Last Semester of College... Which distro?

So i will start my last semester of college in few days... Im taking few clases that require me to use linux, specially a android programming class (i know i can use windows, but to much ram limitations) i been using on and off ubuntu/debian for about 5 years, but never really felt really really comfortable with it, like i was able to install/remove programs edits files, basic basic, but never understood it at the kernel level.. So im thinking about just running linux for the next semester, but i want to run something a bit harder than just ubuntu, something that will force me to learn the linux guts... So im thinking to install Gentoo in my laptop (Sony Z13) what you guys think?? Still worth it to run Gentoo this days?? Ill be mostly doing C/C++ and android programming (using the Eclipse IDE)

 

I don't know. A proper Gentoo-based distro isn't a bad idea. Sabayon, for example. So you can use layers and scripts for some things, but still be allowed to do everything on manual if you want. Arch as well allegedly has a few distros that aren't too problematic, but I've never managed to find them.

Honestly, "learning linux guts" in many cases just means you're at the mercy of fifty different script-writers and fifty different conventions. In the sense that until you learn them all, you'll be stuck at different banal steps in the process. And that's usually not going to teach you anything, just annoy.

So I use OpenSuse, for example. Don't compile from source, never the latest kernels, slow updates. But everything works, right. And it works the first time. If I make any changes, the changes are made in the same way for all the routines, all the files are in the same tree, nothing weird going on.

And in the same way - if you actually wanted to learn to develop a program, or submit changes to a distro.. then Ubuntu is a great choice. Because you can clone down any amount of small or deep-going PPA project, look at the code, make some changes, and have it submitted for approval, or just make a fork. Since the community is so large, you're likely to get tips and pointers when you actually participate that way.

Still.. Gentoo and for example Sabayon isn't a bad idea. To get some of the things you need in quickly, but be allowed to gut everything out and write config files and compile everything from source, and so on. Kind of annoying when you have to compile everything if you're on battery, though.. but still.

edit: anyway, remember you can temp and "live-distro" pretty much everything via usb (with unetbootin, for example) or dvd, though. Check how much works by default, see if you hate KDE as much as you should, that sort of thing Gentoo's how-to library is of course legendary, by the way. Custom kernel, never easier.

 

So you understand Windows "at the kernel level"? I don't think so.

 

..No one understands that. You can theorize about it on the general level, make sound assumptions about how it works, that fit with observation in many cases. We know ancient and arcane stories about parts of the way the driver model functions. We know tales of how the memory addressing works. But no one can tell how Windows actually works on the kernel level. Gnomes and evil spirits have been speculated about a lot.

 

Slackware is pretty much as old school as it gets. Debian is favored for production networks and also sorta old school.

 

If you want to learn Linux, use Arch. Installing it will take a couple of hours and you will end up with an operating system that is completely built around your needs.

 

Couldn't agree more...you really understand what's going on by running Arch...nothing is for free so it can be frustrating but in the end you'll have a solid understanding.

Check out this nice guide:

Build a Killer Customized Arch Linux Installation (and Learn All About Linux in the Process)

 

Hmm, I don't really know if choosing a particular distro really makes a difference in whether or not you "learn Linux", however you interpret that.

From my personal observations, the people who have the most success are those who (at least initially) don't care for Linux at all and simply view it as a tool. In most cases, these people are assigned specific tasks from school or work to accomplish and they try to learn as little as possible about Linux in order to accomplish those tasks while complaining the whole time about how hard/terrible/whatever Linux is compared to Windows. Of course, despite how they feel, they are slowly building knowledge along the way, but oftentimes they themselves don't even realize just how much they've learned until the people around them start approaching them for Linux help months or even years down the road and they discover that they can actually provide answers to questions about Linux.

On the other hand, I find that those who take a New Years Resolution-style approach to learning Linux often give up for the same reasons New Years Resolutions tend to fail - either they give up in frustration, or they get distracted by something else and forget about their goal, or any of a multitude of other reasons. The distro of choice makes very little difference in that. What also doesn't help is that this particular goal has no clear definition of success - just how much do you need to know to be able to say that you have successfully "learned Linux"?

 

+1 for Arch
Although it might be a little harder at first than any other you will understand what's going on.
I haven't tried it, but my next distro is going to be Manjaro (it's based on Arch).

 

...I've just installed Mint 15 with Cinnamon. This was a surprise. A pleasant one. I haven't tried Mint in a long while, because it used to have too many curious config conventions. But it's lost a lot of that, and stopped breaking if you create some custom partition setups, or choose different methods for gdm and boot and so on. Won't break if you start to chip at the edges any more, in other words. While still offering you the usual.. keyboard backlight, volume keys, light keys, low power draw, stable acpi control, constant speeds on usb, etc., etc. that comes with the latest few kernels.

So essentially all the benefits you would have with ubuntu in terms of package availability and community activity and so on when participating in projects, while the desktop is pretty much complete right out of the box on the other end.

 

Slackware. The most Vanilla distro you will ever use. Doesn't break every other day like Arch. Rock solid, and very old-school.

My favorite distro by far.

 

Don't want to create conflicts. But why do you say Arch breaks? For something in particular or just fanatism?
Also, I haven't tried slackware, and don't know anyone that uses it. But the fact that you need to manually install the dependencies for each package sounds REALLY discouraging. I mean, do you want to kill him with his first contact with linux?
Anyway, I always got the impresion it needs too much micromanaging to get it working like you would like to. Am I right?

 

Distro wars, funny distro wars...