A Tip for Linux Beginners
May 16, 2010
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!