Today, Tony taught a class introducing basic Linux to a class full of novice and intermediate users. With some advanced users helping solve the few hiccups we had along the way. Being that there are many variations of the operating system, it is a great operating system to learn. There are bare bones distributions that your grandma can use, all the way to complex versions for a power user to customize and enjoy.
The class consisted of booting from a USB drive or an Ubuntu disk and the basic commands for working with files, syntax, installing software and hardware, mounting drives, managing files, and other useful things.
Once everyone had Linux running from a CD or USB drive, there weren’t many problems. Learning to work in Linux though the terminal and the ability to run headless, or without a monitor and other peripherals attached, is one way this operating system has a lot of popularity these days. With the release of the Raspberry Pi and its numerous variants, Linux has the ability to run simple commands or control whole servers.
If you missed the class, we have a few Ubuntu 14.04 CDs for FREE at the Makerspace that you can boot from or install the whole operating system with. If your computer doesn’t have an optical disk drive, you can download the operating system at http://www.ubuntu.com. Which can also help you create your own bootable USB drive like the ones we used. If you have any questions come to one of our Open House nights that we host every Monday at 7 P.M. and there will surely be someone to assist in your problems. Lastly, if you would like to skip all the hassle and just buy a $10 bootable USB drive that we were selling at the class with Ubuntu pre-installed, email us at admin@MelbourneMakerspace.org. These are not free because we purchase the USB drives ourselves whereas the CD’s were given to us. 
Thank you to everyone that visited the space to learn a new piece of software, learn some new tricks, or just to help out with the class. Your presence was greatly appreciated. There was tons of interest in continuing the class with slightly more advanced commands, usage, and problem solving when using Linux. We plan to continue the curriculum in the next few weeks. Keep an eye out on our Meetup page for updates about classes to come.
