The commands discussed in this article are essential for navigating and managing files on your Linux system. By practicing these top 5 basic Linux commands, you will be able to execute regular tasks like a professional user.

Within the wide array of beginner Linux commands, ls, cd, pwd,mkdir, and rm are the top 5 Linux commands you should know as a beginner or intermediate user to carry out terminal operations on your Linux powered system as explained below.

The Top 5 basic Linux commands you need

ls – List

The ls command list the files and directories in your current working directory.  The current working directory is your present cursor position in the file system. By default, it is set to your home directory ~.

$ ls

When you enter ls in the terminal, a list of all available files and directories display in alphabetical order. The command is essential for navigating and finding files easily, and you can also extend it by showing file sizes as described below.

Long list files with sizes in bytes.

$ ls -l

Long list files with sizes in Megabytes

$ ls -lh

For more information about the ls command, simply read it’s manual by running the following command.

$ man ls

cd – Change Directory

The cd command is used to change your current working directory by switching to a subdirectory, or to your home directory when run without any argument. It helps you switch to any directory on your system. For example, to switch to your Downloads folder, simply run:

$ cd Downloads

Please note that Linux directories and files are case-sensitive, so, Downloads and downloads are interpreted as two separate directories. For clarity, run the following command to switch to the Documents directory if it’s available in your home directory.

$ cd Documents

So, the cd command is important for moving around in the file system and accessing different directories on your Linux system. When you run the command directly as below, it will switch your position to the home directory.

$ cd

For more information about the cd command, view its manual as below:

$ man cd

pwd – Print working directory

pwd displays your current working directory path. It’s a simple yet very essential command that helps you keep track of where you are in the file system. For examole, when you use the cd command, you can switch to different directories. But to know the current path from your main directory, the pwd helps you print the position as below.

$ pwd

Output:

/home/user/myfiles

The pwd command supports several arguments, to find out more on the command, view its manual as below.

$ man pwd

mkdir – Make directory

If you want to create a new directory or a new subdirectory within a main directory, the mkdir command helps you achieve that. You can either create a directory path away from your current position, or simply add it to your current working directory as below.

Syntax

$ mkdir [option] directory-name

Example

$ mkdir -p myfiles

To create a directory using a path, run the following command as long as your account has write privileges to the destination directory.

$ mkdir ~/Documents/myfiles/hello-directory

mkdir is a very important command you can use to organizing files and keeping your file system tidy. For more about the mkdir command, view additional info as below.

$ info mkdir

rm – Remove

rm just like the name sounds gets rid of any files and directories you no longer need. Unlike desktop deleting options, when you remove files using the rm command, they are permanently deleted, and you can use the command as below.

Syntax

$ rm <option> file

Remove a single file. For example hello.txt.

$ rm hello.txt

To remove a directory, use the command recursively with the -r argument as below.

$ rm -r myfiles

To delete everything within your current directory, run the command as below.

$ rm -r *

For more information about the rm command, please view its manual with the following command.

$ man rm

Conclusion

You have learned some of the best top 5 Linux commands every beginner or intermediate user should know. You don’t need to be an expert or developer to use the Linux operating system, you simply need to have commands ready at your finger tips to perform most operations.

To extend your ability, you can use the best Linux commands for system management that entail more commands to automate and execute tasks on your system.

Well, like any other desktop computer operating system, you can run Android Apps on Linux through multiple methods with the easiest of them all being the use of an emulator. But since Linux and Android share the same DNA as open-source products, it’s now possible to install and run Android Apps on Linux without an emulator.

This is possible through a tool dubbed Waydroid that allows users to run Android Apps on Linux with better performance and optimizations like they would on a Smartphone. The tool runs as a container and gives you a feeling of android apps natively running on your Linux Machine.

However, since Linux is not like Windows 11 where you simply jump-start your journey to the store, Waydroid requires preset dependencies and system updates in order to run on Linux. To do this, you simply have to enter the tool’s secure packages and get started to install and run Android Apps on Linux.

