I started out with Mandrake 7 or 8 onto a later version of Mandrake. I went from that to the current Gentoo installation on my computer I am using to type this. It is probably 5 years old and up to date as can be. I've upgraded bits and pieces of my computer over the years but always the same OS installation. You really learn the ins and outs when installing Gentoo because you have to type all of the commands instead of just point and click. Gentoo will really help you get your feet wet if you follow the online installation documentation.
This kind of makes me think about how windows does it vs how linux used to be in that windows is mostly point and click and linux was always vi this or vi that and modprobe this and make that. Now linux is moving to point and click. This is probably a good thing in general but it does take away from the hands on experience you get from actually doing the things manually. For sys admining I'd say learning how to operate and navigate thru command line is important since it is usually very similar across most distros (and even into Unix and BSD) but the front end point and click apps are rarely even close to being similar. This is not a problem in windows because hey, there is only one "windows"... at least until MS releases the next version and completely changes half of the interface. N E WAYS... ramble ramble ........
Another important non distro/linux related skill set that I think is important in linux sys adminning is learning some shell scripting and/or a language like perl, python, ruby, etc. Have a file that needs some formatting or modifcations or something? Just whip up a quick script or even some one liners.
In any case I think Gentoo's package management system is the coolest one out there (must install esearch - its in portage) which is based on the BSD's ports. I really like Gentoo because it is very clean and has a very nicely laid out directory structure (like BSDs in general). FYI I use OpenBSD for most of my own equipment but it does not play NWN, UT2004, etc very well so instead to play games and what not I use
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On Monday 14 August 2006 13:05, Jordan Peacock wrote:
> My initiation into linux was a little rocky: dialup over in the Middle
> East, and I decided to brave the waters and try to install it. The 600+MB
> .iso files were a bit daunting over dialup, and so I opted for the smallest
> .iso: Gentoo's stage1 cd.
>
> For the uninformed, this is a minimalist cd that drops you into a command
> line and assumes that you can set up networking, etc from there.
>
> A few months after that I tried out Mandrake Linux, and the difference was
> drastic; it was easier to setup than when I had installed Windows XP!
>
> Just a few months ago, my wife used my desktop (currently running Ubuntu
> Linux), and decided to switch her laptop over. I personally would highly
> recommend grabbing a Ubuntu CD and installing it for the beginner for 3
> reasons:
>
> 1) It works as a Live CD; you don't need to destroy everything on your hard
> drive (at first). If you tell your computer to boot from the CD you
> downloaded instead of the hard drive, it'll run Ubuntu without touching any
> of your data on the hard drive. When you're done, simply shutdown, eject
> the CD, and resume operations on (presumably) Windows XP or similar. This
> applies to all Live CDs.
>
> 2) It's well thought out & easy to navigate: try out the live CD and just
> move around a bit; check out home folders, applications, etc. Everything
> from the menus to the application divisions is simple and intuitive. My
> wife, with little/no Linux experience, jumped right in. This applies to all
> distributions of Linux that utilize GNOME.
>
> For a similar ease but different style, some distributions use KDE (which
> is what I started out with). Mandriva is a good quality distribution that
> uses KDE by default. Or, Kubuntu is a KDE-default version of Ubuntu.
>
> 3) It's package-management system is second-to-none. This holds true for
> all Debian-based distributions. The .deb is a standardized package format
> (you will also see .rpm or .tar.gz being tossed about). .deb is wonderful
> in the sense that if there are conflicts between programs, or dependencies,
> it will sort it out, or
> at least tell you of the issue. .rpm does this to some degree,
> but personally I have had some negative experiences with it.
> Other people may tell you otherwise. It really, in the end, is up to you.
>
> 4) Community support. You'll notice that most of the above are available in
> other versions of Linux. Red Hat also uses GNOME, Knoppix is a Live CD,
> Debian uses .deb files, but despite the calibre of documentation and
> community with some others, I have only seen Ubuntu tied with one other
> distribution: Gentoo. I would recommend Gentoo once you've been around the
> block a couple times, but it's definately a difficult pill to swallow
> initially.
>
> Between forums, wikis, irc, mailing lists, etc, virtually every question I
> have had or trouble spot I have hit has been dealt with, answered, or at
> least guided me to the point where I can fix things myself. This is often
> overlooked, but it is as valuable a part of the operating system as any
> piece of software.
>
> Books are helpful, as are tutors, but as I'm finding right now (learning
> the IBM AS/400 machines/OS atm) there is no comparison to hands-on
> learning. All of us on the list are available for answering questions, and
> don't feel pressured to take my advice (regarding Ubuntu) if another
> distribution has triggered your curiosity.
>
> All the best, fellow wanderer
>
> -jordan
>
> On 8/14/06, Tipsy-in_Chicago Tipsy <tipsy_in_chicago at yahoo.com> wrote:
> > Hello,
> >
> > I am an absolute newbie to the world of Linux. I am interested in
> > developing linux administrative skills.
> >
> > Is self learning the best route? If so, any books that will be helpful?
> >
> > I am also open to taking classes.
> >
> > Kindly, get back to me with the best approach.
> >
> >
> > Thanks
> >
> > KT
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