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The first 8 Linux commands every new user should learn

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ZDNET key takeaways

Start with the basics and get comfy using the Linux terminal.

Man pages are your best friend when you get stuck.

The more you practice, the faster Linux starts to click.

I remember when I started using Linux in the late 1990s. Back then, using the command line wasn't optional. If you worked with the open-source operating system, you had to spend time in the terminal. Even worse, if you needed to do anything with admin privileges, you had to change to the root user or even log in as root, which could be a security nightmare.

Using the command line in the past was challenging because there wasn't as much help as today. I was on my own. Thankfully, I struggled through and became proficient. With the help of man pages (manual pages for commands), I survived those early days. Of course, the irony of me putting in all that hard work is that using the command line isn't a requirement now.

Also: The most beautiful Linux distributions for 2025

Yet I remember what it was like learning those commands. At first, it was a struggle, but slowly the education stuck. Those foundations made it easier for me to continue onward and created a solid base from which to build.

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