Install and Run Android Apps on Linux with Waydroid

First, you need access to your Linux computer’s Terminal, accessible via Ctrl, Alt, T on your keyboard, or through the applications menu depending on your Linux distro. Also, you need to login as a local user and not a guest to conveniently install Waydroid through the following commands.

Depending on your Linux Distribution, Install Curl (If not pre-installed already)

$ sudo apt install curl

Once Installed, describe your Linux system’s distro name. For instance, for Ubuntu, use focal, Debian use bullseye, Linux Mint use Tessa and so on. If not declared, you may accounter “Permission denied” prompts during the Waydroid installation process.

$ sudo export DISTRO=”focal”

Once executed, you now need to download the Waydroid GPG Key – a secure file used to decrypt a file generated using the GNU privacy Guard (GnuPG) program. Using the curl command, you must download it to your computer and move it to the keyrings directory for easy access.

$ sudo curl https://repo.waydro.id/waydroid.gpg > /usr/share/keyrings/waydroid.gpg

The above command downloads the waydroid gpg file and stores it (using >) in the /usr/share/keyrings directory. You must run the command with root rights in order to write to the directory. To switch to root, simply type sudo su, then enter your computer password.

Now, with the waydroid secure key installed, you need to add the waydroid repository to your system sources list. To do this, you can echo the key location and repository link for entry in your sources list with the command.

echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/waydroid.gpg] https://repo.waydro.id/ $DISTRO main" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/waydroid.list

It’s time to update your system dependencies for Linux to know where to download waydroid from. To do this, simply run the apt update command in your Linux Terminal.

$ sudo apt update

If convenient, you can also upgrade all dependencies with apt upgrade.

$ sudo apt upgrade

Finally, it’s time to Install waydroid. Your Linux machine knows where to locate waydroid on your dependencies list and now, you need to download the application to your computer. To do this, you can use the command apt install waydroid

$ sudo apt install waydroid

Once installed, you then need to download an Android Image for Waydroid to use, with an estimated size of about 600MB, you can download the image using the command waydroid init to initiate an Android Image from the application’s sources.

$ sudo waydroid init

DONE: All you have to do now is start the waydroid container, and also start a session to get started with installing your first Android App on Linux with the commands below.

$ sudo systemctl start waydroid-container && waydroid session start

Finally, use the show-full-ui command to open up a waydroid window on your Linux screen to start running Android Apps.

$ Waydroid show-full-ui

Enjoy Installing and running Android Apps on Linux than ever before.

Editor’s Note: For now, Waydroid runs on Debian-based Linux distros only, with time, other Linux releases may be supported with information from the developers team.

Across the world, sophisticated servers and computers all run Linux. Currently, several distros exist in the world, and commonly, Linux powers Rocket launches, self-driving cars, Smartphones, Airplanes, data centers, among other crucial use cases around the globe.

Most purists rarely refer to Linux as an operating system, and this is attributed to the fact that Linux is just a kernel used to bridge software to hardware with open source standards for everyone to use. A complete Linux Distro is composed of the Linux Kernel, GNU tools, a Package Manager, and other 3rd party software.

With less of the Operating system family’s beginnings by Linus Torvalds in 1994, and its open-source distribution standards. You can install Linux on your computer with ease, and if you’re migrating from a graphical OS like Windows or macOS, then, you will definitely need a beginner-friendly distro to start with.

Popularly, most distros are either based on Debian or Redhat, with others running custom package managers like Pacman for Arch Linux based distros. However, Debian rocks as the most used upstream source with the best beginner friendly Linux distros.

By creation, most distributions conform to a wide pool of user preference, Some are built for maximum security, programming, high-performance apps, and mathematical scientific projects, while others are simply built for a swift graphical user interface similar to that of macOS or Windows.

Well, whatever your passion and intention is for using Linux, a stable yet fast distro is available for you to try out, and here are the best 5 beginner friendly Linux distros you can consider.

