Before mission 1

A place to practice.
A way to start.

Keep Windows. Give Linux a small, deliberate place in your workflow.

1. Get a Linux environment

If you have no Linux terminal yet, follow the Ubuntu-on-WSL2 guide to practise commands while keeping Windows. It covers installation, launching the Linux shell and managing resources. An existing Ubuntu installation is also suitable. For a complete desktop, use the Ubuntu desktop VM guide if your PC has the resources.

Read the environment guide's notes on storage, services and scheduling. Commands on this course belong in a Linux shell, not PowerShell or Command Prompt. Keep practice in your Linux home folder, including when using WSL2.

2. Open the Ubuntu terminal

Open your Ubuntu shell through WSL2, an installed Linux system or the desktop VM. Start from your Linux home directory. The following creates only your practice workspace. It does not install or remove Ubuntu, WSL or a VM.

Create your practice workspace

Safe in practice folder

Creates the seven practice folders in your Linux home directory and shows the resulting workspace.

Run from your Ubuntu terminal

mkdir -p ~/linux-practice/{files,projects,scripts,backups,downloads,logs,bin}
cd ~/linux-practice
pwd
ls -la

3. Check what was created

pwd should show your Linux home path ending in linux-practice. ls -la shows ., .., and files, projects, scripts, backups, downloads, logs, bin. Other files may exist if you already used this workspace; inspect them rather than claiming it is empty.

Your practice, your pace

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pwd shows my Linux home path and username.My current path ends in linux-practice.ls -la shows . and .. together with the seven folders just created.

4. Read the command context

Practice-folder and read-only examples are distinguished from caution, optional administrator and explanation-only material. Some commands intentionally cannot be copied. Copying never executes a command; read it before pasting.

Keep your own files outside this workspace. Before cleanup, preserve anything you want to keep and verify its copy. Practice cleanup removes only what you deliberately select; environment removal is a separate step.

Start mission 1 → View the course