I haven’t always been interested in IT or programming. Although I always thought it was really cool, I was more drawn to electronics, where I could demonstrate my hands-on skills a bit more.

However, one day I met someone nicknamed Sensei (warm greetings to him), who, in a more or less digestible way, showed me how fun it can be to tinker with computers!

One day in early 2024, when Sensei was supposed to come over to show me his new application, instead of the application he handed me a live-boot USB with Linux. That was the beginning :)

My first experiments with Linux didn’t show me anything concrete, but they sparked a great curiosity in me about what else could be discovered or done. I had never had any contact with this environment before, so this “newness” was inspiring to me.

I didn’t need much time to decide that Linux was for me. We quickly moved on to installing Linux directly on the drive. However, that fast start turned out to be the reason for repeatedly reinstalling the system :P Something would “break” all the time. Nevertheless, I was fascinated by how lightweight, fast, customizable, and “my own” this system felt.

Wanting to teach me more, Sensei showed me many tools and taught me how to navigate the terminal and the system. I began writing simple Bash scripts. And shortly after, I discovered… Termux… Pocket-sized Linux. Absolutely wonderful! Now I could take my Bash learning literally everywhere!

As of today, I am already very familiar with the Termux environment; I can navigate it effortlessly and handle issues without much trouble. I also manage quite well with Linux. I have understood many concepts related to networks, operating systems and their security, and much about how hardware itself works.

Professionally, I still work with the electronics; nevertheless, I devote a huge amount of time to “playing” and learning in Termux and Linux, undertaking more or less standard tasks and delving deeply into the structure of these systems.

Additionally, I’m perfecting my skills in writing Bash scripts. I have already written some interesting tools and even a hexadecimal text editor, which may seem difficult or even impossible in Bash! My goal is to improve in this language until I can write anything I can imagine at any time, day or night.

Besides Bash itself, I’m also learning to work with CSV and JSON files, SQL databases, programming in PHP and JavaScript, various types of markups, and much more along the way. Great fun!

Linux seemed interesting to me right from the start (although basically the first thing that captivated me was the design and overall look of the finished Kali Linux distro), very open to the user, enabling personal growth and giving full access to what should, in fact, belong to the user.

I have to admit I set myself a challenge because I wasn’t interested in virtual machines or Live Boot from USB. I wanted to be that Linux guy right away, not become one bit by bit :) Many times I broke the filesystem, many times I had to reinstall it (because I couldn’t fix it), until I finally got to where I am now, with the knowledge I have.

After learning Linux, I liked it so much that I stayed with it for the long run and can’t imagine going back to Windows. I even became, in a way, a Linux maniac, as my conversation partners can confirm .

I love this system because it’s secure, customizable, open, and because of the simple ways I can automate my work, express myself (including artistically), and how easily I can perform daily tasks and work with files and data.

Termux, as an Android app, stands out among others. It creates its own almost independent "filesystem," which lets you feel like you’re using a real Linux computer.

Nowadays, as we know well, everyone has a mobile phone. Many people use it more often than a computer! A phone is handy, wireless, allows internet connection, and so on. In my opinion, a brilliant idea is packing something like Termux into this device.

Termux inherits almost all the advantages of Linux while being fully mobile. Its usefulness is further extended by Termux:API, which allows easy integration of the Termux terminal with phone functions.

Another cool feature in Termux is, for example, the ability to run an HTTP server! Right now, I’m writing this in Termux while sitting on a bus ;) Another example — my phone is almost as powerful or even more powerful than my old laptop. So, when I want to play Minecraft, I run the Minecraft server on Termux, and from my computer, I just connect to that server.

Termux is easy to use, allows installing a graphical environment (like xfce4 with VNC), supports SSH connections to other systems, is pocket-sized, and functional. It’s an extension of a pocket computer!

Bash is a rather primitive language, lacking many features on its own, but as a shell nested directly in the Linux system and terminal, it offers huge possibilities. From Bash in Linux/Termux and other Unix-like systems, you can also invoke other languages, work with files in any way, and interact with the system itself.

Although Bash syntax differs significantly in many ways from other languages, it’s the syntax that resonates with me—I understand it and know how to use it. My beginnings with this language were tough, but today I can write a lot with only a few mistakes. Even when writing something in PHP, I often use shell_exec to call Bash scripts ;)

As I mentioned, my goal is to reach perfection in using Bash, to fully master it, and to learn all its options, functions, and capabilities. Personally (not to sound arrogant), I believe I’m on the right track!

Right now, I'm sitting here writing Bash scripts, planning tools for Termux/Linux, and thinking about what else I can do to help the community grow. I don’t do this for profit. I’m driven by passion and the desire to contribute to building something great and useful.

Everything I write, I write for the community. I don’t make money from it, and I don’t intend to (though I won’t say no to donations—they're a great way to show appreciation and let me know my work means something!). I do this mainly for fun and/or personal development.

If my work speaks to you, feel free to check out my projects and articles. Maybe you’ll find a useful tool that makes your work easier or helps you in some other way? Don’t hesitate—take a look! Let’s stay in touch!


Best regards,
Kamil “BuriXon” Burek.