Part 0: Setting Up Your Environment

Navigation

0. Tutorial Index
1. Part-00 : Setup ◄ You are here
2. Part-01 : Getting Started
3. Part-02 : Reading and Searching
4. Part-03 : Permissions and Processes
5. Part-04 : Environment Customization
6. Part-05 : Solutions and Next Steps

Before we dive into the workshop, let’s get your environment set up! This guide will walk you through installing everything you need, regardless of your operating system.

Windows Users: Installing WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux)

WSL lets you run a full Linux environment directly on Windows. It’s the best way to learn Linux commands on a Windows machine.

Prerequisites

• Windows 10 version 2004+ or Windows 11
• Administrator access

Step 1: Enable WSL

Open PowerShell as Administrator (Right-click Start → Windows PowerShell (Admin)) and run:

wsl --install ubuntu

This command will:

• Enable WSL
• Install the Ubuntu distribution
• Set up the Linux kernel

Restart your computer when prompted.

Step 2: Set Up Ubuntu

After restart, search for and launch ubuntu through windows search. It will ask you to create a new user:

Enter new UNIX username: yourusername
New password: ********
Retype new password: ********

Important:

• Choose a simple username (lowercase, no spaces)
• Remember your password! You’ll need it for sudo commands
• The password won’t show while typing (that’s normal!)

Step 3: Update Your System

Once Ubuntu is set up, run these commands:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y

This updates all packages to their latest versions.

Step 4: Verify Installation

Let’s install neofetch to test everything:

sudo apt install neofetch -y
neofetch

You should see a beautiful display of your system information!

Accessing WSL

You can open WSL in several ways:

1. Search for “Ubuntu” in the Start menu
2. Open Windows Terminal and select Ubuntu
3. Type wsl in PowerShell or Command Prompt

WSL Tips

Access Windows files: Your Windows drives are mounted at /mnt/:

cd /mnt/c/Users/YourName/Desktop

Access WSL files from Windows: Type \\wsl$ in File Explorer

Copy/Paste:

• Right-click to paste in terminal
• Or: Ctrl+Shift+C to copy, Ctrl+Shift+V to paste

macOS Users: Installing Homebrew

macOS comes with a Unix-based terminal, so you’re already halfway there! We’ll install Homebrew, the package manager for macOS.

Step 1: Install Homebrew

Open Terminal (⌘+Space, type “Terminal”) and run:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Follow the on-screen instructions. After installation completes, read the “Next steps” section carefully—it will tell you the exact commands to run.

For Apple Silicon Macs (M1-M4), run:

echo 'eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"' >> ~/.zprofile
eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"

For Intel Macs, run:

echo 'eval "$(/usr/local/bin/brew shellenv)"' >> ~/.zprofile
eval "$(/usr/local/bin/brew shellenv)"

Close and reopen Terminal for changes to take effect.

Step 2: Verify Installation

brew --version

You should see the Homebrew version number.

Step 3: Test with neofetch

brew install neofetch
neofetch

You should see your Mac system info!

macOS Tips

Your shell: macOS Catalina+ uses zsh by default (which is great! We’ll customize it later)

Access your files: Your home folder is at ~/ or /Users/YourName/

Linux Users: Package Managers

If you’re already on Linux, you’re all set! Here are the common package managers for popular distributions:

Debian/Ubuntu/Linux Mint

sudo apt update
sudo apt install package-name

Fedora/RHEL/CentOS

sudo dnf install package-name
# Or on older versions:
sudo yum install package-name

Arch Linux/Manjaro

sudo pacman -S package-name

openSUSE

sudo zypper install package-name

Alpine Linux

sudo apk add package-name

Check Your Package Manager

Not sure which one you have? Try:

# Check if apt exists
which apt

# Check if dnf exists
which dnf

# Check if pacman exists
which pacman

Verify Installation

Install neofetch to test:

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install neofetch

# Fedora
sudo dnf install neofetch

# Arch
sudo pacman -S neofetch

# Then run it:
neofetch

Testing Your Environment

Let’s make sure everything works! Run these commands:

# Check your shell
echo $SHELL

# Check your home directory
cd ~
pwd

# List files
ls -la

# Create a test file
echo "Hello, Linux!" > test.txt
cat test.txt
rm test.txt

# Check for basic tools
which git
which curl
which vim

If all these commands work, you’re ready to go!

Troubleshooting

WSL Issues

“WSL command not found”:

• Make sure you’re running Windows 10 2004+ or Windows 11
• Run Windows Update

“This operation requires elevation”:

• You need to run PowerShell as Administrator

Ubuntu doesn’t launch after restart:

• Search for “Ubuntu” in Start menu manually
• Or run wsl in PowerShell

Homebrew Issues

“Command not found” after installing:

• Make sure you ran the echo command to add Homebrew to your PATH
• Close and reopen Terminal

“Permission denied”:

• Don’t use sudo with Homebrew commands
• Homebrew should be installed for your user, not root

Linux Issues

“E: Could not get lock”:

• Another package manager is running
• Wait a moment or restart your system

“Permission denied”:

• Remember to use sudo for system-wide installations

What’s Next?

Now that your environment is set up, you’re ready to start learning!

Your checklist:

• Terminal/WSL installed
• Package manager working (apt/brew/etc.)
• neofetch showing system info
• Basic commands tested

Ready to begin? Let’s dive into the actual command-line skills!

Quick Reference

# WSL (Windows)
wsl --install              # Install WSL
sudo apt update            # Update packages
sudo apt install neofetch  # Install a package

# macOS
brew install neofetch      # Install a package
brew update                # Update Homebrew

# Linux (Debian/Ubuntu)
sudo apt install neofetch  # Install a package
sudo apt update            # Update package list

Having issues? Drop a comment below or check the WSL documentation / Homebrew documentation.