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+---
+title: "Linux Basics"
+description: "AKA 'How do I do anything on this bloody thing?'"
+date: 2023-10-12T07:45:24+02:00
+draft: false
+---
+
+So, you've finally managed to get your hands on a shiny new Linux distro,
+whether it's on your VM or bare metal, if you were bold enough to do that.
+First of all, I salute your bravery, but I assume you already knew
+that you'd have to relearn a lot of things from scratch.
+It's completely fine though, you probably took many years to learn
+or maybe even master Windows or MacOS by now, so maybe it's time
+for you to dedicate a little more time to get used to using Linux.
+
+<!-- more -->
+
+So let me give you a few tips on what your first steps might be:
+
+## Package manager
+
+A package manager is one of a few things that define the distribution.
+Depending on what yours might be based on, you may have something like
+`apt` (Debian, Ubuntu etc.), `dnf` (Fedora/Red Hat), `pacman` (Arch Linux)
+or something else, if you picked a less common distro.
+Either way, it is essential that you know exactly which one is
+on your system. You might even have a GUI wrapper for your package
+manager, which usually resembles your average app store
+and might help you out if you're starting out, and it even might
+include a system tray applet or another form of reminding you
+whether your system is up-to-date or not.
+
+No matter which one you'll be using, consider your package manager
+the most reliable source of apps and utilites you might want
+on your system, so if you want to install something, check
+if it's in the official package repositories first.
+You can do it in your terminal by using one of the following commands
+for the most common package managers:
+
+- `apt search [...]`
+- `dnf search [...]`
+- `pacman -Ss`
+
+Refer to your distro's documentation for further information
+(and yes, [RTFM](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RTFM) is very much what
+you have to do to learn Linux, so you should get used to it).
+
+## Command line
+
+It may sound intimidating at first, but even in not-so-proficient
+hands, invoking commands from your terminal might be one of the
+fastest ways to get the job done, whatever it might be.
+GUIs are nice and all, but the terminal is always here for you,
+so I suggest you get used to it. Besides, whether you're trying
+to debug an issue, install something or just use a ready solution
+you copied from the interwebs, it will usually come for Linux users
+in a form of terminal commands.
+
+One of the things you might want to keep in mind is whether
+to run the command as a regular user or as root (superuser).
+Some commands may explicitly start with `sudo`, which is
+the default way of running commands as root on most systems,
+and most of the time it is as easy as just appending that magic word
+in front of your command.
+
+[![xkcd: Sandwich](https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/sandwich.png
+"It's uncanny how easy it is.")](https://xkcd.com/149/)
+
+On some rare occasions you may find the commands prefixed with either an `$`
+or `#` symbols. These are NOT meant to be pasted in your command line,
+and simply indicate whether you should run it as a regular user or
+as a root (the former and latter ones respectively). To switch to a root user
+in your terminal session, run `sudo -i` for an interactive root shell,
+and use `Ctrl-D` to close it and go back to your regular user one.
+
+Now, I should remind you that running *anything* as a root user
+means giving the command unrestricted privileges to your entire system,
+so unless you know what you're doing, verify the command, carefully read
+through it, see what it does and only then execute it.
+Measure twice, run once, as they say. And RTFM, of course.
+I told you this will be your MO for the nearest future.
+
+## Conclusion
+
+Now, I do not claim that this little tutorial will cover most of the use cases
+you will encounter when starting out with Linux, but I also do not wish
+to overwhelm anyone who's only trying it out. So it is only natural
+that I finish this little tutorial with some general advice:
+be ready to learn, don't be afraid to ask, and stay curious no matter what.
+You might even break your entire OS and have no access to your backups
+(which you should be doing regardless of your confidence and skill, FYI),
+but it's only part of the learning process.
+At least 99% percent of your issues will be because of your
+screw-ups and not a product of some globo corpo's bad decision,
+and in most cases they will be reversible as well.
+Make mistakes and learn from them, what can I say.
+
+And once again, welcome to Linux.