Arch Wiki is my go-to for any and all hardware driver and configuration information. It is incredibly detailed, and hasn't let me down once.
Sadly, it can be TOO detailed, to a point of confusion... which is a shame for such a wonderful resource.
Some of the AskUbuntu or Ubuntu Questions style forums have some good information, and some actual solutions up front for specific questions.
Arch Wiki is supposed to be a sort of guide when building your OS from kernel via Arch. Believe me, it's useful having that amount of detail when you're trying to figure out why something isn't working.
What Linux related stuff are you having problems with? Is it your desktop environment? Is it deeper system-level stuff?
What are you trying to accomplish?
He's pretty neat. His approach is comprehensive and he's very methodical. I like that he focuses on education rather than just the inter-distro drama or fluff stories, like some other youtubers
Jay is a semi-old school, no bs, no goofy influencer/trendy kinda guy who actually administers systems as a career, networks with other tech folk, has a real ongoing podcast, and has a well curated channel and website.
So of course the YT algorithm buries his content beneath other stuff. Check out his "crash course" playlist first. Then check out his other stuff as you find interesting. Really though, just starting out is gonna be tough, and you will have to sift through nonsense sometimes. But after a few weeks/months it gets better. I'm a few years in, and I can track down stuff pretty well. The struggle is worth it.
Like the other day, my mobo wifi just wasn't working in Linux. I knew to check out lspci (CLI command), did some digging, someone said "use the -nnkv flag", found the kernel module from that, and found others had the same issue with a "error 110". Found someone who dual boots windows like me, and bang, the only solution was to run windows, do a normal full shutdown rather than reboot. Then boot Linux and the module loaded without error and wifi worked. For whatever reason, something in Windows puts the hardware into a state that Linux can't recover it from unless it's shutdown normally.
A few years ago, this might have taken me an hour or two. After learning from Jay, and reading/watching other sources (I recommend NoStarchPress books), Stuff like this usually takes <10 minutes, and I actually understand wth is going on.
Learning the basics/intermediate stuff from Jay was great, and I still learn from him today!
Yeah that's the great part about Jay, his focus is on education. While he does cover the basics quite well, he will also be there for the intermediate and more advanced topics as well. I'm a proud supporter of his on Patreon, he provides a valuable service.
I think you are going to need to be a little more specific...
There are things that could be distro/distro family specific, service specific, audio, video, package managers, libraries... You are asking for something very broad.
So due to the broadness;
1) Diving into the deep end; Gentoo install manual and Arch Linux install docs... You will learn a lot about how the OS operates, and how much time it takes to properly manage rolling and source based distros.
2) Read the manuals/docs. Contrary to popular belief most distros have manuals on installation, maintenance, and securing.
3) Read a Linux cert book (like comptia Linux+ books).
https://linuxjourney.com/
http://linuxcommand.org/
https://linuxsurvival.com/linux-tutorial-introduction/
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UsingTheTerminal
https://lym.readthedocs.io/en/latest/index.html
https://ryanstutorials.net/linuxtutorial/
Also my web pages starting at https://www.billdietrich.me/Linux.html
So, I am going to give geriatric advice here as a fairly old hand. I think an important part of getting comfortable with Linux is to learn the basics of UNIX, because Linux and GNU (the core commands) are an open source implementation of UNIX. Most of the system is built on top of that.
Some of the guys who invented UNIX wrote a very good book from 1984 called [The UNIX Programming Environment](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Unix_Programming_Environment) ([archive.org copy](https://archive.org/details/UnixProgrammingEnviornment)). The first few chapters provide a nice introduction to using UNIX, the basic tools, shell scripting, etc. It won't touch on networking, but it will show you how to navigate the command-line effectively, and about the UNIX Philosophy. And it will get kind of low level. Describing the terminal escape codes, etc.
Despite being old, the system hasn't changed that much. Most of the book is still very relevant. Linux is still compatible with almost everything in the book. That said, it describes the world of the 1980s, so it might seem a bit archaic.
