Agenda for Linux Basics dat8tf063-22 Autumn 2013

Learn the basics of Linux in just 8 weeks!
1 Pre-Exam, Installation w35
2 Desktop Linux, Licenses w36
3 Command Line Interface w37
4 Package Management and Administration w38
5 Apache Web Server w39
6 OpenSSH Server and Client w40
7 Shell Scripting and Hello Worlds  w41
8 Exam w42
Tero teaches all the classes in h5001, Mondays 12:00-15:45.
Moodle (login required).
There might be changes to this initial agenda.
Course ends at the exam in the end of the period.

Evaluation

Course grade consists of homework (50%) and exam (50%).
Homework is evaluated with homework reports and quizzes at class time. Homework reports are returned weekly, for example by publishing on the web and returning the link. We’ll talk about homeworks at the beginning of each class, and you can get oral feedback on your work. All homework is evaluated at the end of the course with one grade, based on a package of combined homework. Still, each individual homework must be completed before next class.

Previous Courses and Links

Feel free to check comments from previous courses.
Course description.
Course uses Xubuntu Linux (xubuntu-13.04-desktop-amd64.iso).
Edited: corrected title

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

16 Responses to Agenda for Linux Basics dat8tf063-22 Autumn 2013

  1. Homework h1: Burn yourself a Linux Live-CD. Try Linux Live-CD on a computer outside the lab (e.g. at home). Create a web page or a blog.
    Report your findings. Be specific: write while working, what you did and what happened; describe environment. Link to course and any other sources you use.
    You can return just link to Moodle (recommended).
    Bonus tasks: add the output of ‘sudo lshw -short’. Very difficult: find and download “machinotero”, add its report.

  2. Homework h2: do with computer and report:
    – Install three applications using package manager. Solve three complete tasks using the programs.
    – List applications you are using on your old operating system (Windows, OSX, Linux). Notice the purpose of each piece of software. Find a Free alternative to each application. This writing task doesn’t require working on a computer.
    – Bonus (not mandatory): help translate a program https://translations.launchpad.net/
    Reading task (no reporting): Read the Free Software Definition by the Free Software Foundation. http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html

  3. h3:
    Do & report: try 3 new command line commands or flags. Choose commands that are new to you and not mentioned in the class or “Command Line Basics”.
    Just learn (no reporting on this subtask): Learn “Command line basics” by heart. Practice the commands a lot. There will be class quiz.
    http://terokarvinen.com/2009/command-line-basics-4

  4. h4:
    Install 3 pieces of software using the command line. To make it harder, pick the purpose first.
    Analyze 1-3 lines of log of your choosing. Explain every part of the line in great detail.

  5. h4 voluntary bonus: Create an apt-get line to install your favourite software.
    Voluntary hard bonus: Create a metapackage of your favourite software
    http://terokarvinen.com/2011/create-deb-metapackage-in-5-minutes

  6. h5:
    – Install Apache2.
    – Cause and analyze log lines showing: succesful page load and an error
    – Play question sets 1-3 in http://sqlzoo.net (this SqlZoo subtask doesn’t require reporting)
    Voluntary bonus tasks:
    – Install MySQL server (or MariaDB)
    – Create and search a table with command line ‘mysql’
    – Difficult: Read database from a PHP script

  7. suraj says:

    This course is awesome start for the beginner!!!! Short sweet and fun atleast i felt i have learn something!!! Tero rocks!!!

  8. Elizaveta Kantina says:

    This is very nice course, but what makes it to be amaizing-is the teacher.
    I can pronounce this course to be the best from all the courses I’ve been studying for 2,5 years here. Tero gives the university level of teaching. It’s a pity that all the other courses are only in finnish, I would take at least couple more.
    I studied a lot cos somehow Tero can keep you focused on studying for 4 hours and makes it very interesting.
    I might use Linux in the future, but I need to study a lot more. I tried to study by myself, but it is totally different. Tero really knows how to motivate and it is wonderful that you can ask any questions without being scared of some shame.
    I am personally interested in the list of Linux programs what Tero personally use. Whould be nice to get this list about windows analogs in Linux from him.
    I would and I do highly recommend this course.
    Test looks fine so far.
    Tero, please, please (!) more English courses!

  9. Antti Pitkänen says:

    Before this course I didn’t know much of Linux. I had come across Linux a few times at work through ssh and web servers, and I wanted to know more.
    During the course each lesson was fruitful. The practical approach on this course fits well to my learning.
    As a result of the course I have installed Linux at home for web-development purposes. I would recommend this course to anyone who wants to start with Linux.

  10. Kristiina Juurikas says:

    Hei Tero,
    I learned a lot in this course and this course was very useful, because when I started this course I didn’t have any previous knowledge about Linux. Now I can use the command line and know how to connect to the server. Additonally I learned new programming languages.
    I will definetly use linux on my own computer and try it out more.
    The course was very good it was intresting at there where always something to do. The homeworks were also a good practice for what we learned in the class.
    I will defenetly recommend the course to my friends.
    The test is good and is quite challenging

  11. Riku Polameri says:

    One of the best, if not THE best course I have ever been on in Haaga-Helia.
    Homework checking at the beginning of each class took too long.
    5/5

  12. zekir says:

    For me linux was my first time ,I have learned so many thing .I like the way of teaching ,Espacially doing assignment in the class taught me many thing.The duration of the class was so long but still the class was nice.Keep it up.Thank!

  13. Mirya R says:

    Thank you for the course, the course was great. I was using Linux before but I learnt so much more during this course. I would come back for sure for the Advanced Linux if it would have been available in English. The only thing – I was doing all the assignments, getting ready for exam and still I found exam quite difficult. But otherwise, the course was great and Tero is a good teacher.
    Thanks.

  14. Ike says:

    The course has been delivered well enough. Personally I had no knowledge about linux but after the completion of this course, I have been enlightned.
    All topics was well taught and I think having an other course as a continuation of this will good.
    Thanks

  15. Erik Hesselroth says:

    Thumbs up for this course.
    As a business student who was interested in learning more about Linux, I thought this course was exellent. I had some prior knowledge about the system from having it installed on my laptop, however having taken this course has learnt me so much more about it, more than just the very basic internet, office software, etc., e.g. I know the command line interface a lot better now, and learnt stuff about things such as Apache, ssh etc.
    As I’m not an IT student, I am unsure about how useful it will be in my future career, but hopefully what I’ve learnt here is something I can take with me to a future workplace as well. And if not, then at least I’ll use some of what I learnt here for personal use.
    Tero managed to hold interesting lectures, and a combination of homework each week, practise during lectures, and an interesting way of teaching, it was easy to pay attention to the lecture rather than other stuff.
    I would recommend the course, and especially to IT students, but could also be interesting to anyone who is interested in Linux.

  16. Jesper Ruuth says:

    Did you learn something?
    – Yes.
    Is it usefull to you?
    – Yes, since I didn’t have almost any experience about Linux so the course was very useful.
    How do you plan to use your skills after the course?
    – I might use my skills in home and hopefully in working life.
    How could the course be improved?
    – I wasn’t a big fan of the publishing assignments on the web and would have rather liked a text file drop-off option in moodle.
    How was the test?
    – The test was okay. I was a bit confused where the answers should be posted so some answering form would have been nice.
    Would you recommend this course to your friends or collegues?
    – Yes I would. Escpecially those who are interested in open source software.