Getting Started with Linux

2025-04-02

Introductions:

  • Jeffrey Fonseca (@moonpiedumplings)
    • Linux user for 6 years
    • Sophomore
    • Vice President of Layer 8
  • Mustakimur Rahman (@arithmeticninja)
    • Linux user for 7 years
    • Senior
    • VP of IEEE

What is Linux?

  • Linux is an Operating System
  • Lowest level of software on a computer
  • Runs “drivers” which are responsible for interacting with hardware

Why Linux in the Industry

  • Linux is “open source” — No license fees
  • Linux is more performant than alternatives
  • Used in the vast majority of servers
  • Games, web servers, etc

Why Linux Personally

  • It’s faster!
    • Uses less RAM
  • No ads, bloatware
  • Many tools are designed for Linux first

Introduction to Linux

  • “Command Line” — alternate way of interfacing with applications
  • It’s not programming. It’s not a logic puzzle that needs to be solved.
    • Commands are designed to be used.

Introduction to the Command Line

  • All computer operating systems have a cli
  • Command format: commandname --argument1 inputfile

Terminal and Shell

  • ls — list files in current directory
  • cat <filename> — print file contents
  • pwd — print current working directory
  • cd change directory

More Commands

  • ssh -p portname username@ip/hostname connect to a remote machine
  • find -iname "*texttofind*" find files by some text
  • grep filename search a file for text within it.
  • man commandname Built in documentation about commands

Distributions

  • Linux is just the kernel, but more than the kernel is needed
  • When people package up the kernel + utility software, it becomes a “Distro”
  • Red Hat Linux is the most widely used distribution, 70% of enterprise use cases*

Red Hat Administrative Commands:

  • dnf — package manager.
    • dnf install packagename installs more software
    • dnf remove packagename
    • dnf update update packages

Overthewire

Web Based Terminals:

Further Resources

Thank You!