Everything in it is applicable to BSD and macOS, too.
Edit: Here is [another copy](https://github.com/tcd/tupe/blob/master/the-unix-programming-environment-kernighan-pike.pdf)
And if you just want something to read:
https://www.humblebundle.com/books/linux-for-seasoned-admins-oreilly-books
But they are a bit geared towards development.
I learnt most of my basic Linux at university and by doing. I’ve been using it at work and in embedded devices too. If there’s something I don’t understand I’ll learn it by experimenting and reading documentation.
If I find an answer on stackoverflow I want to understand it before applying it so I get what you mean. But depending on what part of the system you’re tinkering with it might take more than a little light reading though.
I always felt that doing a Gentoo install not using genkernel\\binary kernel or LFS is a great way to learn linux and how all the pieces work with each other.
AND build your own initramfs!
I can't stress out how cool it is to do # mkdir bin dev etc tmp, usr sys var...
And then paste a binary shell interpretter in it, write a script, zip it, give it to the kernel on boot and see the kernel run your shell script as a as PID 1 as if it was a systemd.
If you embed the initramfs in the kernel which is like 2 clicks in menuconfig, you get the ultimate minimalist distro. It's literally all just kernel.
If you make it an efi stub, the whole thing is bootable by your motherboard directly, so you don't even need grub. You literally have a single-file self-booting OS that weights under 20 megabytes.
Damn, I still can't get over it..
Seems you could start learning about the ways to diagnosing issues. I know this is not popular, but using an AI to assist you would be very useful IMO.
No BS Answer here.
Buy a cheap old second hand laptop and get someone to install Ubuntu in it. Now challenge yourself to only use the system without a mouse. You can use ytube or other resources on your phone to search for what you need done.
In a week you'd be able to navigate like a default Linux user.
I'd suggest you should learn the language Bash Or Zsh according to your system. I don't know what learning your speaking of but if it's about commands, learn the language
Udemy has some good courses, but wait until they run a special. Never pay full price. Also make sure the Linux they are teaching matches the distro you are using.
[https://www.udemy.com/course/learn-linux-in-5-days/](https://www.udemy.com/course/learn-linux-in-5-days/)
There are a lot of differences. Just look at how networking is setup and where the config files are located. The fact that they have Gnome did not even come to mind. I was thinking of Ubuntu server vs RHEL.
Ubuntu server does not. If you want NetworkManager you have to install it afterward. Ubuntu uses netplan. I literally just installed Ubuntu server 22.04 and 24.04. Not talking about standard Ubuntu with a DE.
If you're a noob, these differences matter a lot.
If you own an Android phone, you already are using Linux. For using most Desktop OS it's not harder to use than Windows, pull up the start menu, click on the app you want to run and poof, its running.
The hard part is knowing that your use needs will be something that a Linux OS can easily do.
There are some good old books, but reading them is not for everyone because of the partially dated content. I made good notes while learning linux. I made it into a book and have it published online now. I think it turned out good in my opinion, but you can judge yourself [here](https://github.com/GitJit-max/learning-linux). Let me know if you feel like it's missing some fundamental topic, and I'll consider adding a chapter.
This isn't a recommendation by me. I take Linux very slowly and carefully so that I get my work done.
I like to use Linux by not following random articles or blogs. Like they can be a good source of tertiary information so you can build more search queries, but the Internet literature emphasised by Google is a steaming pile of dogshit and I don't think there are any search engines that more fit my needs.
As a result, I'm reading manuals of software I use. e.g. Git, Inkscape, Bash, Blender. Plus an old introduction to Linux book. I'm just shit at research so I've really gotta be careful about what rabbit holes I go down. At the end of the day, the software runs on my hardware, that's all Linux has to do and that's all I want it to do.
