Linux journey from scratch

[rohanbari]

Hello, dear readers.

I am happy to be here. I have seen recent posts and felt pretty much friendly vibes here.

I have used a couple of Linux distributions but was unable to master them and shell scripting stuff. Please note that I have a basic knowledge of bash.

By mastering Linux, I refer to the meaning of using Linux with ease and to its fullest.

Any guidance towards mastering this would be appreciated.

Edit: I did not expect this many helping replies to my first post! Thank you guys for helping me out. You guys are awesome! I hope the journey goes well. It is difficult, but I will constantly strive to master Linux someday.

 

[MikeRocor]

Welcome to the forums.

As for "... unable to master them...", don't worry about that. There's nothing about Linux that you can't master in under twenty years if you're dedicated to it.

 

[CaffeineAddict]

Welcome to the forums!

Any guidance towards mastering this would be appreciated.

Learning to read docs = mastering Linux (or what ever else you're up to)

Start by creating a bookmark folder in your browser, name it "Linux docs" and start adding docs and wikis into it as you discover stuff and as you try to troubleshoot etc.
Documentation is technical and not friendly but the more you use it the easier and more natural it will be to you to refer to the docs.

I have over 6K bookmarks that are about technical stuff all nicely sorted into sub-folders for easy find.
googling is useful but I can't imagine using google only and having no bookmarks, it would much more difficult and much more time consuming to google every time for everything without any bookmarks.

Another advice:
Write down stuff which you learned, write tutorial style short notices about things you wish to recall later, because trying to remember everything is just not possible, nobody is robot!

 

[kc1di]

Hello @rohanbari,
Welcome to the Linux.org forum, Enjoy the journey!
The Duck has already given you some good pages to look at.

 

[KGIII]

Any guidance towards mastering this would be appreciated.

I would not recommend this to a new user.

I would recommend this to a user who is interested in truly understanding their operating system.

There's a project called Linux From Scratch. This isn't a distro. It's more like a book. The goal is to build your own Linux operating system from scratch, that is from the very basic building blocks.

This is not for the faint of heart, but it is attainable.

This is followed up with Beyond Linux From Scratch which is where you turn that Linux you built into a more day-to-day type of operating system, with things like a window manager and desktop environment, package management, and additional software.

 

[rohanbari]

Welcome to the forums.

As for "... unable to master them...", don't worry about that. There's nothing about Linux that you can't master in under twenty years if you're dedicated to it.

Oh my god! Twenty years?! That's a hell of a lot.
I just felt scared right away.

 

[rohanbari]

Welcome to the forums!


Learning to read docs = mastering Linux (or what ever else you're up to)

Start by creating a bookmark folder in your browser, name it "Linux docs" and start adding docs and wikis into it as you discover stuff and as you try to troubleshoot etc.
Documentation is technical and not friendly but the more you use it the easier and more natural it will be to you to refer to the docs.

I have over 6K bookmarks that are about technical stuff all nicely sorted into sub-folders for easy find.
googling is useful but I can't imagine using google only and having no bookmarks, it would much more difficult and much more time consuming to google every time for everything without any bookmarks.

Another advice:
Write down stuff which you learned, write tutorial style short notices about things you wish to recall later, because trying to remember everything is just not possible, nobody is robot!

I can't believe one can have that many bookmarks!
Right now, I want to know the websites that Linux professionals recommend.

I should make my fundamentals strong before I dive deep into it.

 

[rohanbari]

I would not recommend this to a new user.

I would recommend this to a user who is interested in truly understanding their operating system.

There's a project called Linux From Scratch. This isn't a distro. It's more like a book. The goal is to build your own Linux operating system from scratch, that is from the very basic building blocks.

This is not for the faint of heart, but it is attainable.

This is followed up with Beyond Linux From Scratch which is where you turn that Linux you built into a more day-to-day type of operating system, with things like a window manager and desktop environment, package management, and additional software.

I consider myself a new user, to be honest.
It is because, beyond a fundamental level, I don't know Linux much.

I have scheduled to look into LFS the day my exam ends.
Thank you for your assistance!

To be honest, it sounds appealing to have our self-created Linux distro!

 

[KGIII]

To be honest, it sounds appealing to have our self-created Linux distro!

A few years back, I did both LFS and BLFS. It was a ton of work. In the end, I just kept using a mainstream distro.

That's me.

There are plenty of people who are willing to put the work in and do their own Linux versions. One that springs to mind, for those who would be surprised, is that there's an elderly lady who uses LFS - at least one of them.

Being 'of age' myself, I was surprised to learn this. She's a regular poster on another forum. I wasn't surprised that she could, but that she would. I too am pretty old. I'd rather spend my time elsewhere. That was what surprised me.

