How to use Linux: from basic commands to finding software alternatives

Veterans, remember the days when installing printer drivers on Linux meant three hours of compiling code and praying to the terminal gods. Thankfully, those days are long gone. Today, switching to Linux is a surprisingly smooth process that doesn't require a degree in computer science.

My Linux journey only started last September, when I tested the Tuxedo computer and was thrown into the TUXEDO OS environment. I won't say that this best Linux distribution, because since then I have also tested CachyOS and Bazzite and I find some of the user approaches better, but more on that another time. I liked Bazzite so much that I installed it on ASUS Xbox ROG Ally X and waved goodbye to Windows, which doesn't work well on a handheld computer. Or rather, it only exists so that I can compare games on Bazzit and Windows for the purposes of an article I'm preparing.

TUXEDO OS is still the distribution I use on my home computer for now. As a beginner, I like that the learning curve is not steep and that there are a lot of parallels with Windows, which (honestly) is hard to get rid of after decades of use. Until you get to some niche scenarios, you don't even need the terminal, because everything is done through a graphical interface, just like on Windows. But in the long run, it's better to get familiar with the terminal and certain commands as soon as possible, because sooner or later you will encounter a challenge when you need both.

Basic commands you'll actually use

It took me a few weeks to memorize the commands that I knew I would use regularly. To avoid Googling every time you need to type something into the terminal, you can start by writing them down on a piece of paper or creating a notepad and sticking it on your desktop.

• ls and cd: Imagine you are in the terminal and you want to see what is in the downloads folder. With the command ls take a peek at the content, with cd Downloads (or other folder name) and enter it. At first, it will be faster for you to simply open the built-in file manager. But as you become more confident, such shortcuts in the terminal will come in very handy.
• sudo: The sudo command is an abbreviation for “superuser do”, which means “run as administrator.” In Linux, most people are logged in as a regular user, without permission to modify system files, install programs, or execute sensitive commands. This is a security measure to prevent you from accidentally destroying your system.
• sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade: This is a magic wand for updates. The first command checks for new versions and the second installs them.
• sudo apt install [program_name]: When you know exactly what you want (for example VLC, RustDesk, LibreOffice …), this is the fastest way to get new software. Alternatively, you can use the app store that most Linux distributions have.
  • Command apartment it ensures that the necessary dependencies are downloaded and downloads the program from the official repositories.
  • You can also install multiple programs at once with this command (sudo apt install vlc firefox gimp). For example, you will install VLC, Firefox, and Gimp with one command.
• apt-cache search (or apt search): If you don't know the exact name of the program, use the package finder. With apt-cache search keyword you will find packages that contain this word. For example apt-cache search htop search for the htop package.
• cannon or htop: Does your computer feel like it's breathing through its gills? This command shows you which process is using the most CPU or memory resources. Like the Task Manager on Windows, but more transparent.
  • cannon is the default on all Linux systems, htop but you need to install with sudo apt install htop.
• --help or -h: Most commands support the option -h or --helpIf you are unsure of the command syntax, type, for example, ls --help or cp -hThis will print a short help with a list of options and usage examples.

You can use the button to help yourself. Table. Start typing the desired command or file name, press Tab, and the terminal will complete it for you. Pressing the up arrow will take you back to the last command, and the down arrow will take you to the next command. With the command history a list of all previous commands is displayed. If you want to go back several steps, use ↑ (or Ctrl+P), if you want to go forward, ↓ (or Ctrl+N). These functions help you avoid retyping long commands and make it easier to correct mistakes.

How to install programs, games, and drivers in Linux?

First, let's take the example of TUXEDO OS, where there are several options. For updating drivers for your graphics card, Wi-Fi, and the like, there is a very handy Tuxedo Control Center, which automatically gathers all compatible drivers in one place. The Linux distributions CachyOS and Bazzite also manage this part themselves, which is a great relief, especially at the beginning when you are getting to know a completely new environment. Linux Mint also (given my limited experience with this distribution) takes care of drivers automatically, and there is also a Device Manager, where you can manually check whether a driver is available. If you are still having problems with a specific component, you can check if there is a newer "kernel" (the core of the operating system).  

For apps, I can jump into the KDE Discover store, where, like in the Microsoft Store, you click and install the apps you want. It's a no-commands way.

As I mentioned before, you can use the terminal to install programs. sudo apt install program_name (sudo apt install vlc firefox). This is how you install the program from the official repositories. . If we want to add modern or less common applications, we can use FlatpakOn Ubuntu-based systems, we first install Flatpak with sudo apt install flatpak.

Then add the Flathub repository (flatpak remote-add –if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo) and can be done via the software center or the command flatpak install flathub app_name we install applications that may not be in the standard repositories. Example of use: flatpak install flathub org.gimp.GIMP download the latest GIMP (alternative to Photoshop).

