this post was submitted on 28 Apr 2025
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I am trying to use my old laptops for self-hosting. One has a 6th gen Intel Core i3 (4GB ram), the other has an 11th gen Intel Core i5 (8GB ram). I have previously tried both ubuntu server and desktop but couldn't get it to work well. For the former I found it difficult to remote ssh and the latter I had difficulty installing Docker containers. (I'm not very good with the command line)

I would like to find an OS that is easier to setup with less of a neccesity for the command line (I would still like to learn how to use it though, I don't want to get rid of it entirely!). I've heard of CasaOS, is that a good option? It seems quite easy to use. What about other alternatives?

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 23 hours ago (2 children)

I highly recommend O'Reilly's Learning the Bash Shell in paperback form: https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/learning-the-bash/0596009658/.

The other responses you've received so far don't offer much insight into the historical background and underlying mechanics of the shell, which are crucial to understanding the "Why?"s of command-line quirkiness.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

A 20 year old paperback book seems like a bad choice.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

It's a 36 y/o language, mate. I still reference my copy all the time, and found it to be a great definitive resource when I was learning.

How many bash 4/5 features are you seriously using on a regular basis? What do you think is out-of-date?

[–] [email protected] 0 points 12 hours ago (2 children)

Are you under the impression that that language hasn't changed?

[–] [email protected] 0 points 17 minutes ago (1 children)

Since it seems like you don't know much about bash at all, I promise the book will help you.

You can be someone who actually knows what they're talking about instead of making embarrassing, snarky comments that expose your lack of education on the topic at hand.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 minutes ago

Maybe you can be the kind of person who isn't offended by questions and retaliates with personal insults. Just a thought.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago)

Bash has had some nice minor features and syntax sugar added, but the fundamentals are entirely the same. All the examples in the book work just the same today as they did when it was written.

What was added in 4.X or 5.x that you can't live without? What do you think has changed that merits inclusion?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 23 hours ago

Thanks for your reply. I agree the 'why' is important, for me that usually makes things more intuitive