[SWLUG] Newbie alert!

[Steve Anderson]

Keith Edmunds wrote:
> 
> In terms of learning Linux you could do worse than either setting up LFS 
> (Linux From Scratch) or installing Gentoo by hand. Gentoo now has a beta 
> installer, but following the Gentoo handbook is a good way to learn a 
> lot about how it goes together.

I found Gentoo was a very good experience for me, but in a different 
way. It made the slighty ropey (at the time) Debian installer feel like 
the most user friendly, helpful and intuitive walk through the park 
ever. So when people were saying "Oooh, use Knoppix to install Debian 
without the hard parts" I was left thinking "Hard parts?"

I've learnt most about Linux by just using it. Fiddling about with 
ndiswrapper over the weekend gave me a good look at the whole network 
side of things and also opened me up to dealing with kernel modules and, 
um, stuff. I know relying on a packaged distro isn't as educational as 
downloading tarballs, configuring and compiling them yourself - and for 
that, LFS is undoubtedly the way to go - but for the most part you can 
learn equally valid skills and techniques the moment you deviate from a 
'default' setting. Myself, I'm gearing up to doing a LFS build on a 
single board computer I've got lying around in the attic (a 
use-it-or-lose-it deal with the missus) but am happy to learn more of 
the day-to-day stuff before I download the entire vanilla kernel source 
and leap in.

Just my 4 Yen-worth. Your milage may vary. Terms and conditions apply.

Steve