Where to go from where I am

[WNBA_YOUNGGIRL]

Hey Everyone.

I work on arm based devices and I have to use a ton of command line Linux for this. I have learned all the basics that are in the beginner Linux Tutorials on here. I have also wrote some simple shell scripts for copying files and changing and renaming directories. I have also wrote a basic sys info shell script.

I want to learn how to customize a version of Linux, but where the heck do I even go from here? What should I focus on in the intermediate portion of my Linux journey?

 

[MattWinter]

What do you mean 'customize a version of Linux?
One thing you could try is installing Arch in a vm or spare machine and see how that goes...

 

[WNBA_YOUNGGIRL]

What do you mean 'customize a version of Linux?
One thing you could try is installing Arch in a vm or spare machine and see how that goes...

I'll give it a shot. Thank you!

 

[Zev]

To be fair, at this stage I believe that becoming really comfortable with not only the terminal, but also Linux itself as a whole, would be the best course of action, you can do this with any of the mainstream Linux Distributions.

Linux Distributions, with some notable exceptions, are usually fairly flexible, malleable to suit your own needs and your use-case, and this is true even for the newcomer-friendly distributions such as Ubuntu and Linux Mint, perhaps you could try a distribution with a different desktop environment than the one that you are used to!

While there definitely are Linux Distributions that come with a very minimal set of applications and tools, as to give you a blank canvas to configure and build the distribution to your liking, a good foundation of knowledge about the terminal and Linux itself is expected in order to be able to not only install them, but also maintain and use them.

Eventually, when you feel fairly confident about your knowledge about Linux, (and only) if you feel like you wish to try a stab at making a Linux Distribution that is heavily customized to your liking, you could certainly not go wrong with Arch Linux.

Even then, if you feel that there remains a scratch to be itched after you have used Arch Linux for some time, perhaps you could try out the more niche distributions such as Gentoo Linux or Slackware Linux, they do things very differently, and Gentoo in particular offers unparalleled amount of control over your Linux Distribution (down to the kernel level), it is commonly referred to as a meta distribution for this reason, no two installs of Gentoo Linux are exactly the same.

 

[wizardfromoz]

G'day @WNBA_YOUNGGIRL and welcome to linux.org

Another option is what I was talking about over here earlier

Linux From Scratch

Chris Turner
wizardfromoz

 

[wizardfromoz]

Oops we almost crossed beans, @Zev - Ghostbusters say that that is dangerous

 

[WNBA_YOUNGGIRL]

Oops we almost crossed beans, @Zev - Ghostbusters say that that is dangerous

I'll check it out! Thank you for the warm welcome

 

[Zev]

Oops we almost crossed beans, @Zev - Ghostbusters say that that is dangerous

Hehe, that is the only way to defeat Gozer!

 

[CrazedNerd]

This is still my favorite command line book:

https://wiki.lib.sun.ac.za/images/c/ca/TLCL-13.07.pdf

 

[ML_113]

Thanks. I have to load it into my Android tablet permanently.

 

[sphen]

This is still my favorite command line book:

https://wiki.lib.sun.ac.za/images/c/ca/TLCL-13.07.pdf

The link you posted is for an older edition (Second Internet Edition). The latest version of that book (Fifth Internet Edition) can be found at the official source. The book is licensed under Creative Commons and is free for anyone to download from the official source here:

https://www.linuxcommand.org/tlcl.php

 

[bob466]

When I do a clean install of Linux Mint Cinnamon...I always customize it.

Of cause customizing means different things to different people. I'll change the background wallpaper...change the start up sound...change the colour of the Folders...the size of the panel...change the look of the panel icons...turn off auto-arrange so I can move my Desktop folders etc.
Change the size and position of Desktop icons...enable the firewall...encrypt my DNS...change time and date...change Cinnamon Themes...install my printer/scanner and a few other things but that's me.