this post was submitted on 28 Apr 2025
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I am trying to use my old laptops for self-hosting. One has a 6th gen Intel Core i3 (4GB ram), the other has an 11th gen Intel Core i5 (8GB ram). I have previously tried both ubuntu server and desktop but couldn't get it to work well. For the former I found it difficult to remote ssh and the latter I had difficulty installing Docker containers. (I'm not very good with the command line)

I would like to find an OS that is easier to setup with less of a neccesity for the command line (I would still like to learn how to use it though, I don't want to get rid of it entirely!). I've heard of CasaOS, is that a good option? It seems quite easy to use. What about other alternatives?

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[–] irmadlad@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

(I’m not very good with the command line)

Me either so I take a lot of notes about commands and command sequences. Also, I find that Grok is pretty decent at explaining commands. AI is a wonderful tool, but you also need to do your due diligence in ascertaining whether AI has given you the correct information. I would not copy/paste random commands into a production server, but rather I have a small test server for that kind of stuff. Once I have the command, tested, and understand the command, I can then use that in a production environment.

In as much as I love a good WUI, you will have to learn some cli, it's just inevitable, especially in a headless environment. It may seem daunting at first because there are literally thousands of commands and command sequences. I honestly doubt if even the geekiest nerds on the planet know all by heart. For each command sequence, there are probably hundreds of ways to compose the same command. I would admonish you to download Notepad ++ and start keeping notes on the commands you use. Later on, the fun part is looking back on your notes to see all the commands you now know and what they do.

Core utilities (like ls, cd, cat, etc.) from projects like GNU Coreutils provide around 100-200 commands. Additional tools from packages (e.g., grep, awk, sed) and system utilities (e.g., systemctl, iptables) can add hundreds more. On a system with many packages installed, running compgen -c | sort -u | wc -l in a Bash shell might show 2,000–10,000+ unique commands, depending on the setup.

[–] scheep@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

Writing down different commands on a note seems like a good idea. Thanks!