Linux is Confusing. These Articles Should Help

How to Mount and Unmount Storage Devices from the Linux Terminal

File systems in Linux and Unix-like operating systems like macOS can be mounted, unmounted, and remounted using the terminal. This is a powerful and versatile tool—here’s everything you need to know....

Dave McKay 9m ago

Only New CPUs Can Truly Fix ZombieLoad and Spectre

Current CPUs have design flaws. Spectre exposed them, but attacks like Foreshadow and now ZombieLoad exploit similar weaknesses. These “speculative execution” flaws can only truly be fixed by buying a new CPU wit...

How to Zip or Unzip Files From the Linux Terminal

ZIP files are a universal archive commonly used on Windows, macOS, and even Linux systems. You can create a zip archive or unzip files from one with some common Linux terminal commands.

Dave McKay May 15th

How to Burn an ISO File to a USB Drive in Linux

Linux users traditionally burned ISO files to DVD or CD, but many computers don’t have disc drives anymore. Creating a bootable USB drive is a better solution—it’ll work on most computers and will boot, run,...

Dave McKay May 14th

How to Edit Text Files Graphically on Linux With gedit

Linux users normally edit configuration files with terminal-based tools like nano and vim . If you want to edit a file graphically—even a system file—the gedit text editor makes it painless and easy....

Dave McKay May 13th

2019 Is the Year of Linux on the Desktop

The year of Linux on the desktop is finally here! Windows 10 is getting a Linux kernel, and all new Chromebooks will run Linux applications. Most desktops purchased in the future will include a Linux kernel and run Linux soft...

How to Kill Processes From the Linux Terminal

Killing a process is sometimes the only way to get rid of it. Despite the harsh name, “killing” a process just means “forcing it to quit.” Here’s how to do it from the Linux or macOS command line...

Dave McKay May 8th

Windows 10 Is Getting a Built-in Linux Kernel

Microsoft today announced Windows Subsystem for Linux version 2—that’s WSL 2. It will feature “dramatic file system performance increases” and support for Docker. To make all this possible, Windows 10 ...

37 Important Linux Commands You Should Know

Are you new to Linux or just a little rusty? Here are all the commands you’ll need to know. Think of this as an essential reference for the Linux terminal. This applies to the macOS command line, too....

How to Use the FTP Command on Linux

The File Transfer Protocol is older than most of our readers, but it’s still going strong. FTP doesn’t have the security of a modern protocol, but you may need to use it anyway. Here’s how to do it....

Dave McKay Apr 30th

How to Reboot or Shut Down Linux Using the Command Line

Feel like starting over? This tutorial will show you how to cleanly and safely reboot or shut down your Linux or macOS computer from the command line.

Dave McKay Apr 26th

How to Set Process Priorities With nice and renice on Linux

The nice and renice commands let you fine-tune how the kernel treats your processes by adjusting their priorities. Read this tutorial to learn how to use them in Linux and Unix-like operating systems such as macOS....

Dave McKay Apr 24th

How to Copy Files Using the “install” Command on Linux

install is a versatile file-copying command in Linux and macOS. It’s perfect for the power-user looking for efficiency. Read this article to discover how to work smarter—not harder.

Dave McKay Apr 19th

What’s New in Ubuntu 19.04 “Disco Dingo,” Available Now

Ubuntu 19.04 is available for download today. With Linux 5.0 and GNOME 3.32, Disco Dingo boasts performance improvements and visual tweaks. Whether or not you upgrade, Disco Dingo lays the groundwork for future long term supp...

How to Exit the Vi or Vim Editor

The vi editor is confusing if you’re not used to it. It takes a secret handshake to escape this application if you’ve stumbled into it. Here’s how to quit vi or vim on Linux, macOS, or any other Unix-like sy...

Dave McKay Apr 17th

How to Change the Default crontab Editor

Want to have crontab use the editor of your choice instead of the other way around? This tutorial shows you how. These instructions will work with Linux, macOS and other Unix-like operating systems.

Dave McKay Apr 16th

How to Compare Two Text Files in the Linux Terminal

Need to see the differences between two revisions of a text file? Then diff is the command you need. This tutorial shows you how to use diff on Linux and macOS, the easy way.

Dave McKay Apr 15th

How to Pause a Bash Script With the Linux Sleep Command

The sleep command makes your Linux computer do nothing. Counter-intuitive perhaps, but a period of inactivity is sometimes just what’s needed. This article shows you how to use this Bash shell command effectively....

Dave McKay Apr 11th

How to Display the Date and Time in the Linux Terminal (and Use It In Bash Scripts)

The date command is found in the Bash shell, which is the default shell in most Linux distributions and even macOS. This tutorial shows you how to master date on the command line and how you can use it in shell scripts to do...

Dave McKay Apr 10th

How to Determine the Current User Account in Linux

If Linux means anything, it means choice. You can achieve even a simple task like identifying the current user in many ways. This tutorial will show you how to use some of the quickest and easiest methods....

Dave McKay Apr 9th

How to Extract Files From a .tar.gz or .tar.bz2 File on Linux

Tar files are compressed archives. You’ll encounter them frequently while using a Linux distribution like Ubuntu or even while using the terminal on macOS. Here’s how to extract—or untar—the contents o...

Dave McKay Apr 5th

How to View Free Disk Space and Disk Usage From the Linux Terminal

The df and du commands report on disk space usage from within the Bash shell used on Linux, macOS, and many other Unix-like operating systems. These commands let you easily identify what’s using up your system’s s...

Dave McKay Apr 2nd

How to Delete Files and Directories in the Linux Terminal

The rm and rmdir commands delete files and directories on Linux, macOS, and other Unix-like operating systems. They’re similar to the del and deltree commands in Windows and DOS. These commands are very powerful...

Dave McKay Apr 1st

How to Scrape a List of Topics from a Subreddit Using Bash

Reddit offers JSON feeds for each subreddit. Here’s how to create a Bash script that downloads and parses a list of posts from any subreddit you like. This is just one thing you can do with Reddit’s JSON feeds....

Taylor Gibb Mar 26th

How to Perform a Task When a New File is Added to a Directory in Linux

This tutorial will show you how to use Linux filesystem events (notify) to get notified every time a file appears in a directory. You could use these as triggers to automate common tasks on your system....

Taylor Gibb Mar 25th