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Chapters

This textbook is organized into 27 chapters covering 550 concepts across Linux fundamentals, from UNIX history to the exciting future of many-core computing.

Chapter Overview

  1. Introduction to Operating Systems and UNIX History - Origins of UNIX, key figures, and the evolution to Linux
  2. Getting Started with the Terminal - Shell, terminal emulator, and command line basics
  3. Basic Shell Commands and Help Systems - Man pages, help systems, and shell utilities
  4. File System Fundamentals - Linux file hierarchy, paths, and navigation
  5. File Operations and Manipulation - Creating, copying, moving, and viewing files
  6. Advanced File Operations - Wildcards, globbing, links, and file attributes
  7. File Permissions and Ownership - Permission system, chmod, chown, and sudo
  8. Text Processing with Grep and Regular Expressions - Pattern matching and text search
  9. Advanced Text Processing: Sed, Awk, and Pipes - Stream editing and pipeline commands
  10. Text Editors: Nano and Vim - Terminal-based text editing
  11. Shell Configuration and Environment - Dotfiles, environment variables, and aliases
  12. Process Management and Job Control - Processes, PIDs, and monitoring tools
  13. Shell Scripting and Automation - Writing scripts and scheduling with cron
  14. Package Management - APT, Homebrew, and software installation
  15. Networking Fundamentals - IP, DNS, and network diagnostics
  16. SSH and Remote Access - Secure shell, keys, and firewalls
  17. Compression, Archives, and File Search - Tar, gzip, find, and locate
  18. Storage Devices and System Performance - Disks, mounting, and performance monitoring
  19. Introduction to Raspberry Pi - Pi models, setup, and hardware interfaces
  20. GPIO Programming and Hardware Projects - LEDs, sensors, motors, and IoT
  21. Virtual Machines, Containers and the Cloud - VMs, Docker, cloud instances, and Terraform
  22. Development Tools and Version Control - Git, GitHub, Python, and IDEs
  23. System Administration Essentials - User management, services, and system configuration
  24. Automation and Some Fun - Automate tasks, custom prompts, colors, and easter eggs
  25. Capstone Projects - Web servers, game servers, and hands-on projects
  26. Linux Careers - Career paths, certifications, and industry opportunities
  27. The Future of Linux - Many-core systems, AI infrastructure, C vs Rust, and Linux's role in shaping tomorrow's computing

How to Use This Textbook

This textbook follows a carefully designed learning progression where each chapter builds on concepts from previous chapters. The learning graph ensures that prerequisites are covered before advanced topics are introduced.

  • Beginners: Start with Chapter 1 and progress sequentially
  • Intermediate users: Review the concept list in each chapter to find your starting point
  • Raspberry Pi focus: After completing Chapters 1-18, jump to Chapters 19-20 for hardware projects
  • Career preparation: Complete all chapters, with emphasis on Chapters 21-27 for modern skills and future trends

Note: Each chapter includes a list of concepts covered. The concepts are derived from a learning graph with 550 nodes ensuring proper prerequisite sequencing.