Installing games is even easier. On a Tuxedo computer, Steam is available in the Discover store, or you can install it with the command sudo apt install steam. Log in to your account and marvel at how quickly Proton has progressed and how smoothly games run on Linux. Some games have a dedicated Linux version, but most will run through the aforementioned Proton translation layer.

I also recommend that you install the program Lutris and Heroic Games LauncherLutris allows for the integration of games from various sources (Steam, EA, etc.) and automatically installs everything needed (Proton/Wine, emulators) for most games. Heroic makes it easy to download games from the Epic Games Store.

However, if you are dealing with games or programs that are not on any platform or are being installed using a pirated link, you can use Wine as a last resort. You will be helped by these bottles, which set up a Wine environment for a particular game or application and make configuration/installation easier. I have not yet come across a game that, for example, had to be installed using a virtual environment. Proton/Wine are truly a godsend for gamers on Linux.

Keep in mind, however, that some games, especially those that force aggressive kernel anti-cheat services on you, will not work on Linux. If you want to play Valorant, Apex Legends, for example, you will still need Windows. Using a virtual machine (VM) is not recommended, as developers may block you. 

Understanding the structure of the system

Linux uses a standardized directory hierarchy. At the top is the root directory /, under which are various folders with specific roles.

• /home: This is where we find the users' personal folders. Under /home There are several folders (/home/peter, /home/jožek), each with personal documents, pictures and user settings. This is where you store your files (documents, pictures, music, etc.).
• /usr: space for system applications and shared libraries. For example /usr/bin contains executable programs installed with package managers, /usr/lib and libraries. As mentioned, in the old days all user folders lived here, but today /usr carries the content mix of programs, documentation, icons, etc. that applications need. A large part of the operating system programs live in /usr.
• /opt: additional programs that we download ourselves (from external sources) often end up here. In /opt/bin have their own executable files, in /opt/lib libraries. If you have manually installed an application (a specific graphics tool or driver), it will usually be installed in /opt.
• /etc: This folder stores system configurations. Files in /etc They determine network settings, user lists, disk mounting... It is not recommended to change almost all of them manually without knowledge, as this is where we regulate the operation of the system.
• The remaining key directories: /bin, /sbin contain basic tools (including those needed for startup), /boot has everything for a bootloader, /var stores temporary and data files (log files, package cache, etc.), /proc and /dev are virtual directories with data about devices and processes.

If you need to find a specific file in Linux, you have two main options: searching in the terminal or searching through a graphical interface (such as with the Dolphin or GNOME Files file explorer).

Command find is a very powerful tool for searching files in directories. For example: find / -name “file_name”

This command scans the entire system starting from the root directory / down and finds all files with that exact name. You can narrow the search to a more meaningful area to make it faster and more transparent:

find /home -name “*document*”

Use an asterisk (*) to find all files that contain the string “document” in their name — regardless of where that string appears in the name.

Command locate is an alternative to the command find, which is much faster because it does not search "live" on disks, but uses a pre-built collection of file locations (index). Example:

locate document

This command immediately returns all files and paths where the string “document” appears. However, because it uses an index, you need to refresh this index periodically to keep the results accurate. You can do this with the command:

sudo updatedb

This command creates or updates the database that locate uses for searching. If you do not refresh it regularly, you locate it may not show the latest files.

Help, I can't find Microsoft Office

Yes, some of the programs you're used to using, such as Office, Adobe Portfolio, and the like, won't be available on Linux, at least not in the form you're used to. You can use all Office programs for free through any browser (requires Microsoft account login), and in an emergency, you can also use virtual environments, although in that case I'd recommend opting for one of the alternatives.

LinuxAlt and AlternativesTo are two handy websites where you can browse Linux alternatives. Also on Linux Reddit Subgroups you will find a bunch of recommendations.

Instead of MS Office on Linux, we most often use LibreOffice. Like Office, it is a complete package with a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation ... It is also free and open source. . Additional alternatives are ONLYOFFICE, WPS Office and Apache OpenOffice. They all support .docx/.xlsx documents. Some distributions (including Tuxedo OS) have LibreOffice installed by default.

For image editing, the most well-known is GIMP (similar to Photoshop, open source). Other popular tools are Krita (drawing and painting) and Darktable (RAW photo editing). For vector graphics, Inkscape (similar to Adobe Illustrator) is an alternative. Most of these programs are available in official repositories or on Flathub. Photoshop and Illustrator, like MS Office, can be used online (you still need a subscription).

On Windows, you browse the system with Explorer, which I've said many times is outdated and cumbersome. If you haven't tried any alternatives, you might think it works fine. But when you replace it (I did it with OneCommander), you don't understand what's going on with Windows executives to offer such a superficial experience.