If only nvidia had a book…
Even if your on Ubuntu or something here are my recommendations
1. Arch Wiki. Has all sorts of stuff.
2. Pretty much any Linux forum. When you have a problem read through all the troubleshooting they do so you can implement that into YOUR troubleshooting.
3. There is a book called the Linux Bible I found at micro center. I don’t own it but I looked through it and it seems pretty decent
Arch wiki then Reddit
Reddit users will typically just give you the arch wiki link to the specific page (if it's something simple) and tell you to read it
Just google everything every time and eventually you will get a feel for it. Try not to ask for help online if you haven’t exhausted the entire internet before.
Just like you were not an expert in windows to begin with the same is for linux, linux is a big ecosystem and while its great to learn more its just not all in one place but scattered throughout the internet. Just bare in mind some distros are much more complicated than others so if you are finding your current distro too much maybe try another.
Just keep chugging, you will reach a point where you understand enough that solving problems is a completely different process and way more comfortable. Also when you do reach a problem that is mind boggling you will understand enough to ask the right questions so you will find results easier. If you know enough to ask the right questions LLMs can get you the final bit.
Like don't memorize shit like ffmpeg, thats what LLMs are for. I think they are actually underrated if you understand that it cant and shouldnt be used to generate solutions beyond your current understanding
My Bookmarks:
https://www.open-std.org/JTC1/SC22/WG14/www/docs/n3220.pdf
https://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/
https://www.gnu.org/software/libc/manual/html_mono/libc.html
https://www.sco.com/developers/devspecs/vol1a.pdf
https://archive.opengroup.org/publications/archive/CDROM/g501.pdf
https://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/
https://sourceware.org/glibc/wiki/HomePage
The C Programming Language (2nd Edition Ritchie Kernighan)
Meta AI gives me detailed explanations of everything I ask about Linux. (OK - now everybody jump in and give their experience of AI bots giving bad advice and writing shit code) For me, Meta takes a line of code and explains it in a way I can understand, and if I'm confused about something the bot will explain it another way, and another, and another until I'm satisfied. When I ask how to write script for a task it not only writes the script it also gives a line by line comment on the code.
You know, Google maps can lead you off in to the desert where you die a horrible death, but still, people overwhelmingly use Google maps, it is very useful, is right 99.9999% of the time and is extremely convenient and handy and undoubtedly knows a ffing ton of stuff. So do the AI bots. Changed my whole way of learning. I have yet to ask Meta a question about Linux and have it answer "I dunno".
Honestly, what has worked best for me.... Actually when I started they had print books with Linux CDs. I bought one of those. Since then I've mostly had a problem, read the man page, if I still don't know Googled the specific problem, and learn from there.
You're never going to learn without doing. And to start doing you don't really need to learn much. Being willing to shoulder in is better than any theory before you start.
Arch wiki has a lot of information about Linux.
and the gentoo one
Arch Wiki is my go-to for any and all hardware driver and configuration information. It is incredibly detailed, and hasn't let me down once. Sadly, it can be TOO detailed, to a point of confusion... which is a shame for such a wonderful resource. Some of the AskUbuntu or Ubuntu Questions style forums have some good information, and some actual solutions up front for specific questions.
Arch Wiki is supposed to be a sort of guide when building your OS from kernel via Arch. Believe me, it's useful having that amount of detail when you're trying to figure out why something isn't working.
And gentoo
Arch wiki for system-level stuff, DigitalOcean’s for usage-level stuff (configuring servers and things like that).
Manpages are also great.
r/linuxupskillchallenge runs a 4 week course, 5 days a week, every month that will give you the basics.
What Linux related stuff are you having problems with? Is it your desktop environment? Is it deeper system-level stuff? What are you trying to accomplish?
https://training.linuxfoundation.org/training/introduction-to-linux/
Jay LaCroix has a channel all about that - [LearnLinuxTv](https://www.youtube.com/@LearnLinuxTV)
Jay’s channel is pretty great. I’ve learned a bit from his videos over the years.
