The TLDR-Pages project makes it easier than ever for anyone to use Linux

So you’ve seen all the good news about Linux distros, and you’ve decided to give it a try. If you’re coming from Windows, you’ve likely installed Linux Mint, which is an excellent starting point for exploring the wider world of open-source software. But there’s something terrifying lurking within, something that you very rarely use as a Windows user, something with so much power and potential that it can ruin your entire OS: the dreaded Terminal.

The good news is that the Terminal is your friend and not out to get you. The bad news is, it will get you if you tell it to, accidentally or not. And while seeing that white text on a black background will send shivers down any Windows user’s spine, the truth is, you need to befriend the beast if you’re to rea…

TLDR lets you see what Terminal commands do in Linux before you run them

Learning Terminal commands is half the battle. The other half is learning that CTRL-V doesn’t paste

If you’re starting out with Linux like me, you can do worse than checking out TLDR. While Linux comes with tools that explain commands by default, they can sometimes be a little sparse and not tailored toward people who are absolute beginners with the operating system. TLDR aims to explain things for people who have zero idea what they’re doing and want to know what the commands do.

TLDR is powered by submissions from volunteers, who pick out a command and then write beginner-friendly documentation on what it does. The end result is a huge database of help, which you can invoke at any time through your Terminal.

When you’re just starting out with Linux, there’s a good chance you’ll be copy-pasting Terminal commands from the internet via trusted sources when you want to achieve something. While this does work, it’s also a good idea to break down and understand what those commands are doing. Worst-case scenario, you learn what the code does and potentially stop yourself from running something malicious. Best-case scenario, you get a valuable tool in your Linux toolbox that will serve you for years to come.

To give you an idea of how valuable learning commands is, here’s an embarrassing tale from my early years in Linux. At the very beginning, once I grew tired of Linux Mint, I distro hopped until I found Fedora KDE. I wanted to get it set up, so I followed a guide and mindlessly punched in commands with no regard for what I was actually doing.

A few months later, I gave Arch Linux a try, which you have to build brick by brick. I couldn’t just copy-paste my way to victory; I had to ensure what I was doing was correct, else I could really mess something up. Part of the setup process included setting up the Arch User Repository (AUR) so I could download apps via the console.

I really liked the AUR, and I told myself I wished Fedora KDE also had a repository I could use. Turns out, Fedora KDE does have one; not only that, I used it during setup. The reason it didn’t click that I was using a repository was that I was just copy-pasting commands and pressing the Y key when I was told to. I didn’t realise what I was actually doing. If I had TLDR installed at the time, I could have easily checked out what that weird "sudo dnf" command I was pasting in actually did, and learn how to use it for myself.

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How to get set up with TLDR

Yes, you can install it via the console

If you want to use TLDR yourself, then head over to its GitHub page if you haven’t arrived there already from the link earlier. You can follow the guide there to get TLDR installed. If that’s a little confusing for you, your best bet will be to install pipx and then use the command "pipx install tldr" to get it.

Once it’s ready, just type "tldr" followed by the command you want to learn more about. TLDR will then break down what it is the command does in a beginner-friendly manner, alongside some examples of how to use it.

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TLDR makes using the Terminal a lot easier

So there you go. If you’re just starting out with Linux, or you’re just a little rusty, TLDR can help explain all the commands you’re entering, plus examples of how you can make the most of them.