Links to Resources
Start Here
- IBM: What is an operating system?, a general overview
- Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces, a free online textbook that goes deeper into processes, memory, and file systems
- Linux Foundation: Introduction to Linux (LFS101), a free self-paced course
Videos
- Videos: Adrianna's Linux FAQ playlist on YouTube
- Videos: Adrianna's TLDR series on YouTube for Linux Administration, which goes further into running Linux servers
- Videos: Adrianna's TLDR series on YouTube for Information Security, which goes further into the Security and Protection week
- TLDR-style videos for this course's topics are made on request
Try It Yourself
- VirtualBox, free software for running a virtual machine on your own computer
- Ubuntu Desktop, a beginner-friendly Linux to install in a virtual machine
- Microsoft: Install WSL, to run Linux inside Windows without a separate virtual machine
- Docker: Get started, to try containers
- OverTheWire: Bandit, a free game for practicing Linux commands, one level at a time
Learning the Linux Command Line
- The Linux Command Line by William Shotts, a free book for beginners
- The Linux man-pages project, the official manual pages linked throughout this course
Official Documentation
- The Linux Kernel documentation, the official docs, written by the people who build Linux
- Red Hat: Understanding Linux, plain-language articles on Linux topics
- Microsoft Learn: Windows documentation
- Apple Platform Security, how macOS, iOS, and Apple hardware protect your data
- Android Open Source Project documentation, how Android works underneath
History and Family Trees
- Dennis Ritchie: The Evolution of the Unix Time-sharing System, early Unix history from one of its creators
- Éric Lévénez: Unix History chart, the full Unix family tree
- Linux Distributions Timeline, which Linux distros are built on which
- DistroWatch, news and details on hundreds of Linux and BSD distributions
- Wikipedia: List of Microsoft Windows versions
Who Uses What
- endoflife.date, look up when any operating system version stops getting security updates
- StatCounter: Operating System Market Share, which operating systems people use worldwide
- TOP500 List Statistics, what the world's fastest supercomputers run
Files, Storage, and Backups
- Linux manual page: hier, what the main Linux directories are for
- Red Hat: Linux file permissions explained
- CISA: #StopRansomware Guide, including why you need offline backups
Staying Safe
- CISA: Secure Our World, the US government's basic steps to stay safe online
- NIST: Password and authentication guidance, the source for the password advice in the Security and Protection week
- My Information Security course, for much more on attacks, defenses, and privacy
Careers
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics: Network and Computer Systems Administrators, what the job involves, pay, and job outlook
- CyberSeek, cybersecurity jobs near you, salaries, and career paths
- CompTIA Linux+, a common entry-level Linux certification