Learning the Linux command line interface

Summary

This article provides information about learning the Linux command line interface

Environment

Any Linux distribution.

Directions

Check out any or all of the following resources to see what fits your needs.

Courses offered at U-M

• CSCAR in conjunction with ARC sometimes has a short seminar course called Introduction to the Linux command Line. This Google search should help you find current offerings. The lecture notes are useful even without the class.
• From time to time, Software Carpentry offers live classes at U-M. Their lessons are always available online.

Tutorials at U-M

• QuickGuide: Making Sense of the Linux Command Line (translating plain English to Linux commands)
• A sequential series of tutorials:
  1. Basics I (Navigation): List Contents and Navigate Unix Directories
  2. Basics II (File Manipulation): Create, Copy, Rename, and Remove Unix Files and Directories
  3. Using the Unix Text Editor vi
  4. Frequently Used Unix Commands

More in-depth tutorials on command line usage

• Free Book
• Interactive Class

Please note: You can sign up using your U-M Google account. Just click the Sign Up button, then click the Google button at the bottom of the form.

• Shell Tutorial
• Linux Commands - A Practical Reference
• Norman Matloff's Unix and Linux Tutorial Center (UC-Davis)
• UNIX Tutorial for Beginners (Univ. of Surrey, UK)
• Shell Scripting Tutorial

Video tutorials

You can start your journey into Linux tutorials with this Intro to the Linux Command Line video. There are many tutorials so find any series you like on YouTube and watch and learn.

Additionally, there are YouTube videos provided by the what is now ARC here at the University of Michigan. They have a slant towards research computing (HPC clusters) but are still useful for the basics they go through to get you up to speed. Here are two tutorials they have:

• Basic Linux/Unix File Manipulation
• Secure File Transfer

References

What is Linux?