1. Learn to Google

Step One: Learn to Google

The Google search engine is the programmer's best friend. If we want to do something, or have a question, chances are someone else has done it or asked it before. Typing in a good Google search should be our first move. It can save us hours, maybe years over a lifetime of programming!

A couple hints:

• Many of the best things for programmers are already out there, structured as "tutorials." If you want to learn "foo" (foo is a programmer's way of saying some random thing), then search for "foo tutorial."
• Another trick is to look for "HOWTO" as one word, Googling "HOWTO foo" often works, just because Linux programmers commonly write "HOWTOs".

It may not be bad to do a "Google search tutorial" Google, right now!

NOTE: in these pages I'm going to leave out links that are "easy Googles."