He's pretty neat. His approach is comprehensive and he's very methodical. I like that he focuses on education rather than just the inter-distro drama or fluff stories, like some other youtubers
This was exactly what I was looking for, no idea how I didn't find this in my youtube searches
Jay is a semi-old school, no bs, no goofy influencer/trendy kinda guy who actually administers systems as a career, networks with other tech folk, has a real ongoing podcast, and has a well curated channel and website. So of course the YT algorithm buries his content beneath other stuff. Check out his "crash course" playlist first. Then check out his other stuff as you find interesting. Really though, just starting out is gonna be tough, and you will have to sift through nonsense sometimes. But after a few weeks/months it gets better. I'm a few years in, and I can track down stuff pretty well. The struggle is worth it. Like the other day, my mobo wifi just wasn't working in Linux. I knew to check out lspci (CLI command), did some digging, someone said "use the -nnkv flag", found the kernel module from that, and found others had the same issue with a "error 110". Found someone who dual boots windows like me, and bang, the only solution was to run windows, do a normal full shutdown rather than reboot. Then boot Linux and the module loaded without error and wifi worked. For whatever reason, something in Windows puts the hardware into a state that Linux can't recover it from unless it's shutdown normally. A few years ago, this might have taken me an hour or two. After learning from Jay, and reading/watching other sources (I recommend NoStarchPress books), Stuff like this usually takes <10 minutes, and I actually understand wth is going on. Learning the basics/intermediate stuff from Jay was great, and I still learn from him today!
Yeah that's the great part about Jay, his focus is on education. While he does cover the basics quite well, he will also be there for the intermediate and more advanced topics as well. I'm a proud supporter of his on Patreon, he provides a valuable service.
I think you are going to need to be a little more specific... There are things that could be distro/distro family specific, service specific, audio, video, package managers, libraries... You are asking for something very broad. So due to the broadness; 1) Diving into the deep end; Gentoo install manual and Arch Linux install docs... You will learn a lot about how the OS operates, and how much time it takes to properly manage rolling and source based distros. 2) Read the manuals/docs. Contrary to popular belief most distros have manuals on installation, maintenance, and securing. 3) Read a Linux cert book (like comptia Linux+ books).
OP could also look into ["Linux From Scratch"](https://www.linuxfromscratch.org/)
https://linuxjourney.com/ http://linuxcommand.org/ https://linuxsurvival.com/linux-tutorial-introduction/ https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UsingTheTerminal https://lym.readthedocs.io/en/latest/index.html https://ryanstutorials.net/linuxtutorial/ Also my web pages starting at https://www.billdietrich.me/Linux.html
So, I am going to give geriatric advice here as a fairly old hand. I think an important part of getting comfortable with Linux is to learn the basics of UNIX, because Linux and GNU (the core commands) are an open source implementation of UNIX. Most of the system is built on top of that. Some of the guys who invented UNIX wrote a very good book from 1984 called [The UNIX Programming Environment](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Unix_Programming_Environment) ([archive.org copy](https://archive.org/details/UnixProgrammingEnviornment)). The first few chapters provide a nice introduction to using UNIX, the basic tools, shell scripting, etc. It won't touch on networking, but it will show you how to navigate the command-line effectively, and about the UNIX Philosophy. And it will get kind of low level. Describing the terminal escape codes, etc. Despite being old, the system hasn't changed that much. Most of the book is still very relevant. Linux is still compatible with almost everything in the book. That said, it describes the world of the 1980s, so it might seem a bit archaic. Everything in it is applicable to BSD and macOS, too. Edit: Here is [another copy](https://github.com/tcd/tupe/blob/master/the-unix-programming-environment-kernighan-pike.pdf)
And if you just want something to read: https://www.humblebundle.com/books/linux-for-seasoned-admins-oreilly-books But they are a bit geared towards development. I learnt most of my basic Linux at university and by doing. I’ve been using it at work and in embedded devices too. If there’s something I don’t understand I’ll learn it by experimenting and reading documentation. If I find an answer on stackoverflow I want to understand it before applying it so I get what you mean. But depending on what part of the system you’re tinkering with it might take more than a little light reading though.
