Tech Remedy

by Tom Duffy

If you read this blog, you are no doubt familiar with my love for Linux. Most of the posts that I make regarding Linux are targeted at people who already have a knowledge of Linux and don’t need a lot of help with the basics. I thought it would be a good idea to list 10 easy tips to help you learn Linux.

1. Live CD’s/USB Drives

Many Linux distributions can be run right off of a CD or a USB thumb drive! The reason that this is my first tip is because a Live CD or USB stick allows the user to try Linux without installing it. Get a feel for it without having to partition a hard drive! I have two absolute favorite Live distros. The first one is Slax which is a modular distribution. You can actually “build” your LiveCD or USB stick with all of the applications that you want before even downloading it! Visit www.slax.org to build yours!

The second Live Distro that I absolutely love is Gentoo. Gentoo is an awesome distribution, but it takes an insane amount of patience and knowledge to install it on your system. That’s why it is great to see a LiveDVD version with KDE4 that you can run without installing. Visit www.gentoo.org to download the ISO.

2. Be Patient

I can’t stress this enough to new users of Linux! As you start diving into Linux, you will notice many things that are similar to other operating systems that you have used. However, you will also notice many things that are different. Don’t get frustrated! My general rule is this…If I don’t know how to do something, I will give myself the task of trying to figure it out on my own for a short period of time. If after 20 minutes or so I have made no progress at all, I will look into finding some documentation on the web. Google is a great place to find all kinds of Linux Documents and we will talk more about that later! Just don’t get frustrated when you try to solve a problem and you can’t figure it out. Know when to call it a night and try again the next day!

3. Google

In all of my experience with Linux, I’ve learned a few “truths”. One of those truths is that no matter how bizarre and complicated the problem I’m having with my OS, odds are, someone else has gone through the same thing! Be specific with your searches to find solutions for your problem. If you are getting an error message, you should search for that error message. If the message isn’t very specific, try putting the error message in quotes in your search and then after the quoted error type the distribution you are using and the application that is giving you the error. For example, let’s say that when running OpenOffice Write on Ubuntu 10.04 an error message pops up that says “Open Source Error! This error can be freely distributed!” In order to search for a solution, I would type this into google:

"Open Source Error! This error can be freely distributed!" Ubuntu 10.04 OpenOffice

4. Learn the Command Line!

This is where the rubber meets the road! In order to truly experience the power of Linux, you have to learn the command line. In order to learn the command line, you need to start simple. Open up a terminal and try typing “help”. Try some basic commands such as “ls” or “pwd”. You can also use the Man Pages for different applications. A “Man Page” is just an instruction manual for an application. For example, to read about how to use the curl command, open a terminal and type “man curl”. Sounds silly, right? Don’t bother typing “man woman” though…I’ve tried. There’s not an instruction manual on Earth that can explain that level of complexity!

5. Dedicate a computer to Linux

After you have become comfortable enough with Linux through LiveCD’s and some basic instruction, try installing Linux on an old computer that might be sitting around collecting dust. You’d be surprised at how much life Linux can breathe into an old computer! Try installing several distributions until you find one that you like. Going through the install process is a great learning experience in and of itself! I’d stay clear of distributions like Gentoo and Slackware at first. The best ones to start with are Ubuntu, Fedora Core, and OpenSuse.

6. Use Linux Every Day

Learning a new Operating System isn’t an overnight thing. The important thing is consistency. Try to use Linux as often as possible. At the very least, try to use Linux at least once a day.

7. Make A Problem List

As you use Linux more and more, keep a list going of little quirks and issues that keep popping up. Your list should include everything from simple annoyances to full blown errors and crashes. Don’t make this list in your head. Create a new text document dedicated to this list. Keeping the issues written down will help you to solve them later!

8. Make A Common Tasks List

If you notice that you are doing some tasks every time that you get on your Linux machine, write them down! Create another text document and dedicate it to your common tasks. If every time you fire up Linux, you open a Torrent program to seed ISO’s of Linux Distributions, write that down. If you find yourself frequently downloading a file from the same place, write that down. The purpose of keeping a list like this is to later figure out which common tasks you can simplify or even automate. Wouldn’t it be nice if every time you turned on your computer half of the things you normally do were done automatically?

9. Automate Common Tasks

Using the list from Tip Number 8, try to figure out which tasks can be automated. Do you always open the same applications when you turn your computer on? Why not have them automatically start for you at boot up? Learn everything you can about automating tasks on a timer with the crontab command. Many of the automation features of cron can be used from the GUI! If you keep at it, a lot of your tasks will be simplified or even done for you!

10. Solve The Problems in your Problem List

In Tip Number 7, I suggested making a list of annoyances, errors, and other problems that you have with Linux. Now is the time to start problem solving! Go through your list and try to pick out problems that seem like they won’t be too complicated to solve. Try to solve them on your own at first, but don’t allow yourself to get frustrated! If you are running into a wall, use Google to help you find the right solution. Solving problems is fun, but the most important thing is to never delete problems from your list after they’ve been solved! Instead, type [SOLVED] next to them. Write the solution that you used in there as well! You never know when you might come across someone having the same problem! Sharing your experience and knowledge with other users is what Linux is all about. Someone was kind enough to post the solution that you used…return the favor!

I know this list isn’t anything ground-breaking or cutting-edge, but I think it could be useful. A lot of people who want to learn Linux don’t even know where to start. I think this little list of tips is the perfect place to start!