I want to learn Linux like a pro... so which distro to install??

Hi all,
I'm using linux for a while now, but im not that fluent with it as I'd like to be.
I have installed Ubuntu on my laptop.
Now I want to learn linux basics and know how it actually works. Which distro should I install? Should I stick with Ubuntu or switch to some other?

And also guide me how to learn linux the way I want to...

 

Probably Gentoo. I believe Gentoo requires you to compile a kernel yourself, so I'm sure this would help you learn a lot about the inner workings of Linux.

 

But I've read in another thread that it'd require a couple of days to install... and a fast internet connection perhaps. What if thats difficult to arrange?
I think I should think about Gentoo though.
What about Red Hat based distros...??

 

You could try Slackware, which is as "vanilla" as a Linux install gets, and is quite easy to get into (it's what I started with). Red Hat is more enterprisey, so it's good to know and have on the resume, but it'll install itself quite well without needing any manual configuration.

 

Slackware is using kernel version 2.4.x
Is it a good choice? I mean does that kernel has the good hardware support or things like that.

 

Slackware is a good distro to learn on as Pita said, but it's not very up to date. The 2.4 kernel does not have nearly the hardware or software support that the 2.6 kernel does, though I believe you can upgrade the kernel yourself somehow. Not sure though.

 

I would second the recommendation for Gentoo. When I installed it a few years ago, I really learnt a lot about how linux works, and how it controls how the hardware on your system will work.

The other thing I like about the Gentoo install is that you can choose which level you wish to install at. From memory, there are three options. The first is the most "difficult" - the lowest level of the install. As you move up the options, the install becomes easier, but you learn less.

I think the most important thing you learn when installing a distro like Gentoo is that you learn what type of user you are. You can tell whether you are the type of user who wants a full experience with very little effort (Ubuntu/Mandriva) or you want to compile from source and build your system from the ground up (Gentoo/Slackware)

 

OK, so if I opt to install Gentoo and unfortunately get stuck during the installation, then from where can I get help?
As you said that there are choices available for every install option, are they explained? I mean what is the effect of each option and things like that. That would enhance the learning, not merely selecting an option..

 

http://slackware.com/

Slackware 11 uses the 2.4 kernel by default, but they include the 2.6 kernel (and is easily changeable). What better way to learn how the kernel and everything works together than by changing it yourself? There's a reason I recommended it

 

If you do get stuck the Gentoo forums are a fantastic place to start. There is also LinuxQuestions which are pretty good.

To be honest the instructions aren't that complex if you just read them carefully. The choices and consequences are explained at every step of the intallation. The instruction manual itself is really well written.

If you do decide to go with the easiest install option, there is still nothing from stopping you from learning more and learning how to compile your kernel from source, or set use-flags.

PS - there seems to be a growing number of Linux enthusiasts at NBR so if you get stuck you can always ask here too!

 

Whats the difference between Gentoo and Slackware. Any advantage of one over the other.
What type of packages do they use? and what is the hardware support for these.. My laptop is brand new and CentOS didnt recognize my Hard disk. So I had to install Ubuntu...

 

Instead of rewriting something I found I'm just going to give you the link which can explain more than I can.

I think the best way to find out if your hardware is supported is to download the liveCD and load it. If it doesn't work, search around to see if there are drivers anywhere you can use. If you can't find anything - all you've lost if the time you took to download and burn to CD. Everything you did in search of the drivers you want are actually teaching you about Linux and the way it works.

 

Ive found the best way to learn about the inner workings of Linux is the Linux From Scratch book. LFS.

Now, I didn't actually build the system, Ubuntu already did that for me. But reading the book gave me mountains of good info.

 

Try PCBSD and DesktopBSD since they are based on FreeBSD Unix OS.

 

Great suggestion here. I have bumped across that LFS page once...it's a neat concept.

 

I'd suggest Arch. It's a lot like Slackware with a dose of different thinking like Gentoo, and a simple dependency resolving package manager. It also makes it very simple to build things from source with it's ABS and community pkgbuild repository.

 

I started playing with gentoo and I would have to suggest against it unless you have a LOT of time on your hands and your machine isn't one you need regularly. I started doing a gentoo install and it was a lot of fun, but I had to quit when I found out that it was going to take DAYS to compile KDE and O , not to mention all the other software I use. I just didn't have time for that. And I had just gotten the kernel compiled and a basic system booting... </me sighs> I'll go back for fun one day when I have more time.

Straight Debian also offers you a chance to dig into your systems guts to get everything set up right, without having to wait around for compiling everything yourself.

 

Yes, but Arch won't tell you anything more about your system than an Ubuntu install. It'll just teach you about hdparm. The thing about Arch is that Pacman is so well done, it's like apt-get, you just type your one line and away you go!

Really, the only system files I've had to mess with in Arch was menu.lst (latest version of the disk kernel gave me kernel panics) and the rc.conf file. I don't think I learnt anything extra coming from Ubuntu to Arch, truth be told.

Don't get me wrong, I love Arch! I have an Arch and an Ubuntu partition on this machine. Eighteen second boot time rocks!

 

Arch might not force you to do things by hand like it used to, but it still allows you to. I suppose you have to have a personality that demands everything be just right, or else you're probably not likely to dig in. The big thing, in my mind, is that Arch developers don't get in the way with an auto configuration tool like dpkg. You dive right into the various programs as they were meant to be, so you can easily translate what you learn to other distributions.

 

I might be a little late to this party but here are my thoughts:

Since you started with ubuntu, you may or may not be familiar with the "apt" package management system. If not I would try not using synaptic (a gui front end for apt) and learn/run apt and it's tools from the command line.

Personally I like apt better than other package managers, it might be that it was the first one I encountered and the one I am the most familiar with, but I still prefer it.

So I run a debian installation, initially done from a net-install disk. In truth though I rarely do a fresh a install, usually only when I playing around with a new distribution.

I usually find my self running the latest kernel's and although the ubuntu docs highly recommend against doing so, they only do this so you DON'T have to learn linux. Imagine all the support questions they would have if peoples drivers were constantly crapping out because they screwed up the kernel modules or something like that.

The fact is ubuntu is seriously bloated to support a lot of hardware and if you start changing things its likely something will break and you will spend more time trying to figure out what the ubuntu devs did to make it work all nice than anything else (sound like some other OS?).

You can still use ubuntu (and other) repositories to get your pre-compiled apps, but the trade off for a cleaner and maybe faster machine is you are doing the work of managing your own kernel and some applications instead of the ubuntu team. If you want to learn linux, its a great way to start. I would also recommend learn how to read man pages, mailing lists and append "--help" to any command.

 

I still like Slackware. If you want to learn and have a fairly vanilla Linux experience, that's the one I'd go with. Gentoo, I always hear horror stories, about weird interesting things going on with its package manager. So I don't think it'd be the best to learn on. it's known for being complex and troublesome. I don't think that's the same as ideal for educating oneself.

 

Hi!

I've been on Slackware, Redhat, Mandrake, Suse and finally Gentoo.

From all distros I have worked with at work and at home - my favorite one ever is Gentoo. The interaction - the way the portage tree is set up.

I love Command Line Interfaces...

I really suggest you start building yourself a gentoo system starting with a stage-3 snapshot. That would be easier to set up and you would learn quite a good deal on Linux.

Else, you could start with a stage-1 and " compile tha compiler ".

Have fun - Gentoo is worth it if you are really geeky.

Nick

 

Why not debian ? Its more hands on than Ubuntu, but doesnt require the effort of gentoo. Something in between, a stepping stone perhaps