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Intro to Linux

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Jorge Pérez edited this page Aug 22, 2024 · 3 revisions

Ubuntu:

Apps

To download apps, there are different ways to download them.

The main way to do so, is to install snaps or the Linux equivalent to apk apps. You can go into the snapstore (in ubuntu called 'ubuntu software') and search.

Another way to install apps is through a .deb file. You can go to a website and get a .deb file, and by downloading it and saving it into downloads, you can oppen it with your package mannager (in ubuntu 'ubuntu software' will do the work), and it will sinstall all the necesry dependancies.

Another way to install software is through an appimage. An appImage is litterally that, an executable that will have everything it need within itself. The filetype is .appimage (wow so impressive name).

The last way, is through apt. This will require the console and admin privileges. To oppen terminal, use CTRL + ALT + T, and write sudo apt intall package, replacing package for the name of the package you want to install, for example, cmake. Put your password, and then enter y to confirm. You can also intall .deb packages this way, replacing package for the filepath.

Files

Files are not stored the same way in linux to how it is on Windows. Linux has more of a MacOS kind of filesystem.

Root

Everything starts at the root. This is where the OS is installed. You can go there in the terminal by writing cd /. Also, all possible files and locations will be here. Represented by /, it litteraly is the start of everything.

Home

Home is where you will always start when oppening a terminal. it is defined by a , and entering cd into the terminal will always lead you here. IT IS NOT THE ROOT, it is where your user is, and using something like '/downloads' will be a valid directory, where ~ will replace the path towards your user.

Home will normally be located at: /home/username

Directories

To navigate through directories, you mustkeep in mind that you can use 2 different indicators to help you.

  • . will retrn the current directory, for example, if you are on documents './important' will make you go into the 'important' file
  • .. will make you go up a directory, for example, if you are on documents '../downloads' will make you go back to home, and then enter downloads.
If you wish, you can use as many .. and . as you need

Devices

Unlike windows, where every device will be on a letter, linux will mount devices to a folder. Devices will be normally mounted to /media, however, you can mount them wherever you like. If a device is not storage, it will not be mounted here, and devices will be mounted to a different location, and depending on the device, a different filetype might represent it.

So yeah, devices ARE files/folders.

Using Nautilius

The default GUI file mannager on ubuntu is called nautilus. It is pretty simmilar to MacOS, you can have pinned tabs on the left, and on top, you can see the path you are currently in.

Drag and drop works. double click to oppen files with default app, right click for options... great, the main reason why to use it, is to have a quick way to look at things, but also, unlike any other os, you can open the terminal on the current directory you are on... right click on any part and go to oppen in terminal. A new terminal will oppen with the current directory.

Other useful things might be to oppen nautilos from terminal with administrative permisions, type sudo nautilus, and there will be no stopping you to what files you can or can't oppen. To see hidden files, just go into options.

Terminal

Bu!
Jaja probably scared you.

Don't worry tho, the terminal isn't scarry, it is just missunderstood.

The way the terminal in linux forks is easy:

  1. Type a command
  2. The command might take in arguments, if so add them
  3. Add tags for more things
  4. duck duck go a command you don't know

In the terminal, spaces mean end of command, so if you have to go to a file with spaces, write first\ second.

Usefull commands are:

  • man -> how to use a command, for example man nautilus will bring out all the file mannager info
  • sudo -> the sefault run as admin (DO NOT USE UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING)
  • nano -> text editor
  • ssh -> connecto to other computer
  • apt -> app installer (can also uninstall and update)
  • mkdir -> make a directory (new folder)
  • rmdir -> remove a directory (by default will only delete empty folders, check flags for more options)
  • cd -> Change Directory
  • cat -> show the contents of file
  • grep -> find stuff inside of files or directories
  • touch -> create files

Some other stuff you might find:

  • && will literraly run 2 commands, one after the other
  • || will take the output of one command and shove it into the next
  • * will replace any amount of letters (for example search for any file that ends in png would be *.png)

Basic install:

sudo apt-get install build-essential
sudo apt install synaptic
sudo update-grub

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install gnome-shell-extensions
sudo apt install python3-dev python3-pip

sudo apt-get install python3-catkin-tools

sudo apt install git
sudo apt-get install openssl libssl-dev
gdb
  • nVidia drivers (optional)
  • vlc (optional)
  • Python (depending on what you wanna do):
  • The following are programs that you must compile from source

from an autoconf-generated Makefile uses a prefix of /usr/local—that is, binary programs go in /usr/local/bin, libraries go in /usr/local/lib, and so on. You will often want to change that prefix like this:

Once the prior has been installed, you may continue with ubuntu

Sources:

How Linux Works, 3rd Edition by Bryan Ward. Chapter 17 Virtualization

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