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How to learn linux?
(lemmy.ml)
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this post was submitted on 13 Sep 2023
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Linux
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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When I was in your position one of the first things I did was to install arch. It is very similar to gentoo but you don't have to compile everything yourself which is just more practical in the beginning. You still have to learn all the basics and the arch wiki is one of the best of it's kind. I am myself to install gentoo as a next step but the procedures are very similar to arch. Also with arch you can reinstall the system in minutes (with enough proficiency) but on gentoo or LFS this depends on how beefy your computer is. With a regular desktop you will sit there staring at 5the compilation for quite some time which was the biggest drawback for me. It will cost you more time to repeat a process and for me the best thing on arch was to srcap everything and restart to try something new.
One last thing: You will always learn as much as you are willing to understand. You can install gentoo and arch withoit any problems by just following the great wiki pages but you won't learn much besides typing some commands. But doing some research wbile installing will help you far more. Also learning linux is a process. It's not only about the system itself but rather about the community it's culture as well as the philosophy behind it.
@PropaGandalf @fbsz
I've used both, and really, from an understanding standpoint, there's really not much difference between Arch and Gentoo.
Gentoo's main advantage are its USE flags, which the packages use to determine which "configure" options to select at compile time. However, installing and updating the system can take hours or days while you wait for everything to compile.
Arch, on the other hand, uses binary packages, which is faster, but lacks the flexibility of USE flags.
Exactly, thats what I said. OP should better focus on learning the basics which is by far faster on arch.
@PropaGandalf
I should also probably mention that messing with the USE flags can make things a little brittle, since it's possible to flag out options that might not be important now, but could become important later. Most binary distributions make things as flexible as possible to accommodate future changes.
Yeah most of the times I just included them all unless I really didn't need them (some architecture specific stuff or a specific protocol)
Understanding is more important than installation! So, arch is a starting point and then gentoo for a little advanced user? Yes, the community and the philosophy behind the GNU/Linux made it a great thing to explore! As it have made me switch from windows to GNU/Linux!
I'd advise you to go with arch to familiarize yourself with the basics of a linux system. Everything is already precompiled for you so all the packages and the kernel shouldn't take long to download. If you then need a new challange you can also go with gentoo. It has some specific knowlegde around it's super powerful package manager and about configuring the kernel but besides that everthing should be very much the same. Of course this comes at the cost of compiling all the stuff you need by yourself so...
I plan to try arch and then gentoo, are there any resources which teach the very fundamentals of linux?
RTFM, no seriusly just try to follow the arch install wiki and try to get acquainted with the terminal and the tools used.