Getting to know Linux, Starting from nothing, Mastering Bash

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What you are asking is a question having so very broad a scope as to be potentially overwhelming!

I will assume that you are looking for a limited, but sufficient scope for being able to use and, to a limited extent, adapt your OS installation in order to make it fit you like a glove. For that, I will come back in another posting with the list of the few books that should offer that coverage.

But to help put that into context, or in case my assumption is incorrect, I will try to give you a "sense" of the scope of things, just to give you an idea of the journey you may be embarking upon. :slight_smile:

Below is an attempt at putting on display the various "silos" that represent topics of specialization within the Linux ecosystem.

Maybe, as you go over those,

  • you might be able to recognize and help to pin that down a bit of your specific focus, if that applies, by indicating which of the following topics are of most urgent concern, or,
  • if a number of them, reply with your list being ordered in what your sense of priority would be, or
  • if your are looking for a suggested sequence for a reading list that provides a hierarchy of gradually more complex learning?

If this last one, you will need to be specific about the "end goal" or specific competency you are hoping to achieve, if you have been able to identify that by yourself or with help of advisors.

Topics that could be covered include (not intended to be fully comprehensive):

OS - Linux generic

  • [1] basic user interaction with OS and mastery of personal content on disk

    • Linux command usage
    • text editors (programming), pros/cons, capabilities, limitations (Gvim, Emacs, etc.)
    • various archiving formats, their purposes (intended preferred uses), limitations
    • browser options, pros/cons, capabilities, limitations, exposures (Firefox, Chrome, Chromium, Falkon, etc.)
    • desktop Office tools (OpenOffice, LibreOffice, etc.)
    • desktop communication tools (email, RSS, messengers, VOIP, "video-phone", group video-conferencing, shared blackboard, etc.)
    • security applications (password management, public-key encryption, key-lookup sites, encrypted email, ISP VPN, user-to-user VPN, network obfuscation a.k.a Tor-facilitated networking)

  • [2] basic OS utility functions

    • security applications (level 1 - privilege clamp-down on all users, applications, services, ports)
    • disk setup, disk check/repair, data/disk backup, data/disk restore, fdisk, gdisk, parted, gparted

  • [3] intermediate User capabilities

    • IDEs a.k.a. Integrated Development Environments for Software Development (Builder, Geany, IDLE, CodeLite, Eclipse, etc.)
    • Software development practices - Infotech Industry generic
    • Software development practices - Linux ecosystem
    • Software development practices - Debian-derivative ecosystem
    • Software development practices - Ubuntu ecosystem
    • Software development practices - UbuntuMATE ecosystem

  • [4] intermediate OS utility functions

    • security applications (level 2 - virus/trojan scan/detection/containment)
    • security applications (level 3 - penetration testing and prevention)

  • [5] advanced Desktop utility functions

    • desktop fulltext harvesting/indexing/search capabilities (Recoll, etc.)

  • [6] advanced OS utility functions

    • security applications (level 4 - breach event monitoring, detection, response)
    • installation of OS "extensions" using Package Managers
    • installation/build of Kernel customizations
    • startup disk creator
    • etc.

  • [7] advanced service deployment

    • installation and management of database capabilities (MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, etc.)
    • installation and management of mail servers
    • installation and management of Domain Name Services

  • [8] expert OS utility functions

    • firewall administration
    • proxy administration
    • router and border gateway administration
    • building a customized distro and deploy as bootable installation media

OS - UbuntuMATE Specific

  • [9] standard applications and GUI-based utilities
    • Caja
    • EOM
    • etc.

Linux Ecosystem - 3rd-Party Cross-Distro Applications

[10]

  • Synaptic
  • Blender
  • FreeCAD
  • Gimp
  • Inkscape
  • Scribus
  • Shotwell
  • Transmission
  • Liferea
  • Grisbi
  • Calibre
  • Manuscript
  • Okular
  • Sigil
  • Document Scanner
  • Fontmatrix
  • Handbrake
  • RipperX
  • VLC
  • Widelands
  • and many, many more ...

I hope that can help you guide us to identify the book/site references you are looking for, that will meet your needs. :slight_smile:

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