10 Things New Linux Users Must Know

There are some basics that every new Linux users must know. These 10 must-know points ensure that the new users in the community get the concepts clear and right. 1. Linux is just an operating system Since a majority of work is done through a Web browser, it makes the relevance of an operating system almost irrelevant. According to a ZDNet report, If an operating system is capable of running a browser, it lives in the background, without being noticed as much. Of course, this is an ideal situation as an operating system is nothing more a layer between user applications and hardware. 2. It's much different from Windows New users are advised not to expect Windows-like behaviour from Linux. Trouble arises only when a user expects an operating system to behave like another operating system. New users just need to be prepared to encounter different behaviours from what they have been experiencing. 3. There is no 'C' drive Linux comes with a perfectly logical directory hierarchy, unlike Windows. Users need to get used to this issue. There is only one main directory that the users should know: /home/USERNAME (Where USERNAME is their name). Most modern distributions create certain directories within the users home directory like Documents, Pictures, Music, Video. Those subdirectories speak for themselves, and new users find it easy to locate them to function properly. With Linux, the home directory is the only place on the file system where they can save files. 4. Installing software is different from others The PC users, who are used to searching for software on the net, downloading the .exe file, double-clicking it, and waiting for the software installation to complete, for them Linux distributions are different. Linux comes complete with their own special tool that will do all of that for them. The users just need to open the Add/Remove Software tool, search for a piece of software, and install it. New users may like the sheer amount of software that is available for installing. 5. No need to learn the bunch of commands Linux users are not required to learn a bunch of commands. Modern Linux distributions allow the users to live their entire Linux lives and never touch the command line. The command line is there, but it is good only for those who want to use it. Almost all the actions in Linux can be handled through a GUI. 6. No chances of malware infections Viruses and malware infections were a thing of the past. Your machine will not be at risk even if you don't see AVG or SEP in the notification tray. Linux users must make sure that their colleagues using Windows are not cavalier about forwarding email attachments to them. 7. It's free Who says free cannot be good! Linux is free and millions of its users vouch for the fact that it works perfect. It is not only better for the society, but also your computer. 8. Change, if you don't like it Unlike Windows and Mac, users of Linux can change it whenever they wish to. Linux has great flexibility in this regard.  9. Hardware is not always created equal Not every piece of hardware can work with Linux. For those pieces of hardware where an issue persists, it is sometimes as simple as downloading proprietary drivers which the new users don't usually mind, but they need to take enough.  10: Resort to Google for help  Consider Google as your best buddy when you use Linux. When there is a problem Google can guide the right way.