It's quite a bit of work that goes into it. If the results are valuable enough for you to invest the time, there's no judgment here. It's just a whole lot of time, at least at first. There's a great deal you need to know to truly do an LFS system. Then, you still 'need' to turn that LFS instance into a viable desktop operating system.

If you do try it, think of it as a book - because that's really what it is. Then, follow each step - exactly. Don't try to skip steps or to skip ahead. If you have questions, stop and ask them. Don't skip ahead. Don't go to another site and follow those directions. Follow the directions as given and when given.

Oh, and be prepared to learn more about your operating system than you ever thought possible.

I've done LFS and BLFS. I know nothing compared to the experts. Nothing!

 

[rohanbari]

A few years back, I did both LFS and BLFS. It was a ton of work. In the end, I just kept using a mainstream distro.

That's me.

There are plenty of people who are willing to put the work in and do their own Linux versions. One that springs to mind, for those who would be surprised, is that there's an elderly lady who uses LFS - at least one of them.

Being 'of age' myself, I was surprised to learn this. She's a regular poster on another forum. I wasn't surprised that she could, but that she would. I too am pretty old. I'd rather spend my time elsewhere. That was what surprised me.

It's quite a bit of work that goes into it. If the results are valuable enough for you to invest the time, there's no judgment here. It's just a whole lot of time, at least at first. There's a great deal you need to know to truly do an LFS system. Then, you still 'need' to turn that LFS instance into a viable desktop operating system.

If you do try it, think of it as a book - because that's really what it is. Then, follow each step - exactly. Don't try to skip steps or to skip ahead. If you have questions, stop and ask them. Don't skip ahead. Don't go to another site and follow those directions. Follow the directions as given and when given.

Oh, and be prepared to learn more about your operating system than you ever thought possible.

I've done LFS and BLFS. I know nothing compared to the experts. Nothing!

You are so supportive! I guess I'll take the challenge.
I did not imagine this community to be this quick at replies and nice in behavior.

Let the exams end, on the same day, I will begin the journey of LFS. Success or failure shall be determined later, but I will try first and follow the exact steps.

Thank you!

 

[bwingbob]

Hello, dear readers.

I am happy to be here. I have seen recent posts and felt pretty much friendly vibes here.

I have used a couple of Linux distributions but was unable to master them and shell scripting stuff. Please note that I have a basic knowledge of bash.

By mastering Linux, I refer to the meaning of using Linux with ease and to its fullest.

Any guidance towards mastering this would be appreciated.

Edit: I did not expect this many helping replies to my first post! Thank you guys for helping me out. You guys are awesome! I hope the journey goes well. It is difficult, but I will constantly strive to master Linux someday.

Welcome,

Lots of good advice here.

I would add, if your machine is capable, learn to use Virtual Machines and do most of your experimenting inside a VM. Less chance you hose your primary desktop.

Good luck, Enjoy
Bob

 

[Alexzee]

Learning all of the things that you'll need in your wheelhouse and the understanding you will need to build LFS will be a challenging journey rohanbari....to say the least.

If your open to suggestions running Debian and mastering the package management system will help you greatly.
The Debian Administrators Handbook is a good start.

About this project

Written by two Debian developers — Raphaël Hertzog and Roland Mas — the Debian Administrator's Handbook started as a translation of their French best-seller known as Cahier de l'admin Debian (published by Eyrolles). It's a fantastic resource for all users of a Debian-based distribution...

debian-handbook.info

And, if your up for a greater challenge learn how to run Slackware. It won't hold your hand and it's a darn good teacher. For me, running Slackware helped me to never be intimidated by any operating system ever again.

I wish you the best at whatever you decide.

Linux From Scratch

Read LFS Online

 

[Alexzee]

You are so supportive! I guess I'll take the challenge.
I did not imagine this community to be this quick at replies and nice in behavior.

Let the exams end, on the same day, I will begin the journey of LFS. Success or failure shall be determined later, but I will try first and follow the exact steps.

Thank you!

The good news is you will learn from mistakes and failure. With Linux it's part of the journey.

How do you move a mountain?

--*One rock at a time.--*

 

[rohanbari]

Welcome,

Lots of good advice here.

I would add, if your machine is capable, learn to use Virtual Machines and do most of your experimenting inside a VM. Less chance you hose your primary desktop.

Good luck, Enjoy
Bob

Yup, I have seen people using virtualization software like VirtualBox and VMware.
In fact, I'm not going to take risk for my primary machine.

