Linux for Beginners Supplemental Material, Resources, and References

Linux For Beginners Resources

This page contains links to the resources in Linux for Beginners: An Introduction to the Linux Operating System and Command Line. If you would like to see the video training course based on Linux for Beginners, click here. For even more training courses, visit the Linux Training Academy.

First Things First: Getting Access

Linux for Beginners Book Cover
Linux for Beginners

Getting Connected

Welcome to Shell

Linux Directory Structure

Listing Files and Understanding ls Output

File and Directory Permissions Explained

Finding Files

  • Find – Ubuntu documentation on the find command.
  • Locate – An article on the locate command.
  • The /etc/passwd file – An article on the /etc/passwd file.

Viewing and Editing Files

  • AbiWord – A MicroSoft Word replacement.
  • All Your Base Are Belong To Us – Explains a reference made in the example file.txt file.
  • Emacs How To – An emacs tutorial.
  • Emacs built-in tutorial – Start emacs and type Ctrl-h t.
  • Geany – A source code editor.
  • jEdit – A source code editor.
  • Kate – A source code editor.
  • LibreOffice – LibreOffice not only includes a word processor, but it is a complete office suite with a spreadsheet program, a database, and presentation software.
  • Sublime Text – A commercial product that runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux.
  • The Beginner’s Guide to Nano
  • Vi tutorial
  • vimtutor – Run vimtutor from the command line start the vim tutorial.

Redirection

Transferring and Copying Files

Welcome Back to Shell

Processes and Job Control

Scheduling Repeated Jobs with Cron

  • CronWFT – Decodes crontab lines. Print out human readable output.
  • CronMaker – A utility which helps you to build cron expressions.
  • Redirection – A chapter on this book on I/O redirection.

Switching Users and Running Commands as Others

Installing Software

Appendices

Appendix A: Abbreviations and Acronyms

ACL – access control list

APT – advanced packaging tool (apt)

ASCII – American Standard Code for Information Interchange

CentOS – Community ENTerprise Operating System

cd – Change directory

CLI – command line interface

crontab – cron table

dir – directory

distro – Distribution, a collection of user programs, software, and the Linux kernel to create an operating environment.

FOSS – free open source software

FTP – file transfer protocol

GID – group identification

GB – gigabyte

GNU – GNU’s Not UNIX. (See GNU.org)

GUI – graphical user interface

HP – Hewlett-Packard

IBM – International Business Machines

KB – kilobyte

I/O – input/output

LFS – Linux from scratch. (See http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/)

LSB – Linux Standard Base

LUG – Linux user group

LVM – logical volume management

MB – megabyte

MBR – master boot record

NFS – network file system

NTP – network time protocol

OS – operating system

PID – process identification number

POSIX – portable operating system interface

pwd – present working directory

RHEL – RedHat Enterprise Linux

RHCE – Red Hat Certified Engineer

RPM – RedHat Package Manager

SAN – storage area network

SELinux – Security Enhanced Linux

SFTP – secure file transfer protocol or SSH file transfer protocol

SGID – set group ID

SLES – SuSE Linux Enterprise Server

SSH – secure shell

STDIN – Standard input

STDOUT – Standard output

STDERR – Standard error

su – superuser

sudo – superuser do

SUID – set user ID

symlink – symbolic link

tar – tape archive

TB – terabyte

TTY – teletype terminal

UID – user identification

VDI – virtual disk image

X – X window system

YUM – Yellowdog Updater, Modified (yum)

Appendix B: FAQ

Q: What is Linux?

Linux is an open-source operating system modelled after UNIX.

Q: What is the Linux kernel?

The Linux kernel handles the interactions between the software running on the system and the hardware. To learn more, visit the official Linux kernel website at http://www.kernel.org.
Q: Which Linux distribution should I use?

If your goal is to eventually become a Linux system administrator, focus on CentOS or Ubuntu. CentOS is a Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) derivative. As a general rule, CentOS and RHEL are often found in corporate environments. Ubuntu is popular with startups and smaller companies that run their operations in the cloud. If you are using Linux for your own personal reasons, choose a distribution that appeals to you. To get some ideas look at DistroWatch.com‘s top 10 distributions page.

Here are some other common Linux distributions:

There are several special purpose Linux distributions that focus on a single area. Examples areas of focus include education, minimalism, multimedia, networking/firewalls, and security. Here is just a sampling of the available specialty distros.

  • ArtistX – A DVD which turns a computer into a full multimedia production studio.
  • Edubuntu – An education oriented operating system.
  • live.linuX-gamers.net – A live Linux distribution focused on gaming.
  • Mythbuntu – Mythbuntu is an official Ubuntu flavor focused upon setting up a standalone MythTV based PVR (personal video recorder) system.
  • Parted Magic – A Hard disk management solution.
  • Scientific Linux – Scientific Linux is put together by Fermilab, CERN, and various other labs and universities around the world. Its primary purpose is to reduce duplicated effort of the labs, and to have a common install base for the various experimenters.
  • Ubuntu Studio – Provides the full range of multimedia content creation applications for audio, graphics, video, photography and publishing.
  • VortexBox – VortexBox is a multifunctional solution to rip, store and stream CDs, digital music and Internet radio.

Q: How do I install additional software?

The two most common options for finding and installing software in Linux are yum and apt. Yum is used on RPM based Linux distributions like CentOS and apt is used on Debian based distributions like Ubuntu.

Managing Software with Yum

Installing Software on Ubuntu

Q: Can I use Microsoft Office in Linux?

Microsoft Office is not available for Linux, however there are alternatives such as Libreoffice, Open Office, and AbiWord.

Q: How do I run XYZ program in Linux?

To find Linux alternatives for software you use on Mac and Windows, visit http://alternativeto.net/.

Appendix C: Trademarks

BSD/OS is a trademark of Berkeley Software Design, Inc. in the United States and other countries.

Facebook is a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc..

Firefox is a registered trademark of the Mozilla Foundation.

HP and HEWLETT-PACKARD are registered trademarks that belong to Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.

IBM® is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corp., registered in many jurisdictions worldwide.

Linux® is the registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the U.S. and other countries.

Mac and OS X are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.

Open Source is a registered certification mark of Open Source Initiative.

Sun and Oracle Solaris are trademarks or registered trademarks of Oracle Corporatoin and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries.

UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group.

Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries.

All other product names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.