OneCommander (also popular on Windows as Total Commander) is not available on Linux. The best alternative, which I also use, is Double Commander, which is very similar to the two file managers mentioned above.

VLC is available on Linux and is still the best video player for me. All browsers (Brave, Chrome, Firefox …) are available as Linux versions by default (no need for any workarounds). You can use Xournal++ for notes, Thunderbird for email, and I could list more.

You'll get stuck once.

I won't fool you into thinking you'll never encounter a problem that doesn't have an easy solution. On my Tuxedo computer, I initially blamed the Wi-Fi card for a bad connection for quite some time, but in the end it was the driver that was to blame. After reinstalling, I can now use the full speed offered by my carrier even on the second floor of my apartment (where I have an office).

In my case, this was a very simple solution. I also encountered a problem when I wanted to change the system language from Slovenian to English. I don't know why the appropriate language packs weren't installed (maybe I messed something up), but the solution wasn't that straightforward. I found it on the Ubuntu forum (on which Tuxedo OS is based) in the form of commands to install the missing packages. It all took me a few minutes (mostly for searching), but many people might give up right at the beginning.

The forums will be your savior. Tuxedo OS doesn't have a rich community in my case, but since it's based on Ubuntu, I can often find solutions in the Ubuntu community. Also, check out the Reddit community. The Arch Linux Wiki is a library of settings for the Arch distribution, but you'll often find answers for other distributions as well.

There are a lot of resources out there, so don't let that scare you.

The most common errors on Linux

As a pure beginner, you will be using Linux like Windows and therefore you can expect to be confused at first.

For example, when you want to type the command htop, which, if you recall, allows you to monitor system resources. Since it is often not installed by default, the terminal will return an error command not found. This should be a hint to you that the program is not installed, and the first step is to use the command sudo apt install htop (on Ubuntu systems).

Permission denied is also a common error.

It occurs when you try to access a file or folder without the proper permissions. You can check the permissions with the command ls -l filenameExample of output:

-rw-r–r– 1 root root 1234 Jan 12 10:00 config.txt

• root root = file belongs to user root and group root.
• -rw-r–r– = owner can read and write, others can only read.

If you know that you are editing a file that is part of the system (example: a configuration file in /etc), then the solution is to use sudo, which temporarily grants administrator rights. Change ownership if you have rights:

sudo chown username:username file

If you are not completely sure, do not use sudo You could inadvertently overwrite permissions or damage the system.

The system does not boot into a graphical environment after the update (just a black screen or terminal), what now?

Press Ctrl + Alt + F3 to access the terminal. Log in and check the logs: journalctl -xe or dmesg (if something crashed you will be able to see it). If it is a driver (AMD, NVIDIA), reinstall them or switch to open source.

sudo apt install –reinstall xserver-xorg-video-nouveau (reinstalling the open source driver)

For example, if you are using proprietary Nvidia drivers, uninstall them first and then switch back to the open source ones.

sudo apt purge nvidia-*

Finally, reset the computer with sudo reboot.

Better yet, search the web for a solution first.

Many people make mistakes when choosing a Linux distribution.

It might get stuck in Arch, which is considered the most complex. So first check, which Linux distribution best suits your wishes.

Apt, Flatpak, Snap, AppImage… What the hell am I reading?

New Linux users often encounter several different ways to install programs. My guide advises sudo apt install, another uses flatpak installand the third one offers .AppImage a file that needs to be “just run.” All of this confuses the user, especially when the same application appears in multiple forms at once.

• apt (or dnf, pacman...) is a classic system package manager. For example: Ubuntu and Debian use apartment, Fedora dnf, Arch Pac-ManThe programs are installed on the system and are tightly integrated with your distribution.
• flatpak and snap are modern universal package systems that work independently of your distribution. Programs installed via Flatpak or Snap already contain everything they need to run. So, for example, you can install the latest Firefox even if your distribution only offers an older version.
• AppImage is most similar to .exe files from the Windows world: you download, add run rights, and click. Great for testing programs, but bad for system integration (no updates, no menu icons unless you set them manually).

When a user accidentally installs the same program from multiple sources — for example, GNOME Software shows both the apt and flatpak versions. With two different versions of the program, there may be conflicts (different settings, duplicate icons, file access issues).

Stick to one source until you know why you should switch. If you are using Ubuntu (or systems that run on it), apartment the best choice, which is why I used it in the command descriptions above. If a program is not in the distribution's repository, Flatpak is often a better alternative. It has a larger selection of programs than Snap and is also more widely used. Use AppImage for individual cases.

If you type in the terminal which program_name, you will see which version is currently in use and where it is installed. This is useful if, for example, you installed Firefox from apartment and flatpak and you don't remember which one to start.

Did I scare/confuse you?

I hope the opposite is true. That the article helped you and that you learned something new. If I missed something, you can tell me in the comments. I'm also a beginner and I'm still learning.