to be a linux user

Even when I was first getting started with Linux, I never wanted to be just a Mepis user, or just an Ubuntu user or Debian user. I wanted "to be a Linux user," and to me that meant being able to use any Linux distribution. It also meant not only becoming comfortable at the Linux command line, but becoming comfortable with a variety of desktop environments/window managers, and with various types of file browsers/managers, and so forth.

An important part of becoming a Linux user, though, is learning to use resources. Learning where to find answers.

Go over to the Linux Mint forums, or to the Ubuntu forums, or other Linux forums, and you'll find tons of forum members asking tons of questions. The Linux forums, of course, are great resources for Linux users.

As your years with Linux begin to add up, however, you'll notice yourself posting fewer and fewer "help" questions at Linux forums. It isn't just that you've acquired lots more Linux knowledge; you've also probably become quite good at finding answers on your own.

A key thing to remember is this: The next guy might know more about Linux than you, and he might even be smarter than you; but, most likely, you have access to the same information that he has, especially if you have an internet connection.


Everywhere, you'll find the same old things being mentioned: Linux man pages, the "Help" documentation that comes with your software, the stuff in /usr/share/doc, your distro's online documentation and forums, Linux books at your local library, and (perhaps most importantly) web searches. I hesitate to say this, because I use Duck Duck Go most of the time, but... Google it, man!

Becoming a Linux user, like anything else good, takes some time and some work.

Other than that, it's a piece of cake. :)