A Tip for Linux Beginners

I like Linux.   I enjoy using it.  I even like having a problem and solving it.  Unfortunately, I don’t get to use it as much as I would like.  I’m forced to use windows at work, and I have limited time at home.

Although I have used Linux for close to 10 years – I still consider myself a beginner.  I may have a general idea how the system works – and I’m very good at using google to help me fix problems and accomplish tasks – but I will often forget what I did within a couple weeks.

Some people ‘bookmark’ solutions when they find them.  I used to do that.  I had well over 100 bookmarks – often with obscure names – so I still had difficulty finding the right one.  I tried “managing” my bookmarks – but that takes a lot of time too.  You always have to worry that a page has been removed and you won’t be able to access the solution again.

The solution for me was a text file that I keep on my desktop.  It started when I was learning how to use ‘rsync’ to backup some folders to an external disk.  In fact, the file is still named “Mediashare_Backup” – even though I use it for much more than that.  As I learn a new trick, or command, I will put it into this file (with a little description.)  For example -when  I figure out the proper ffmpeg string to convert a video, or how to ssh to another computer, I will copy and paste for future reference.  After I’ve forgotten the specifics, my reference is just one click away.  A very simple solution.  Happy Computing!