I’ve always approached learning Linux by just diving into it and bashing my head against problems as they come until I either solve them or give up, the latter being the more common outcome.
I wouldn’t take this approach with other pieces of software though - I’d read guides, best practices, have someone recommend me good utility tools or extensions to install, which shortcuts to use or what kind of file hierarchy to use, etc.
For example, for python I’d always recommend the “Automate the boring stuff with Python”, I remember learning most Java with that “Head first Java” book back in the days, c# has really good official guides for all concepts, libraries, patterns, etc.
So… lemme try that with Linux then! Are there any good resources, youtube videos, bloggers or any content creators, books that go explain everything important about linux to get it running in an optimal and efficient way that are fun and interesting to read? From things like how the file hierarchy works, what is /etc, how to install new programs with proper permissions, when to use sudo, what is a flatpak and why use it over something else, how to backup your system so you can easily reconstruct your setup in case you need to do an OS refresh, etc? All those things that people take for granted but are actually a huge obstacle course + minefield for beginners?
And more importantly, that it’s up to date with actually good advice?
The Arch wiki is a great learning place.
How Linux Works might be what you’re looking for
But to truly master Linux, you need to understand its internals, like how the system boots, how networking works, and what the kernel actually does. In this third edition of the bestselling How Linux Works, author Brian Ward peels back the layers of this well-loved operating system to make Linux internals accessible.
Isn’t it too advanced? Seems like a good book but like the opposite of what I meant - I’m curious about beginner resources that will get people interested, knowledgeable and comfortable about using linux on a daily basis as much as they are with windows after decades of using it, not to turn them into a “superuser familiar with internals like kernel, networking, LVM”.
The thing is, the day to day is mostly your distro. There are several that hide most stuff away and just work, but a resource would need to be distro specific, and the ones you’d want for a beginner are pretty straightforward. They’re a start menu and an app store that work pretty much how you expect.
The hang-up is mostly “I need word” and being confused by a different document editor, or things like that, and the fact that a lot of open source alternatives to popular applications don’t have as much work done on casual friendly UX. So maybe you’d want something like “alternative to” and guides to basic usage of common replacement apps?
Most anything past that is how the OS works.
Isn’t there a lot of overlap though, at least between OSes that are of the same type (like debian/ubuntu)? How to set up users, knowing that you need to manually configure automatic mounting of your drives, knowing how/when to use flatpak or apt or .deb, where to install apps… These are not really intuitive things, especially for someone coming from windows, and most “how to install linux” guides don’t really go into these in any meaningful way.
For instance at first I thought I could just keep a list of apt commands and make an “easy to reinstall” linux script at one time, and that lasted for whole of 10 minutes before I realized every app needs manual intervention in one or another way, or has a different way of installing. Also, as many people I just prefix everything with sudo to get it to install, but who knows if that is the correct thing to do? not me at least
Oh man, you’re in for a rough time. Nearly anything you mentioned is controversial in Linux, it is highly opinionated technology.
Just go into this with an open mind and don’t take things as gospel, always remember, only Sith talk in absolutes.
Plenty of good content on YouTube, personally I like people focusing on technological aspects.
https://youtube.com/@titustechtalk Titus has a lot of mixed content, best to just scroll through his videos for specific things you are interested in.
https://youtube.com/@michaelnroh Michael focuses a lot on DE and is quite insightful about them.
https://youtube.com/@stephenstechtalks5377 Stephen isn’t very active recently, but his older videos are still gold and almost reference material when they impact something you want to do.
https://youtube.com/@christianlempa Christian is all about docker, podman, kubernetes and networking. If you want to do something related to that he probably has a video about it.
https://youtube.com/@a1rm4x Linux gaming, how to set it up, livestreams etc. He actually knows what he is talking about, not as knowledgeable as others in this list from a technical pov but you can tell he compensates with pure time and effort.
the linux upskill challenge!
I literally was thinking of starting a channel just so I could speak about what you mentioned.
I see people moving on to Linux from Windows (which, by the way, I think is a blessing!) but with little to no clue on how Linux works. It certainly doesn’t help that the Linux ecosystem is so diverse, because even choosing a distro can be daunting. So having a clear cut path could help tons of people do the transition.
Would that add value to you? Let’s say, multiple videos explaining the filesystem, useful commands and best practices, useful shortcuts and how to customise your desktop to your flow, etc
Also, I find the content by @TheLinuxExperiment very informative and a good way to keep up to date with things. It also explains the difference between distros, ways to install apps etc…
As mentioned in another post I’m more of a reading than video-watching person but I’ll take any resource I can get. I saw in another thread that someone recommended this video but it is 6 hours long so i haven’t really delved into it yet
Uff, 6h is a stretch. I often space out in videos longer than 10mins 😆
Reading wise, maybe I can recommend you linuxjourney.com. It won’t answer the backups question, but it’s a great way to nail the fundamentals! I can’t recommend it enough, it’s like a free course :)
As for the backups bit, Pop!_OS offers an OS refresh feature where your files are kept instact, afaik. So depending on your chosen distro, you might not even have that problem! Otherwise, DejaDup does a good job backing up personal files, but not system settings, I believe.