8 Ways I Quickly Leveled-up My Linux Skills - And You Can Too

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

When I first started utilizing Linux, I was thrown to nan wolves. I unwittingly installed Linux complete Windows and, astatine nan time, couldn't spend to acquisition a new Windows license. Because of that, it was descend aliases swim.

I decided to swim. Within a week aliases so, I felt comfortable pinch nan OS, but I wanted more, truthful I spent nan clip learning nan ins and outs of Linux, and look astatine maine now. 

Also: This lightweight Linux distro makes switching from Windows 10 easy

You mightiness beryllium thinking, "I request to find a replacement for Windows 10, but I don't want to person to person elite IT skills to do so. Fortunately, you don't person to. With modern Linux distributions, you tin get up to velocity successful nary time, truthful that you're utilizing Linux for each your needs."

Even so, if you're for illustration me, you'll want much retired of nan OS. I'm not talking astir reaching a accomplishment level that requires a grade successful Computer Science. I'm talking astir gaining an knowing of nan OS that makes you consciousness competent capable to possibly thief others study nan OS. If that sounds for illustration you, publication connected to find retired really you tin level up those skills.

1. Use it… a batch

This is nan astir evident spot of advice, and it's what helped maine create capable skills to make a profession retired of utilizing Linux. You person to usage it… a lot. You cognize what they say: it takes 10,000 hours of believe to maestro something. That's complete a twelvemonth of 24‑hour days, truthful we're talking respective years. But we're not talking mastery of nan subject. You want to get proficient capable to consciousness comfortable helping others study Linux. For that, you should see installing Linux and making it your default operating system. 

Also: Installing apps connected Linux? 4 ways it's different than immoderate different OS - and mistakes to avoid

After utilizing Linux daily, you should commencement emotion comfortable capable that you tin do conscionable astir thing pinch nan OS. You'll nary longer fearfulness opening configuration files successful /etc aliases installing services for illustration Samba aliases a web server. Get acquainted capable that you tin troubleshoot issues and understand what's going connected nether nan hood. This will return time, truthful person patience.

2. Don't beryllium acrophobic to break things

One measurement I leveled up my skills was by breaking things. I didn't do it connected purpose, but erstwhile things broke, I had to hole them. As I fixed much and much things, I recovered that I was knowing really nan OS worked much and more. Now, earlier you raise an eyebrow astatine me, I'm not saying you should intentionally break your operating system. Don't spell moving sudo rm -rf / (seriously… don't), but don't fto yourself get truthful worried that what you're going to do will harm nan OS. 

Also: Linux has complete 6% of nan desktop market? Yes, you publication that correct - here's how

Linux is reasonably resilient, truthful nan chances of you breaking it are slim. If you do break something, see it a learning opportunity. If you do consciousness nan request to intentionally break something, I would propose doing truthful pinch Linux moving arsenic a virtual machine, truthful you don't upwind up without a moving computer.

3. Take notes

This mightiness look silly, but I urge taking notes… tons of notes. Why? Because Linux is different than Windows. You'll request to retrieve things for illustration ~/ is nan balanced of /home/USERNAME (where USERNAME is your Linux username), which is nan balanced of nan Windows C:\Users\USERNAME (where USERNAME is your Windows personification name). You'll besides want to return notes connected wherever definite configuration files are, specified arsenic ~/.local/share aliases /etc. 

Also: You tin effort Linux without ditching Windows first - here's how

You mightiness want to support way of what log files location are and what accusation they keep. As you study nan Linux OS, you'll find a batch of cool tips and tricks that you'll want to return statement of. If you support notes, you won't find yourself astatine a nonaccomplishment arsenic to what you request to do. I propose taking notes pinch an app for illustration Simple Notes aliases Google Keep, truthful you tin entree them from anywhere.

4. Find a 'mentor' aliases a organization

When I was first utilizing Linux, I was fortunate capable to glom onto a mentor, who helped maine study immoderate of nan trickier aspects of Linux. 

Also: This Linux distro makes openSUSE accessible to each - moreover newbies should return a look

Back then, installing a different model head aliases desktop situation was challenging, and having a mentor really helped a lot. Finding a mentor mightiness not beryllium easy, because you request personification who's consenting to walk nan clip answering questions and chatting astir nan finer points of Linux. If you tin find personification -- a friend, a family member, aliases personification successful nan Linux communit -- make judge to dainty them pinch respect and ever retrieve to convey them for their help.

5. Read, read, publication

You'll find tons of Linux contented online (such arsenic connected ZDNET). There are besides books, for illustration How Linux Works by Brian Ward aliases nan free book The Linux Command Line by William Shotts. As well, you should cheque retired Linux Bible, by Christopher Negus. The constituent is to publication astir Linux. Read thing you tin find. Print retired articles aliases prevention them successful a postulation to publication later. 

Also: Linux's singular travel from 1 dev's hobby to 40 cardinal lines of codification - and counting

The much you read, nan much you'll know. You tin besides publication nan manual (man) pages to study astir Linux commands. To publication a man page, unfastened a terminal and rumor nan bid man COMMAND (where COMMAND is what you want to study about).

6. Learn nan bid statement

I almost ever show those caller to Linux that you don't have to usage nan bid line, and you really don't. Even though I americium 100% assured successful my bid statement skills, I'll spell days without utilizing it. However, if you really want to up your Linux skills, you'll want to study nan bid statement because that is wherever nan existent powerfulness is. There is truthful overmuch you tin do pinch nan bid line, but I do understand that it tin beryllium intimidating. Because of that, I urge ever starting pinch nan elemental commands, specified arsenic cd, ls, and mkdir. 

Also: The first 5 Linux commands each caller personification should learn

Eventually, you tin postgraduate to commands for illustration chown and chmod and proceed moving up nan bid statement ladder until you've mastered a bully chunk of them. Don't interest astir knowing each bid because location are a batch of them (and immoderate of them won't beryllium of immoderate usage to you). The important point is to scope a level of familiarity truthful you aren't hesitant to ever unfastened a terminal model and tally a command.

7. Try different distributions

You mightiness find yourself stuck connected a distribution simply because it has go acquainted to you. If you only usage an Ubuntu-based distribution, you're missing retired connected those versions based connected Fedora aliases Arch, and location are ever caller things to study erstwhile you hop to different distribution. From my perspective, I ever opportunity caller users should commencement pinch an Ubuntu-based distribution. Once acquainted pinch that, hop complete to a Fedora distribution and study nan ins and outs of that flavor. 

Also: 6 reasons why I've stuck pinch Ubuntu-based Linux distros for nan past 20 years

Finally, hop complete to an Arch-based distribution, wherever you'll study rather a spot more. If you really want to proceed your education, make nan leap to a distribution based connected Gentoo, and you'll consciousness arsenic if you've yet mastered each that is Linux.

8. Join a Linux User Group (LUG)

When I was first learning Linux, I joined a LUG (Linux User Group) astatine nan section college. There, I was capable to chat and study astir Linux successful ways that I couldn't otherwise. On apical of that, it was awesome to meet different Linux users and chat astir nan open-source operating system. That LUG hosted instal fests, wherever group would travel and person america instal Linux connected their computers for them, which was besides a awesome experience. If you can't find a section LUG successful your area, you could ever activity retired a group connected Facebook aliases different societal networking platform. 

Also: 7 things each Linux beginner should cognize earlier downloading their first distro

The important point present is to get social, truthful you tin not only study astir Linux but besides thief dispersed nan connection astir nan open-source operating system.

Get nan morning's apical stories successful your inbox each time pinch our Tech Today newsletter.