go back to the beginning, to 1969, where Ken Thompson
I knew a guy named Ken Thompson. He was a different guy though.
and Dennis Ritchie of Bell Laboratories developed the UNIX operating system. It was later rewritten in C to make it more portable and eventually became a widely used operating system.
A decade or so later, Richard Stallman started working on the GNU (GNU is Not UNIX) project. The GNU kernel, called Hurd, unfortunately never came to completion. The GNU General Public License (GPL), a free software license, was also created as a result of this.
The kernel is the most important piece in the operating system.
You can’t eat it.
It allows the hardware to talk to the software. It also does a whole lot of other things, but we’ll dig into that in a different course. For now, just know that the kernel controls pretty much everything that happens on your system.
During this time, other efforts such as BSD, MINIX, etc., were developed to be UNIX-like systems. However, one thing that all these UNIX-like systems had in common was the lack of a unified kernel.
It would be helpful if they explained these abbreviations. Maybe I’ll learn more later in this course.
Then in 1991, a young fellow named Linus Torvalds started developing what we now know today as the Linux kernel.
Better Popcorn.
These virtual machine labs are pretty great.
Source: https://labex.io/lesson/linux-history
n this lab, you’ll begin an exciting journey into the world of Linux! We’ll start with fun and simple commands that will help you get comfortable with the terminal – your window into the Linux world. Think of it as learning to send text messages to your computer! Don’t worry if you’ve never used Linux before; we’ll take it one small step at a time.
Everything is set up in your browser—enter the LabEx magic! Simply click the Continue button or the LabEx VM icon on the left to embark on your journey.
Labby
Great! Let me prepare the lab VM for you. While it’s being set up, you can start reviewing the first step of this lab.
Labby
Meeting Your Terminal
Course Navigation Notice: The “Linux for Noobs” course is a comprehensive, standalone Linux beginner course. If you’re coming from the “Quick Start with Linux” course, you can skip the initial labs and continue from Environment Variables in Linux. However, beginners are also encouraged to start from this current lab, as while there may be some overlapping knowledge points, it serves as valuable review and reinforcement.
In this step, we’ll open the terminal and learn how to make your computer talk back to you! The terminal might look simple, but it’s like a magic window where you can type commands and see instant results.
First, let’s get your terminal ready:
- Look at the left side of your screen
- Find and click the Xfce Terminal icon (it looks like a small black screen)
- A window will open – this is your terminal
Now, let’s make your computer say hello! Type this command exactly as shown:
echo "Hello LabEx"You should see your message appear, like this:
Hello LabEx💫 Tip: Beginners often mistype the command or forget to include the quotes. If an error message appears, use
Ctrl + Cto clear the terminal and try again.
The echo command is like having a conversation with your computer. Whatever you type after echo is what your computer will say back to you!
Source: https://labex.io/labs/linux-getting-started-with-linux-446315
Congratulations! 🎉 You’ve completed your first Linux adventure on LabEx! Let’s see what you’ve learned:
- Opening and using the terminal
- Making your computer respond with
echo - Checking time and calendars with
dateandncal - Doing calculations with
expr - Creating ASCII art with
figlet - Keeping your workspace clean with
clear
n the previous lesson, we learned about the Linux kernel, which powers millions of devices a day. One thing before we move forward: the term “Linux” is actually quite a misnomer, since it refers to the Linux kernel. However, many distributions use the Linux kernel and are therefore commonly known as Linux operating systems.
A Linux system is divided into three main parts:
- Hardware – This includes all the hardware that your system runs on, as well as memory, CPU, disks, etc.
- Linux Kernel – As we discussed above, the kernel is the core of the operating system. It manages the hardware and tells it how to interact with the system.
- User Space – This is where users like yourself will be directly interacting with the system.
So, the first step we’ll need to take is to install Linux on your machine. You have many options to choose from, and this course will help inform you and get you started on choosing a Linux distribution.
There are many Linux distributions to choose from; we’ll just go over the most popular options.
3. Debian
Overview
Debian is an operating system composed entirely of free and open-source software. It’s widely known and has been in development for over 20 years. There are three branches that you can use: Stable, Testing, and Unstable.
Stable is an overall good branch to be on. Testing and Unstable are rolling releases. This means that any incremental changes in those branches will eventually become Stable. For example, if you wanted to get the next update from Windows 8 to Windows 10, you would have to do a complete Windows 10 installation. However, being on the Testing release, you’ll automatically get updates until it becomes the next operating system release without having to do a full installation.
Package Management
Debian also uses Debian package management tools. Every Linux distribution installs and manages packages differently, and they use different package management tools. We’ll get more into this in a later course.
Configurability
Debian may not get the latest updates, but it’s extremely stable. If you want a good “core” operating system, this is the one for you.