Beginner Friendly Linux Distros you can Install on your computer

Elementary OS

Elementary OS is one of the best most beautiful desktop operating systems of all time. If you’re used to a macOS graphical interface, then Elementary is a fast, less bloated features and crisp interface OS you can consider running on your computer

Elementary ships with a sleek Pantheon desktop environment evidenced with a bottom center applications launch bar. OS menus are customisable and can be altered depending on your user preferences through an easy to use procedure.

By Default, elementary OS ships with a bunch of most used applications. To install and add new applications, an App center is available on the system for download of new Apps and software.

However, in case you’re a fan of CLI (Command-line Interface), applications can be installed using dpkg in terminal with main support for .deb (Debian) packages.

Ubuntu OS

Ubuntu is a Linux distro based on Debian and serves as the most popular desktop variant. The operating system is ranked as the most beginner-friendly distro since it ships a simple Gnome user interface, and user-specific Apps upon installation.

Currently, the Ubuntu 20.04LTS (Long term support) is the most recent version of the operating system you can easily download and install on your computer.

Given the fact that Ubuntu is based on Debian, you can install a wide range of applications on your computer with an upper advantage of running Windows applications the same you would on Chrome OS.

Ubuntu is easy to install on your computer and can be installed alongside Windows OS or macOS. On installation, it ships with starter applications like Firefox, Libre office suite, Thunderbird email client, Skype, and Rhythmbox media player.

To download Ubuntu, simply visit the distro’s main download page and choose your preferred flavor that ships with GNOME as the default desktop environment. However, several versions also exist with KDE, Mate, Xfce environments that can also be installed manually on your system.

Linux Mint

Linux Mint is a beginner friendly distro based on Ubuntu, and its computing experience is highly preferred by users as compared to Ubuntu. With a fast-growing community, the distro developers have dedicated a lot of time to maintain its elegance and user-friendliness.

9Linux Mint is available in three desktop flavors, Cinnamon, Mate, and Xfce. The most popular is Cinnamon because of its similarity to Windows, and so, users switching from Windows often prefer the flavor to any other.

Linux Mint has a rich set of desktop backgrounds, pre-installed applications, and fewer system requirements making it compatible on even old Pentium processor computers. Additionally, the stacking on Apps under categories makes Linux Mint Cinnamon a great flavor for beginners with a straight forward menu.

To download Linux Mint, simply visit the Project’s main website Downloads page to choose your preferred desktop flavor.

Zorin OS

Developed by Zorin, the distribution is based on Ubuntu and was developed in 2009 with an aim of merging great performance and user-friendliness for beginner Linux users. Its desktop flavor has a Windows 7 texture to it, and this eases the learning curve to migrating Windows users.

Zorin OS is available in 4 flavors, Core, Lite, Education, and Ultimate editions. Apart from Ultimate which is prices at $39 to help the project developers, all other flavors are free.

Zorin Core comes ships GNOME as its default desktop environment, then Lite ships Xfce as the desktop environment, as Education and Ultimate ship both GNOME and Xfce selectable on installation.

To download Zorin OS, simply visit the project’s official Website to get an ISO image of your choice and install it on your computer as per system requirements. For low CPU systems, Zorin is a great distro to run with vast applications like Wine and PlayonLinux as attractive services.

Manjaro OS

Based on Arch Linux, Manjaro OS is one of the best beginner friendly Linux distro with easy accessibility and environment friendliness. Given the fact that Arch Linus is rated non-beginner friendly, Manjaro OS is the desktop variant developed to make its underlying core easy to use.

Despite it being highly stable and very fast, Arch-Linux is considered highly complex for beginner Linux users. Manjaro OS is based on Arch-Linux and incorporates its positive features with easy accessibility and user-friendliness.

Manjaro has 3 desktop environments Gnome, Xfce, and KDE plasma. Upon installation, Manjaro auto-detects all hardware components and installs necessary applications and rivers contact to its mother system ‘Arch Linux’ where you have to install each component separately.

