The book is devoted to a description of free UNIX-like operating systems, representatives of which are Linux, FreeBSD and other members of the BSD family, as well as their use as a universal platform for general (including home) purposes. The material in the book is not tied to any specific OS or Linux distribution, but contains a description of the general principles of installation, configuration and operation of any of the representatives of this family. From the perspective of the end user, issues of the ideology and history of UNIX-like systems are considered, the basic principles on which they are based are outlined, such as the concepts of files, processes, user accounts, modes and interfaces, and techniques for solving everyday user problems are given. The book will help novice users get started in one of the operating systems described, and experienced users will learn universal techniques for working in any of them.