First steps on the Linux desktop
Windows, the file manager, apps and the terminal: you learn to use Linux comfortably on a graphical desktop, then step into the terminal.
Level 101 · 15 lessons · 15 practice labs
Lessons
Getting to know the desktop
- A desktop tour: panel, menu and workspaces
- The file manager: folders, hidden files and bookmarks
- Opening apps and choosing default programs
- Settings: display, keyboard layout and language
- Short task: set up the desktop your way
Files and permissions
- The home folder: Documents, Downloads and hidden settings folders
- File properties: size, type and the permissions dialog
- Opening and creating archives: zip and tar.gz
- Plugging in, mounting and safely ejecting a USB stick
- Short task: gather project files in one folder and archive them
Moving to the terminal
- Opening the terminal: the desktop and the command line see the same files
- Doing the same job two ways: with the mouse and with a command
- The system monitor: closing a frozen app
- Screen lock, logging out and switching users
- Capstone: prepare a new employee's desktop
Practice labs
- Bookmark the shared folder in the file manager: Bookmark the shared project folder in the file manager, show hidden files and find the note inside it.
- Fix the setting that opens PDFs in the wrong app: Change the default application so PDF files open in the document viewer instead of the text editor.
- Close a file to the team from the properties dialog: Use the file properties dialog to make the salary sheet owner-only, then confirm the result with ls -l in the terminal.
- Add a second keyboard layout: Add Turkish Q and English keyboard layouts in desktop settings and switch between them with a shortcut.
- Organise workspaces by task: Place the browser, terminal and file manager on separate workspaces and arrange the panel as requested.
- Recover a desktop switched to the wrong language: On a desktop set to a language you do not know, find the settings menu and switch the language and region back.
- Gather project files in one archive: Collect the project files scattered on the desktop into one folder and create a zip archive with the file manager.
- Extract one file from an incoming tar.gz: Look inside the tar.gz that arrived by email without unpacking it all and extract only the requested report to Downloads.
- Eject a USB stick and fix the busy error: Find the process keeping the USB stick busy, close it and eject the stick safely.
- Close a frozen app with the system monitor: Find the unresponsive editor in the system monitor, end it and recover the unsaved draft from the temp directory.
- Do the same job with the mouse and a command: Move the images in Downloads into separate folders first with the file manager and then with a single command.
- Prepare a new employee's desktop: Set up folders, bookmarks, the screen lock and autostart apps for the new account according to the given list.
- Set the screen-lock timeout to policy: Make the screen lock after five idle minutes and confirm the open session survives a user switch.
- Set default apps and startup programs: On a reception PC change the default app for PDFs and web links and disable an unneeded program that starts at login.
- Reset broken desktop settings to defaults: Reset the desktop settings of a user whose panel vanished and theme broke without touching their documents, keeping the old settings folder as a backup.
About this course
Windows, the file manager, apps and the terminal: you learn to use Linux comfortably on a graphical desktop, then step into the terminal.
What you will learn
- Getting to know the desktop
- Files and permissions
- Moving to the terminal
Prerequisites
No prior knowledge is needed; the course starts from zero.
Lab environment
Lessons run on your own Kali Linux desktop in the browser, with the tools ready in their windowed interfaces. Nothing to install; a computer screen is recommended.
Frequently asked questions
- Is this course right for my level?
- The course is at beginner level; every term is explained where it first appears.
- Is there anything to install?
- No. Every lesson runs in your own lab environment that opens in the browser.
- How do lessons work?
- Each lesson has 8 to 10 steps and a short quiz. Early steps show the command to type, later steps give less help; if two attempts fail, the solution opens.
- Can I try it for free?
- Yes. The first three lessons of every course are free.