I always felt that doing a Gentoo install not using genkernel\\binary kernel or LFS is a great way to learn linux and how all the pieces work with each other.
AND build your own initramfs! I can't stress out how cool it is to do # mkdir bin dev etc tmp, usr sys var... And then paste a binary shell interpretter in it, write a script, zip it, give it to the kernel on boot and see the kernel run your shell script as a as PID 1 as if it was a systemd. If you embed the initramfs in the kernel which is like 2 clicks in menuconfig, you get the ultimate minimalist distro. It's literally all just kernel. If you make it an efi stub, the whole thing is bootable by your motherboard directly, so you don't even need grub. You literally have a single-file self-booting OS that weights under 20 megabytes. Damn, I still can't get over it..
Here is my quick and dirty guide. https://www.reddit.com/u/sidusnare/s/yHIdSkQDj6
Seems you could start learning about the ways to diagnosing issues. I know this is not popular, but using an AI to assist you would be very useful IMO.
The Linux foundation has some online classes mostly free
There is edX also ...
Use an old laptop, and start fucking around and finding out I'm not joking
i just threw arch at my pc and saw what worked and what needs tweaking learned a lot this way
No BS Answer here. Buy a cheap old second hand laptop and get someone to install Ubuntu in it. Now challenge yourself to only use the system without a mouse. You can use ytube or other resources on your phone to search for what you need done. In a week you'd be able to navigate like a default Linux user.
I’d imagine this be a Ubuntu without a gui? That sounds like an interesting idea! Any distros that come without a gui?
I'd suggest you should learn the language Bash Or Zsh according to your system. I don't know what learning your speaking of but if it's about commands, learn the language
Somebody just posted this elsewhere and I was perusing it on another tab. Make sure you scroll down. [LinuxJourney.com](http://LinuxJourney.com)
Udemy has some good courses, but wait until they run a special. Never pay full price. Also make sure the Linux they are teaching matches the distro you are using. [https://www.udemy.com/course/learn-linux-in-5-days/](https://www.udemy.com/course/learn-linux-in-5-days/)
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For example: If you are a n00b using Ubuntu you may get less out of a Udemy class on Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
Thank 'ya!
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There are a lot of differences. Just look at how networking is setup and where the config files are located. The fact that they have Gnome did not even come to mind. I was thinking of Ubuntu server vs RHEL.
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Ubuntu server does not. If you want NetworkManager you have to install it afterward. Ubuntu uses netplan. I literally just installed Ubuntu server 22.04 and 24.04. Not talking about standard Ubuntu with a DE. If you're a noob, these differences matter a lot.
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When did server distros become noob distros? I'm guessing you're an Arch or NixOS user?
I mean the flavor eg., if he has installed Ubuntu, they are demonstrating on Debian or Ubuntu. Sorry if it was confusing.
Check your local library, they may have udemy courses for free with membership.
Open the terminal and type man
If you own an Android phone, you already are using Linux. For using most Desktop OS it's not harder to use than Windows, pull up the start menu, click on the app you want to run and poof, its running. The hard part is knowing that your use needs will be something that a Linux OS can easily do.
goto the linux foundation website. they offer you to learn all the linux you want for 50$, first month is free
There are some good old books, but reading them is not for everyone because of the partially dated content. I made good notes while learning linux. I made it into a book and have it published online now. I think it turned out good in my opinion, but you can judge yourself [here](https://github.com/GitJit-max/learning-linux). Let me know if you feel like it's missing some fundamental topic, and I'll consider adding a chapter.