To download Manjaro OS, simply visit the Project’s main website to get the latest IOS image for installation. Once Installed, Manajor ships default applications like Firefox, Libre Office, Rythmbox, among others.

What do to before Installing Beginner Friendly Linux Distros on your computer

In case you’re new to Linux, download your preferred Linux Distro, burn it on a Flashdisk or compact disk (CD), then Enter your computer’s Installation mode to run a live version of the operating system without actually installing it.

By this, you’ll be able to access the operating system without making any changes to your computer, nor even installing the distro until you make a choice.

But once you’re ready with the best operating system you prefer, then, back up your computer’s files if you don’t intend to dual boot with an already existing OS like Windows in order to limit any data loss.

Otherwise, all Desktop Linux distros are great, and depending on what catches your eye faster, you might want to consider a blend of Elementary, Ubuntu, or Linux Mint as your next computer operating system built with security in mind. And so, don’t expect the Term ‘Computer Virus’ to even knock by your Login window.

Interestingly you don’t have to run Windows apps as a must since various alternatives are optimized for Chromebooks. For Instance, Apps like Firefox can be run directly since they support Chrome OS, while other developers limited their app’s usage to the Windows shell

It’s through this fashion that you need to Install WINE as the best solution to help you install almost all Windows apps/software on your Chromebook and here is how you can run the fully installed Windows apps.

What you need to know about WINE

WINE is a 3rd party Linux application that was built by the open-source community to allow users continue to have a taste of the Windows shell without dual-booting. The application runs virtual Windows drives on your Linux computer without any fatal changes on your hard drive

You can think of WINE as a convenient version of emulators like Virtual Box except that it only allows you to install the Windows apps and not the full operating system. To Install the App you need to have root (super user) permissions through the ChromeOS terminal.

How to Install WINE

• First, refresh the computer by running the update command to fetch new repositories and ensure update of existing packages

Sudo apt-get update

• Then, Open Terminal (Command-line Interface, shortcut Ctrl + Alt + T), type Sudo su (for root permissions), type your password, then type apt-get install wine to begin the installation process or simply use the keyword Sudo in front of your command

apt-get Install Wine OR sudo apt-get install Wine

• Now that Wine is Installed, you might want to add 32bit support in order to support both legacy and modern Windows apps. To do this, simply run:

sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
Then
sudo apt-get install wine32

DONE: You just Installed Wine on your Chromebook, next up is to install and run windows applications on your Chromebook pc

Installing and using Windows apps on your Chromebook

Now that you just Installed Wine, what you need to do is download Windows Apps for installation on your Chromebook. You could start with a download manager like IDM or Microsoft’s Paint App.

Better way, if you already have setup files .exe from a Windows computers, then all you have to do is open your .exe files with Wine to Install the software to be run on your Chromebook. Nonetheless, here is how you can open your Windows installation files with Wine.

• Right click your Windows .exe file and choose open with Wine or simply open the file to be grabbed automatically by Wine

• Once opened, Install your software the same way you would on a Windows computer
• Incase you have trouble on how to Install Windows software and Apps, then read our quick guide on Windows installation
• DONE: Your Installed Windows program will now work on your Chromebook each time you open it

By default, Wine creates shortcuts of Installed Windows applications on your Chromebook or Linux pc. But if it doesn’t then you need to locate the Wine directory from the directory below and create a manual shortcut from the program files

Method 1: home/your username(Computer Username)/.wine/drive c/program files/ SOFTWARE NAME

Method 2: Through the File Manager, click Files, Then Home, Toggle view hidden files, then choose the folder .Wine where you can locate the C drive and program files -> The dot standarding for its hidden status.

That’s all you will enjoy almost all Windows Apps on your Chromebook or Linux computer with ease. We’ve tested the methods before by using Kali Linux and all popular applications could run with the emulator. Another tool you may choose to play with apart from Wine would be ” Play with Linux)

Otherwise, we shall be publishing Linux tech guides on how you can run various applications and tweaks on your Chromebook or Linux computer in our next series of guides.