Home
Blog
Linux for everyday use
Back to Blog
LinuxPop!_OSTerminal

Linux for Everyday Use - Complete Beginner's Guide

January 202612 min read

Switching to Linux can be daunting, but it's rewarding. This guide covers the philosophy, file system, essential commands, and how to survive your first weeks on Pop!_OS.

🎯 Philosophy: Think Different

  • Windows/Mac way: Click everything
  • Linux way: Type commands (faster once you learn!)
  • Don't worry: Pop!_OS has a great GUI too, so you can use both!

📁 File System Basics

Where Everything Lives

/                    Root (top of everything)
├── home/
│   └── yourname/    YOUR files (like C:\Users\YourName)
│       ├── Documents/
│       ├── Downloads/
│       ├── Pictures/
│       └── Desktop/
├── usr/             Programs (like C:\Program Files)
├── etc/             Configuration files
├── tmp/             Temporary files
└── var/             Logs and changing data

Important: ~ means your home folder (`/home/yourname`)./ is NOT the same as \ in Windows! Everything is case-sensitive.

🖥️ Essential Terminal Commands

# Navigation
pwd                    # Where am I? (Print Working Directory)
ls                     # List files
ls -la                 # List ALL files (including hidden)
cd Documents           # Go to Documents folder
cd ~                   # Go home
cd ..                  # Go up one level

# File Operations
touch file.txt         # Create empty file
mkdir folder           # Create folder
cp file.txt backup.txt # Copy file
mv old.txt new.txt     # Rename/move file
rm file.txt            # Delete file
rm -rf folder          # Force delete (CAREFUL!)

# Viewing details
cat file.txt           # Show entire file
less file.txt          # View file (press q to quit)
head file.txt          # First 10 lines

📦 Installing Software

APT (Terminal - Most Common)

# Search for software
apt search firefox

# Install software
sudo apt install firefox

# Update all software
sudo apt update          # Refresh list
sudo apt upgrade         # Install updates

# Remove software
sudo apt remove firefox
sudo apt autoremove      # Clean up leftovers

🔐 Permissions System

Understanding permissions (`ls -l`):

-rw-r--r--
│││││││││└─ Others can read
││││││└─└── Group can read
│││└─└────── Owner can read/write
│└───────── Not a directory
chmod +x script.sh     # Make executable
sudo chown user:group file.txt

📚 Learning Path

  • Week 1: Get Comfortable (Terminal, Pop!_Shop)
  • Week 2: File Management (nano, permissions, backup)
  • Week 3: System Maintenance (updates, htop)
  • Week 4: Power User (zsh, scripting)