Ask HN: What is the best way to get good at linux shell commands?
Specifically I'm a web developer that wants to setup databases, and servers, etc, but feels totally inept for someone who has been doing web development for so long.
2) Make your own dotfiles with shortcuts. Here's mine:
http://github.com/dylanized/dotfiles
3) Get a VPS server and set it up. This will require you to learn a little bit of everything - FTP, web server install, libraries, more. I'm doing this now, it's a bitch!
Here's a great VPS deal I found recently, I'm setting mine up now:
http://slickdeals.net/f/5915440-StillGoing-ChicagoVPS-2048MB...
- install git and hub
- install node, npm, and nvm
- create a new user for sftp access
- give write permissions to that new user and set up my ssh keys
- set up static file server, virtual hosts, etc (haven't gotten to this yet)
For a Lamp stack, that last bullet would be "install apache, php and mysql"...
Working on the command line is just like writing any other software. You have to think about what you are trying to do, and decide how you will accomplish it. As you think "what do I need to do next", Google is your friend for finding the obscure command to accomplish the task.
Repeat every working day until you aren't going to Google.
Try and get a friend who is good at Linux. Standing over the shoulder and watching someone using Bash, vim, etc helps a lot. I share some tidbit of system usage almost daily with my roommate and its done wonders for me.