I'm on the hunt for a solid course to learn bash scripting. I've recently tried a couple of courses on Coursera, but they were pretty disappointing. One course had terrible audio levels, making it hard to hear the instructor, and some of the commands he used didn't work on my Linux machine. In another course, I decided to use their virtual machine since I was having issues, but it was missing files that the instructor clearly had. Overall, my experiences have been frustrating and I feel like I've wasted a lot of time. I'm just trying to find a decent course that can really help me improve my bash skills. I have access to Coursera and O'Reilly, and I'm okay with paying if the course is excellent, but free options would also be great. I just finished the LPIC 1 101 course and have some hands-on Linux experience.
4 Answers
Honestly, if you're struggling with bash, consider switching to a language like Python or Go instead. They give you a broader programming foundation and you can definitely pick up bash later if needed. Bash can be a bit dated for some tasks, while those languages are more modern and versatile.
You might want to check out the Bash Shell Scripting resource on Wikibooks. It's pretty comprehensive and straightforward. Plus, it's free! Not the typical course format, but it covers a lot of ground.
That actually looks useful, thanks for the tip!
If you've got a grasp on programming basics like variables and functions, it might help to pick up something like GitHub Copilot or any AI coding assistant. This way, you can also move to tools like Ansible for configuration management, which can be super useful once you’re familiar with SSH and setting up accounts.
I actually don't have a strong programming background, just some Linux fundamentals. Do you have any recommendations for a solid Python or Go course?
It's definitely valuable to learn the basics of bash scripting, especially variable expansion and how to use loops and pipes. Familiarizing yourself with tools like grep, awk, and sed can really empower you to handle most tasks. But if you find yourself needing more complex data handling, transitioning to a language like Python could be beneficial in the long run.
Thanks for the solid advice! I will definitely focus on those tools in bash and consider Python for more intensive tasks.
Is bash considered a programming language? If so, any recommendations for good courses in Python or Go?