Key Terms

The new user engaging with the modern world of Linux and the open-source ecosystem as a whole will likely be bombarded with loads of terminology that sounds foreign and often confusing. This is an index of different subjects that a new user should learn about upon interacting with Linux for the first time.

• Bloat
• Command-Line Interface (CLI)
• Command
• Desktop Environments and Window Managers
  • GNOME
  • KDE Plasma
• Display Manager
• Drivers
• Free Open Source Software / Free, Libre Open Source Software (FOSS/FLOSS)
• Graphical User Interface (GUI)
• Linux
• Package
• Package Manager
  • apk
  • apt
  • dnf
  • Flatpak
  • nixpkgs
  • pacman
  • rpm
  • Snap
  • zypper
• Ownership
• Program
• Privacy
• Repository (Repo)
• Script
• Security
• tar.xz / Tarball - broaden to file compression?
• Theming / "Ricing"
• Text-Based User Interface (TUI)

In effort to avoid stressing new users, there are some subjectively more complicated topics most new users will not need to learn about, unless they are trying to perform some specific task.

• Building
• Compiling
• Compositor
• Git
• GitHub
• GNU - same place as GPL?
• Hacking
• Kernel
• Kernel Module
• Licenses
  • General Public License [vX] (GPL vX)
• Shell
  • Bash
  • ZSH
• TTY
• Wayland
• X11
• Xorg
• Xwayland - all three of the X's in one place? All in compositor, even?