Uses
Debian is an overall great operating system for any platform.
Overview
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), commonly referred to as RHEL, is developed by Red Hat. RHEL has strict rules to restrict free redistribution, although it still provides source code for free. It’s a commercial Linux distribution designed for enterprise environments with professional support and long-term stability.
Package Management
RHEL uses a different package manager than Debian, the RPM package manager, which we will eventually learn about as well. The RPM system includes YUM and DNF tools for package management and dependency resolution.
Configurability
RHEL-based operating systems will differ slightly from Debian-based operating systems, most noticeably in package management. If you decide to go with RHEL, it’s probably best if you know you’ll be working with it.
Uses
As described by the name, it’s mostly used in enterprise, so if you need a solid server OS, this would be a good one. RHEL is particularly popular for mission-critical applications, web servers, and database systems in corporate environments.
Certification Path
RHEL administrators can pursue Red Hat certifications including RHCSA (Red Hat Certified System Administrator) and RHCE (Red Hat Certified Engineer), which are highly valued in the industry.
Interesting.
5. Ubuntu
Overview
One of the most popular Linux distributions for personal machines is Ubuntu. Ubuntu also releases its own desktop environment manager, Unity, by default.
Package Management
Ubuntu is a Debian-based operating system developed by Canonical. Therefore, it uses a core Debian package management system.
Configurability
Ubuntu is a great choice for a beginner who wants to get into Linux. Ubuntu offers ease of use and a great user interface experience that has led to its wide adoption. It’s widely used and supported and is most like other operating systems, such as macOS and Windows, in terms of usability.
Uses
Great for any platform: desktop, laptop, and server.
6. Fedora
Overview
Backed by Red Hat, the Fedora Project is community-driven, containing open-source and free software. Red Hat Enterprise Linux branches off Fedora, so think of Fedora as an upstream RHEL operating system. Eventually, RHEL will get updates from Fedora after thorough testing and quality assurance. Think of Fedora as an Ubuntu equivalent that uses a Red Hat backend instead of Debian.
Package Management
Uses Red Hat Package Manager.
Configurability
If you want to use a Red Hat-based operating system, this is a user-friendly version.
Uses
Fedora is great if you want a Red Hat-based operating system without the price tag. Recommended for desktop and laptop.
. Linux Mint
Overview
Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu. It uses Ubuntu’s software repositories, so the same packages are available on both distributions. Linux Mint is preferred by some over Ubuntu because it does not come with some of the proprietary software that Ubuntu includes, such as Unity.
Package Management
Since Linux Mint is Ubuntu-based, it uses the Debian package manager.
Configurability
Great user interface, great for beginners, and less bloated than Ubuntu. In this course, I will be using Linux Mint, but any other distribution can be used.
Uses
Great for desktop and laptop.
This is the one I picked.
. Gentoo
Overview
Gentoo offers incredible flexibility with the operating system, but it comes at a price. It’s made for advanced users who don’t mind getting their hands dirty with the system.
Package Management
Gentoo uses its own package management system, Portage. The Portage package management is very modular and easy to maintain, which plays a big part in the operating system as a whole being very flexible.
Configurability
If you’re just getting started with Linux and want to take a more challenging path, I’d choose Gentoo or Arch Linux as your distribution.
Uses
Great for desktop and laptop.
9. Arch Linux
Overview
Arch is a lightweight and flexible Linux distribution driven 100% by the community. Similar to Debian, Arch uses a rolling release model, so incremental updates eventually become the stable release. You really need to get your hands dirty to understand the system and its functions, but in turn, you get complete and total control of your system.
Package Management
It uses its own package manager, Pacman, to install, update, and manage packages.
Configurability
If you want a lightweight operating system and truly want to understand Linux, use Arch! There’s a bit of a learning curve, but for hardcore Linux users, this is a great choice.
Uses
Great for desktop and laptop. If you also have a small device such as a Raspberry Pi and need to install a lightweight OS on it, you can’t go wrong with Arch.
I’m not ready.
Overview
openSUSE Linux is created by the openSUSE Project, a community that promotes the use of Linux everywhere, working together in an open, transparent, and friendly manner as part of the worldwide Free and Open Source Software community. openSUSE is the second oldest still-running Linux distribution and shares its base system with SUSE’s award-winning SUSE Linux Enterprise products.
Package Management
Uses RPM package manager.
Configurability
openSUSE is a great choice for a new Linux user. It offers an easy-to-use graphical installer/administration application (YaST) and a tidy base system, easy to tinker with. openSUSE includes everything you need to enjoy the internet worry-free of viruses/spyware and to live out your creativity, be it with your photos, videos, music, or code.
Uses
openSUSE Leap is fully capable of being used on a desktop PC and laptop.