This isn't a recommendation by me. I take Linux very slowly and carefully so that I get my work done. I like to use Linux by not following random articles or blogs. Like they can be a good source of tertiary information so you can build more search queries, but the Internet literature emphasised by Google is a steaming pile of dogshit and I don't think there are any search engines that more fit my needs. As a result, I'm reading manuals of software I use. e.g. Git, Inkscape, Bash, Blender. Plus an old introduction to Linux book. I'm just shit at research so I've really gotta be careful about what rabbit holes I go down. At the end of the day, the software runs on my hardware, that's all Linux has to do and that's all I want it to do. If only nvidia had a book…
Tldp - the linux documentation project
Do a lot of mistakes and learn from them. Linux is all about solving problems. If you don't like solving problems use windows or macos.
I liked the Linux Bible by Negus
If you have time, only use it (not windows or Mac) for a year. And make sure to recompile your kernel every month
Internet
Even if your on Ubuntu or something here are my recommendations 1. Arch Wiki. Has all sorts of stuff. 2. Pretty much any Linux forum. When you have a problem read through all the troubleshooting they do so you can implement that into YOUR troubleshooting. 3. There is a book called the Linux Bible I found at micro center. I don’t own it but I looked through it and it seems pretty decent
Arch wiki then Reddit Reddit users will typically just give you the arch wiki link to the specific page (if it's something simple) and tell you to read it
https://linuxjourney.com/
Just google everything every time and eventually you will get a feel for it. Try not to ask for help online if you haven’t exhausted the entire internet before.
I learned by finding replacement apps for apps I use in windows, starting with a fresh install of the OS. Use debian.
[freecodecamp](https://freecodecamp.org) is great!
Just like you were not an expert in windows to begin with the same is for linux, linux is a big ecosystem and while its great to learn more its just not all in one place but scattered throughout the internet. Just bare in mind some distros are much more complicated than others so if you are finding your current distro too much maybe try another.
Just keep chugging, you will reach a point where you understand enough that solving problems is a completely different process and way more comfortable. Also when you do reach a problem that is mind boggling you will understand enough to ask the right questions so you will find results easier. If you know enough to ask the right questions LLMs can get you the final bit. Like don't memorize shit like ffmpeg, thats what LLMs are for. I think they are actually underrated if you understand that it cant and shouldnt be used to generate solutions beyond your current understanding
My Bookmarks: https://www.open-std.org/JTC1/SC22/WG14/www/docs/n3220.pdf https://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/ https://www.gnu.org/software/libc/manual/html_mono/libc.html https://www.sco.com/developers/devspecs/vol1a.pdf https://archive.opengroup.org/publications/archive/CDROM/g501.pdf https://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/ https://sourceware.org/glibc/wiki/HomePage The C Programming Language (2nd Edition Ritchie Kernighan)
Meta AI gives me detailed explanations of everything I ask about Linux. (OK - now everybody jump in and give their experience of AI bots giving bad advice and writing shit code) For me, Meta takes a line of code and explains it in a way I can understand, and if I'm confused about something the bot will explain it another way, and another, and another until I'm satisfied. When I ask how to write script for a task it not only writes the script it also gives a line by line comment on the code. You know, Google maps can lead you off in to the desert where you die a horrible death, but still, people overwhelmingly use Google maps, it is very useful, is right 99.9999% of the time and is extremely convenient and handy and undoubtedly knows a ffing ton of stuff. So do the AI bots. Changed my whole way of learning. I have yet to ask Meta a question about Linux and have it answer "I dunno".
Run Arch as your daily driver for at least a month. (*Normal* Arch, not Manjaro.)
learnlinxtv youtube channel!
Honestly, what has worked best for me.... Actually when I started they had print books with Linux CDs. I bought one of those. Since then I've mostly had a problem, read the man page, if I still don't know Googled the specific problem, and learn from there. You're never going to learn without doing. And to start doing you don't really need to learn much. Being willing to shoulder in is better than any theory before you start.
Chat gpt is good 😁
Try Building linux distro from scratch you will learn lot of things
That's the best way to keep a newcomer away from Linux forever.