 

[rohanbari]

Learning all of the things that you'll need in your wheelhouse and the understanding you will need to build LFS will be a challenging journey rohanbari....to say the least.

If your open to suggestions running Debian and mastering the package management system will help you greatly.
The Debian Administrators Handbook is a good start.

About this project

Written by two Debian developers — Raphaël Hertzog and Roland Mas — the Debian Administrator's Handbook started as a translation of their French best-seller known as Cahier de l'admin Debian (published by Eyrolles). It's a fantastic resource for all users of a Debian-based distribution...

debian-handbook.info

And, if your up for a greater challenge learn how to run Slackware. It won't hold your hand and it's a darn good teacher. For me, running Slackware helped me to never be intimidated by any operating system ever again.

I wish you the best at whatever you decide.

Linux From Scratch

Read LFS Online

So much I learned from this thread. Glad I posted here.

Now I can't wait to get my exams done so that I finally sit to experiment this. It's like having a new life and reason to live!!

Thank you so much. I will take a look at the package management system with Debian and Slackware stuff.

 

[rohanbari]

The good news is you will learn from mistakes and failure. With Linux it's part of the journey.

How do you move a mountain?

--One rock at a time.--

Thanks Alexzee to motivate me. I'm feeling like I have got my true Linux family here. Not a Lone Wolf anymore.

I won't hesitate to ask any relevant question regarding my Linux journey. Thanks!

 

[CaffeineAddict]

I can't believe one can have that many bookmarks!

They're not rushed bookmarks over night but over some 15 years

I've just opened exported html to count them:

Right now, I want to know the websites that Linux professionals recommend.

I'm certainly not a pro but it depends on what's your topic of interest, sadly my bookmarks too specific, ex. only very few top level tutorial style pages.

You might want to configure firewall as your first step on a new Linux system for security reasons, then start here:

nftables wiki

wiki.nftables.org

One step further in security, if you want to configure encrypted DNS then unbound docs will be useful:

Unbound - unbound.conf.5

unbound.conf(5) unbound 1.19.3 unbound.conf(5) NAME unbound.conf - Unbound configuration file. SYNOPSIS unbound.conf DESCRIPTION unbound.conf is used to configure unbound(8). The file format has at- tributes and values. Some attributes have attributes inside them. The notation is: attribute...

nlnetlabs.nl

There are too many potential topics of interests...

I should make my fundamentals strong before I dive deep into it.

The most fundamental thing to start with is to know Linux directory structure and what each directory is used for.
Followed by knowing top 100 most useful terminal commands.

This a lone should help set up initial flame to reveal some terms to google out and discover further.

 

[Brickwizard]

Welcome to the forums,
there are many ways of learning, from Learning by rote [repetitive cramming ]
osmosis [slow absorption]
make break and repair,
I like to think that a mix of osmosis and make,break,fix, is the best way, But whichever way you learn, you have now started on the Linux educational curve,

 

[rohanbari]

They're not rushed bookmarks over night but over some 15 years

I've just opened exported html to count them:
View attachment 18779


I'm certainly not a pro but it depends on what's your topic of interest, sadly my bookmarks too specific, ex. only very few top level tutorial style pages.

You might want to configure firewall as your first step on a new Linux system for security reasons, then start here:

nftables wiki

wiki.nftables.org

One step further in security, if you want to configure encrypted DNS then unbound docs will be useful:

Unbound - unbound.conf.5

unbound.conf(5) unbound 1.19.3 unbound.conf(5) NAME unbound.conf - Unbound configuration file. SYNOPSIS unbound.conf DESCRIPTION unbound.conf is used to configure unbound(8). The file format has at- tributes and values. Some attributes have attributes inside them. The notation is: attribute...

nlnetlabs.nl

There are too many potential topics of interests...


The most fundamental thing to start with is to know Linux directory structure and what each directory is used for.
Followed by knowing top 100 most useful terminal commands.

This a lone should help set up initial flame to reveal some terms to google out and discover further.

I'm astonished to see those specific 6000+ bookmarks. Damn!
Thanks for mentioning the firewall step. I thought Linux did not require these as it is immune to viruses.

It feels like I will feel quite confident and a character in myself once I master the basics.
This thread has given me all the necessary things to get started with Linux.

You folks are so nice. Thanks!

 

[rohanbari]

Welcome to the forums,
there are many ways of learning, from Learning by rote [repetitive cramming ]
osmosis [slow absorption]
make break and repair,
I like to think that a mix of osmosis and make,break,fix, is the best way, But whichever way you learn, you have now started on the Linux educational curve,

Me too! I prefer learning at my pace and usually break and fix things.
That's why I am readying the Linux environment on VM.