S1 Self-Study Guide: First Contact

Session: S1

Study Path

1. Choose a username you can live with. It is your Unix username.
2. On Windows, open Windows Terminal from Start. On macOS, open Terminal from Applications > Utilities.
3. If your account does not exist, run ssh new@lf2607.kolamayermakers.org. If you do not have an SSH client, use the browser registration page. The kiosk creates your account, prints your real SSH command, then disconnects.
4. Reconnect with ssh username@lf2607.kolamayermakers.org. If you do not have an SSH client, use browser SSH.
5. Prove identity and machine state with whoami, hostname, date, and uptime.
6. Run guide and ask it one question. Use it throughout class and between sessions: run guide now for your current session objective; after you complete it, it shows your current quest. Use guide answer <your answer> for prompted answers, and run guide check after practical work. A passing check records your progress.
7. Join #lf2607 at the classroom IRC page. This is your first rewarded S01 objective. Use #kolamayermakers for general chat.
8. Learn the map: / is the filesystem root, ~ is your home, . is here, .. is parent. Run cd /docs to visit your course-material playground. Read anything in it and follow what interests you.
9. Read files with cat, bat, less, head, and tail before editing anything.
10. Generate your starter page with build-website and inspect the static URL.

Mental Model

The shell is a text conversation with the operating system. A command has a name, arguments, output, and an exit result. Your prompt is not decoration: it tells you that you are logged in, where you are, and that the shell is waiting.

If you want the deeper distinction: the terminal is the text interface, SSH is the secure connection, and the shell is the program interpreting commands on the server.

IRC and guide

IRC is the shared class chat. Use #lf2607 for help that other learners can learn from, including between sessions. Use #kolamayermakers for general chat.

guide is your course tool and AI tutor. Run it whenever you feel lost or have a question. DM guide on IRC for the same tutor. In a terminal, run guide now for your current session objective; after you complete it, it shows your current quest. Submit prompted answers with guide answer <your answer>, and run guide check after practical work. It can provide hints, but a chat answer by itself is not proof; a passing check records your progress.

Do not paste passwords, private keys, access tokens, or private account setup links into IRC.

Expected Output Shapes

whoami

Expected: your handle, one line.

pwd

Expected: an absolute path such as /home/username.

ls -la ~

Expected: permission columns, owner, group, size, date, and names. Ignore . and .. when counting home entries.

Troubleshooting

• Permission denied: check the username before the @, then retry slowly.
• You landed in onboarding again: you connected as new; reconnect with the username you chose.
• Host key prompt appears: read it. Type yes only when the host is lf2607.kolamayermakers.org.
• Stuck in less or man: press q.
• Command is running too long: press Ctrl-C.
• You are lost or have a question: run guide or DM guide on IRC.

Proof Checklist

• whoami prints your handle.
• cat /etc/os-release shows a Debian-family system description.
• You can count home entries from ls -la ~ without counting . and ...
• You can explain ls -S from man ls.
• You have run head -n 5 /etc/services and tail -n 5 /etc/services.
• ~/public_html/index.html exists after running build-website.

Docs Pointers

• Read Docs Navigation Guide before asking where a file is.
• Run man ssh, then read the SYNOPSIS and authentication parts.
• Run man ls, then search for -S with / -S or by scanning options.
• Run tldr ssh, tldr ls, and tldr cat for short reminders.
• Read Platform Reference before using public URLs.
• Read Linux, Unix, Server, and Client for the course vocabulary behind the first login.
• Read Path, File, Directory, and I/O for the basic objects behind every command.
• Read Kernel, User Space, Syscall, Filesystem, CPU, and Memory only if you want the optional systems deep dive.
• Read Terminal and Shell to understand what is local, what is remote, and what interprets commands.
• Read Readline and drill the keystrokes until prompt editing stops feeling clumsy.
• Read Time Zones if timestamps or logs disagree with your local clock.