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| You Need to Learn Linux 🐧 | 2021-12-17T19:16:50Z | ahmza | true |
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Ever wanted to learn Linux ? Well no better time than now to learn | https://blog.ahmza.com/Page%28/posts/you-need-to-learn-linux.md%29 |
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Introduction
I say you need to learn Linux because really there is no reason not to. If you are pursuing a career in IT then you will without a doubt come across Linux and having even basic knowledge of Linux will get you far simply because it is everywhere. Many people struggle with the OS simply because it's fundamentally different compared to the other operating systems but give it a bit of time, you will master the basics and understand how much control over the system it gives you.
But Why
As mentioned before, there isn't reason not to. Linux is everywhere, from data centres to your phone. Understanding how to use Linux is great if you in or looking at a career in IT because not many people -relatively speaking- know how to use it, it sets you apart from others. I also believe Linux gives you a deeper understanding of how your system works at a lower level which can be great when it comes to troubleshooting. I think the most important factor is that Linux is open source and so you have the ability to look at the code you are running and with this comes full customisability of the system.
If you consider yourself a power user then Linux is the perfect operating system due to the aforementioned customisability but also the command line. Many people are scared away from Linux as they are intimidated by the fact that they have to use the terminal, however if you can overcome this "fear" then you have unlocked a great power and from my experience will start finding GUI's cumbersome.
How can you start
There are many ways you can start using Linux and a lot of them don't require you to use Linux as your main operating system. You do need to be committed to using Linux. Try not to fall back to Windows or MacOS if you cant figure something out, search for solutions. Lastly try to get comfortable with the terminal.
Install Linux as your main OS
This is the Full Send option. This is a great option if you know a move to Linux is something you want to commit to. I think this is the best option as you have to start learning Linux to get things done so you have incentive to keep going.
Choosing a distro is fun but a huge time investment, you will hear the
term distro hopping which is installing different distributions of
Linux and with the number of distros out there this can be daunting
for new users. A great Distribution that I recommend is
Manjaro with KDE Plasma
as it offers a heavily customisable desktop environment KDE Plasma
and Manjaro itself is a great as it is based on Arch Linux so it can
leverage the power of the AUR (Arch User Repository)
MacOS Terminal
MacOS is actually UNIX based and so if you have an apple Mac/MacBook all you need is to open the Terminal application and start playing around. I used this option for a while on my work machine and it works great. You get the best of both worlds with this option so if you have a MacOS device then this is a solid option. Not recommended if you don't have one of these devices simply due to cost 💸
Windows WSL
The Windows Subsystem for Linux is another great option to get started with Linux as it installs the Linux Kernel natively in windows and allows you to play around with a real Linux environment, before doing a full send on my main machine this is the option I used.
Virtual Machines
If there is a specific Distribution of Linux you want to try without doing a Full Send then this is a great option however if you want to simply get to know the Linux then choose the MacOS terminal or WSL methods as they are a lot lighter.