I recently switched from Windows to Linux and want to focus on learning how to use the terminal effectively. I feel like I haven't fully embraced the Linux experience as I still find myself relying on the GUI. I'm looking for a Linux distribution that doesn't feature a graphical user interface at all, allowing me to navigate everything through command line commands. Is there such a distro available?
3 Answers
Absolutely! You can install almost any Linux distro without a desktop environment. For example, Ubuntu Server and Debian can run purely on the command line. If you're using Ubuntu, you can accomplish this by booting from the server ISO and unchecking the GUI options during installation.
If you prefer to keep your current distro, you can simply disable the GUI and run your system in command line mode. Using systemd commands like `systemctl set-default multi-user.target` can help you boot directly into CLI mode. Alternatively, you can try minimizing the GUI components by switching to a minimalist window manager like i3.
Using a minimalist setup like i3wm is a great idea. It encourages more keyboard-driven navigation while still allowing you access to a graphical environment when needed!
For a dedicated CLI experience, consider Arch Linux or Gentoo. You can install these without any desktop environment and manage everything through the terminal. They give you a lot of control and flexibility, but may have a steeper learning curve.
Setting up a system like that can be quite a project, but once you get the hang of it, you'll find that using command line tools can be really powerful!
You can also switch to a virtual terminal by pressing Ctrl + Alt + F3 or F4, which takes you to a CLI-only interface from a GUI session.