Linux for the Layman: the Joy of Computing.
Episodes
Episode 47 - Starting Out Commands for beginners
18 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
I cover some of the most basic Linux commands a new user is likely to want to learn and play with. This includes pwd, cd, ls, echo, cat, cp, mv, rm, a...
Episode 46 - cd and select aliases
29 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We go through the 'cd' command, its options, and some useful aliases. We also cover some of the "universal" options for most Linux c...
Episode 45: which and tldr
14 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Discussion of the 'which' and 'tlrd' commands. Thank you for the comments.
Episode 44: I'm back, and 'grep'
03 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
You get to find out why I've been absent for so long. Also, we'll take a mild dive into the grep command. Cheers!
Five basic Linux commands
09 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
New: Subscription information included.
Episode 42: lr function, commands ls and rsync
15 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 41 - Virtual Machines, CLI Functions, tldr
28 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What Virtual Machines are good for (evaluating Linux distros) and which ones to use. An example of how and why to use a Bash function. Overview of man...
Episode 40 - Bash Aliases vs. Functions
01 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What is an alias? How to create them. What is a function? How to create them. Some miscellany along the way... :-)
Episode 39 - Command Line Pipes and other useful info
10 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We will go through a detailed example of how to string commands together on the command line using pipes.
Episode 38 - Shell Variables
06 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This continues from Episode 37 on the terminal shell
Episode 37 - Linux File System Paths, Mount Points and Links
15 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I also briefly touch on shell variables - more in the next episode coming soon I hope...
Episode 36 Shells - Command Line and Graphics Desktop
22 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 35: Bash "Long" cuts and Windows comments
05 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 34: Bash shortcuts
03 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today I cover the idea of bash shortcuts, including scripts, aliases and functions. I also go over a couple of short answers to listener questiosn and...
E[isode 33 - More on shell variables and tab completion
06 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we cover more on how to ues the tab key for command and variable name completion; we also cover some accounting information.
Episode 32 - Shell Variables - Basics
06 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This episode covers some of the basics about Linux Shell variables.
Episode 31 - Command Line, Windows and Shell Functions continued
23 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Feel free to let me know if you like this, if you have questions, even if you hated it - I'm hre to serve you. [email protected]
Episode 30 - Bash Shell Functions and why
27 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
All mentions of the word "bracket" or "brackets" should be read/heard as "brace" and "braces" - these { } instead of these [ ]. My goof, correction at...
Brief Message of Thanksgiving
24 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I am grateful to all my listeners, contributors, questioners and feedback-senders. More to come soon...
Episode 29 - More on the Command Line - Options
25 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
More information about command line options, and also help/man pages.
Episode 28 - Variety of Subjects
28 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I misspoke in the audio - RAID is Redundant Array of Independent Devices. There, now you can have an extra laugh at me. Invite your friends to have on...
Recovering from Disaster
25 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A tale of woe and triumph.
Episode 24 - bash variables, aliases and functions
27 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I also explain my long gap between episode 23 and now.
Episode 22 - What are folders, directories, files, and how do we use them
30 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Based on this artivle in the Verge, https://www.theverge.com/22684730/students-file-folder-directory-structure-education-gen-z, I decided to take a si...
Episode 21 - More special characters, file naming conventions and file organization
25 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We go into a few more bits about shell special characters, then discuss good Linux file naming conventions and a brief sketch of how to organize your ...
Episode 20 - Special characters to the shell
30 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today we'll cover a few more of the characters that the bash shell, your command line interpreter, treats as something other than what they look like ...
Episode 19 - More about the command shell, special characters and a little bit about variables
09 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This is scratching the surface of some of the flexibility of the terminal interface, the command shell (bash) and ways to use it.
Episode 18 - File Permissions and More on the "Dreaded" Command Line Interface
01 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Come with me to understand more about how little there is to dread in the Command Line (or Terminal) Interface to your computer in Linux.
Episode 17 - the "Dreaded" Terminal Interface
18 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This is the first of several episodes where I discuss the terminal interface, or command line interface, and it's command shell, bash. We start ...
Task scheduling with cron and crontab commands
13 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We also cover briefly zeit and at/batch. Command line oriented material.
Episode 14: A few new keyboard and mouse opinions, and more
30 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Tell me what you'd like to hear about in the podcast. This is a service for you - help me out. Gie a listen and see what else you want to ...
The command line makes this easy
11 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I'll explain one of the ways in which the command line can do things simply that might otherwise be more complex in a GUI.
The keyboard and the mouse
14 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I'm an old keyboard hack, so I love the keyboard, possibly more than the mouse. However, there are many good uses for the mouse as well where th...
Episode 11 - The Keyboard and the Mouse
25 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This is a love story - ways in which the keyboard and the mouse can do for each other (and you) some of the things you may have thought only one or th...
Episode 10 - Graphics User Interface and Terminal (Command-line) Interface
25 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode I discuss what's good about both interfaces and some contrasting features of both. Al though I profess to be far more proficient...
Episode 9 - An effective way to use Linux apps to replace your old Windows apps
31 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Most Windows apps don't run on Linux. Options after upgrading include using a Windows virtual machine on top of your Linux installation, using t...
Episode 8 - Installing Ubuntu alongside Windows
24 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This episode also gives a brief introduction to hard disk formats and how this affects your installation. We also explore briefly two other opti...
Episode 7: How to convert from Windows 10 to Ubuntu (or any Linux distro)
17 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This is the first of two episodes on this subject. In this episode, I'll discuss how to prepare for the conversion and then how to replace Windo...
Episode 6 - What I love about computers
19 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I actually enjoy working and playing on my computer, and you can too. This is alittle about what there is to love about working or playing on yo...
Linux File System Layout and Terms
04 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode I describe how files are mapped in a Linux file system in a simple, consistent access scheme, with contrast to how Windows is differen...
Episode 3 - GUIs, mouse and keyboard
20 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dispelling the myths about how Linux has no GUI or an unfriendly one.
What drew me into taking Linux home
17 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I've been asked this question many times - why do you use Linux at home? In this episode I'll talk about what drew me to Linux, and it is all in...
What Linux is and how it can help you.
30 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I go through a description of what Linux is, a brief history of Linux, what Linux can do for you and why not to get Linux. I describe...