When you are a new Linux user and trying to get Linux training, you need to learn how to use Linux commands. What you most often need is a Linux example showing you how to use a Linux command.

And you will often hear seasoned Linux users say (over and over again) “just see the Linux man page” for a Linux command. This has become a quick and easy way out - of really trying to explain how to use Linux. Linux man pages are useful if you already know Linux, but extremely frustrating if you are new to the Linux OS (operating system).

Linux Tips: Linux man pages are practically useless for someone new to Linux. In fact, they’re almost as easy as trying to read hieroglyphics. Great for the ancient Egyptians - lots of nice pictures, but really hard to read.

Here’s Why Man Pages Don’t Work for Someone New to Linux - And What You Can Do About It

“Man” stands for “manual”, as in “Linux manual” or “Linux software manual”. You run the Linux man command to display the contents of a man page (file).

So, if you need help on a Linux command (or Linux software programs), you just run the man command and get help on the command. This gives you instant Linux online help. Sounds great - but it’s not great for a new Linux user.

And it would be great if the people that knew how to use Linux, didn’t expect the people that are new to Linux to understand man pages!

Here’s how to run the Linux man command and get help on the grep command:

]$ man grep

This displays the contents of the Linux man page (file) for the grep command.

Linux Tips: There are several options of the man command that can be used to display information on multiple man pages. But hey, man - how do I get help on the man command? You guessed it - just run: man man

Now, the grep command is pretty amazing in what it can do. It has lots of options and different ways of getting tons of useful information from a Linux system - but you’d never know it from looking at the man page.

The man page for any Linux command just shows you: a vague description of the command, a cryptic statement showing how to run the command, and a long alphabetic listing of the options for the command. There’s no way of knowing which options are the most useful and most commonly used.

And the worst part is that it’s almost impossible to find a Linux example of a command. In the thousands of man pages, there are almost never any examples of how to use a Linux command. And seeing examples of a Linux command (and then running the command) - is the best way to learn how to use Linux.

Written by Clyde Boom.

As someone new to Linux and wanting to get Linux training, you may have heard or read about getting help with Linux by using a man page.

If you already know Linux, then you can use man pages as a reference to learn more about a Linux command or concept - and in this case, man pages can be quite useful. However, if you are new to Linux, man pages are extremely frustrating to use - and here’s why, and what you can do about it.

5 Main Headings That Are Shown - and Not Shown - on a Linux Man Page

1. NAME - Shows the command name and a brief cryptic description of what the command does.

For the grep command, the brief description is “print lines matching a pattern”.

What? Is this command used to send stuff to print to a printer. Yes, it can be used for this, but by default, Linux “prints” to “standard output”, which is the screen! Confused yet?

2. SYNOPSIS - Shows the how the command is used.

This is supposed to show you how to use the Linux command. The synopsis is also known as the “format” or “syntax” of the Linux command. If you already know what you’re doing, great. If not, this is so vague it doesn’t tell you anything.

3. DESCRIPTION - Describes what the command is used for.

Here’s part of the description of the grep command, exactly as shown on the man page for grep:

“Grep searches the named input FILEs (or standard input if no files are named, or the file name - is given) for lines containing a match to a given PATTERN. By default, grep prints the matching lines.”

Wonderful! - If you already understand all the Linux lingo being used. That is, if you already understand all the Linux terms shown above, including: named input files, standard output, match a given pattern, and prints the matching lines.

But if you’re new to Linux, forget it!

4. OPTIONS - of a Linux command.

There are over 40 options of the grep command and each one is described in the same Linux “geek-speak” as everything else on the man page.

Another big problem with man pages is that the options are all listed alphabetically. There is no way of knowing which ones are the most useful or commonly used.

Linux Tips: If you already know Linux and need to look up the name of an option that is used to do a certain task, man pages are an excellent and quick Linux resource. But if you’re a Linux newbie, look elsewhere!

5. LINUX COMMAND EXAMPLES - There are almost never Linux examples of commands on a Linux man page.

One of the best ways to learn something is by example - just show me and let me try it myself.

But one of the most difficult things to find is examples of how to use a Linux command. Out of thousands of Linux man pages, there are almost never any examples.

How to Get Linux Training on Linux Commands and Concepts

So, how does someone get Linux training on Linux commands and concepts?

1. Get a good Linux book (or Linux ebook) that shows lots of examples and is written in plain English - not “geek-speak”.

This isn’t easy to do. Lots of Linux books are written in “geek-speak” instead of in plain English - the way you need to have a Linux book.

2. Watch Linux video tutorials to get easy Linux training.

This method is great because you see and hear about important Linux concepts. You also see every step in running a Linux command, including why you run the command and what the output of the command means.

You see all the steps to run a Linux command and lots of examples of how to use Linux commands to do Linux administration tasks. After watching a bit of a Linux video, you can just pause the video and then run the Linux command yourself and experiment!

Written by Clyde Boom.