this post was submitted on 20 Oct 2023
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Linux

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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[–] Terumo 44 points 1 year ago
[–] [email protected] 31 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Unfortunately, Linux manuals are pretty scattered around. I'll try to find something for you:

EDIT: Forgot this important material:

  • If you need to know command-line argument specifics for a particular program, use manpages (For example, to find brief information about grep, type man grep in your shell, and info grep if you need a complete manual).
[–] folak 3 points 1 year ago

Thanks a lot !!

[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Maybe tell us what you need the documentation for... Writing kernel modules? Installing distros? Configuring software? Archlinux wiki is a very good general reference, btw.

[–] folak 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah, I mean for linux in general, everything around linux

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah, I mean for linux in general, everything around linux

Waves hand in the general direction of the internet. It's all there.

Seriously, hone in a bit. Like "I'm a complete noob where do I start" or "I installed Mint and it works fine, now what?"

Something like that

[–] folak 1 points 1 year ago (2 children)

More than, "I'm a complete noob where do I start, where do I learn, why, who, where, when"

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

One of the first lessons to learn is how to ask questions.

The doggedness on tripling down on "I want to know everything" is remarkable but it is not going to get you a result.

Your best starting point until you are able to articulate a more focussed question is the Arch wiki as already suggested.

Do a bare bones arch install on a PC you don't care about breaking (a very old one with limited hardware perhaps) while following the arch install instructions on the wiki.

If you're a noob then you'll constantly run into terms you don't understand look them up as you go.

Ciao and good luck.

End of lime

[–] folak 2 points 1 year ago

Hum... Okay... Thanks for the help !

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Answers like this is why people stay out of Linux, you want to get in and the first thing they say is "learn to ask a question!!!"

If you couldn't tell OP was a beginner from the second question, then you are not good at understanding questions.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah no it's not, I offered some gentle prompts to help him refine his question into something that could be answered. As did several others.

He ignored that and tripled down with "I want to know everything"

That's not an answerable question.

You have to want to learn before you can be taught. If you can't listen to the prompt of "ok cool, you're keen but pick a thing" then there's no point me trying to help.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Read between the lines, when an expert has ever said "I want to know everything", OP is clearly a beginner in the subject.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

You seem stuck on me supposedly not recognising he was a beginner.

I'd encourage you to re-read the two examples I gave as to what perhaps the questions he might want to ask were. I clearly did recognise that was the mostly likely scenario.

When they ignored the suggestion and came back with their "boil the ocean" response I responded with the only answer possible to an unanswerable question and pointed them to ground zero for linux knowledge. Install Arch and read everything you don't understand.

Doing that process will force them to ask specific questions that can be answered.

Of course if you think there is any answer to the question of where someone should go to instantly learn everything then I would love you to post it. I certainly will be bookmarking it.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Gentoo Wiki https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Main_Page

Although i myself use an Arch-Based System i find the Gentoo wiki most of the time better regarding configuration of services

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

For me the archwiki is for getting started with a program. I use the gentoo one when I want to customize the experience

[–] dack 16 points 1 year ago

Arch Wiki for more general info. Official docs/man pages of whatever thing you are working with for details.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago

manpages. For many of us, it's the only documentation that existed prior to the Internet.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago

Surprised you didn't think of https://docs.kernel.org/.

[–] TCB13 6 points 1 year ago
[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

https://linuxjourney.com/ is a good place to learn about linux. For documentation, manpages for sure.

[–] folak 4 points 1 year ago
[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago
[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Documentation or tipps?

Tipps:

  • itsfoss
[–] folak 1 points 1 year ago

Documentation