Learn Linux
Time
N/A
Difficulty
Advanced
Prerequisites
Terminal 101
Departments
Human Technologies
Authors
Ross Parker
Groupings
Individual
Pairs
Threes
Pairs
Threes
Minimum Year Group
None
Blurb
Linux is the great, free, open source power house of computer operating systems. It powers devices as small as watches and phones (via Android) up to the servers that run Google. It is flexible, free and community driven: doesn't that sound like something you might want to play around with?
License
This work is shared under the following license: Creative Commons BY-SA-NC
Outline
| The Pitch Why should I bother learning this?
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| Resources What is needed to run this unit?
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Interdisciplinary Links Do not try and force this. What areas of other subjects might this reflect and/discuss language. For IB, links with ToK.
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| Teacher Reflection What was successful? What needs changing? Alternative Assessments and Lesson Ideas? What other Differentiation Ideas/Plans could be used?
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| Credits Any CC attribution, thanks, credit, etc.
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Escape Corporate Control
The Pitch
- Linux is the best and biggest free, open source operating system. It is not controlled by big corporations, but by individuals who want a great operating system.
- It powers devices as small as watches and phones (via Android) up to the servers that run Google.
- It is flexible, free and community driven
- Doesn't that sound like something you might want to play around with?
What Is Linux
History Lesson
- In the Terminal 101 unit you played with command line (CLI) Linux: now you get to experience the desktop version, which is much more user friendly.
- In Terminal 101, we did not dwell on the history of Linux, but this is really important if we want to really understand what Linux is
- Spend some time now reading this forum post, which gives a good idea of where Linux came from, and why it exists.
- Whilst reading, take time to research any words you do not understand.
Linux on Chromebook
Virtual Machine
- If you are using a Chromebook, experimenting with Linux is actually very easy
- Linux access comes available on Chromebooks as a beta feature, accessible through the Settings menu
- Go to Settings, select Linux (Beta) and activate it. It will take a few minutes to install the virtual machine, and then a Terminal window will pop up. This is a fully-functional environment for Debian, a branch of Linux
- You can now skip the next two blocks, as they are Mac-specific
Downloading Ubuntu Linux
Getting Ready
- In Terminal 101 you used a virtual machine to run Linux: this is OK for CLI linux, but with a desktop it will make Linux seem slow, which is not a fair trial.
- Instead, we will run Linux alongside your Mac OS. This is not without its risks, and could result in you losing everything on your harddrive. Make sure to backup anything important on your machine before starting.
- In this unit we will use Ubuntu Linux: this is just one of many flavours (or distributions) of Linux that you could use.
- When you are ready to begin download Ubuntu and save the resulting .iso file on your desktop.
- Most downloads are done over HTTP, which is OK.
- But, if you want to get a faster download you can try BitTorrent: if there are lots of people sharing the same file, it will be super quick.
- If you want to use BitTorrent, try the Transmission client for Mac.
- Please note, BitTorrent is fine to use for downloading freely shared materials (e.g. open source, Creative Commons, public domain, etc), but it is illegal to use it to share copyrighted materials.
- Once you have downloaded your ISO file, you need to check that it has no errors.
- Use something called MD5 Checksumming to ensure that it is OK.
- If your download is OK, burn it to a DVD using Mac's Disk Utility app. In the top menu, look under Images > Burn: doing it this way will expand the ISO file into the items it contains, and then burn them to the disk.
- If you don't want to use a DVD, you can try these instructions to create a bootable USB drive instead.
Installing Ubuntu Linux
Getting Set
- Now you have created your installation media, you can install Ubuntu Linux alongside your Mac's OS X.
- Check out some of these resources to help you do this:
- Text - http://lifehacker.com/5934942/how-to-dual-boot-linux-on-your-mac-and-take-back-your-powerhouse-apple-hardware
- Text - http://www.howtogeek.com/187410/how-to-install-and-dual-boot-linux-on-a-mac/
- Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pdW4DAvJDM
- They all offer slightly different ways to do this, so you might need to think things through for yourself, and make up your own mind as to how to proceed.
- With any luck, you will get Linux installed, and be able to choose at boot time, whether to load Linux or Mac OS.
Playing With Linux
Compare & Contrast
- With Linux now installed, spend some time playing with it, and working out:
- What it can and can't do.
- How it is different to Mac OS X.
- How you install software (this is a really cool feature, and was around long before Apple "invented" the App Store...no username and password needed ; )
- How is Ubuntu Linux different to other types of Linux, such as Debian, Suse, Fedora, etc.
- Do you think you could abandon Mac OS, and go Linux full time?
Evidence
Finishing Up
- Produce some evidence of what you have learned about Linux: this can take any form you like, just remember to add a CC license, and attribute any materials you use.
Links
- http://lifehacker.com/5934942/how-to-dual-boot-linux-on-your-mac-and-take-back-your-powerhouse-apple-hardware
- http://www.howtogeek.com/187410/how-to-install-and-dual-boot-linux-on-a-mac/
- this forum post
- download Ubuntu
- these instructions to create a bootable USB drive instead
- MD5 Checksumming
- Transmission
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pdW4DAvJDM
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