I agree with Gustin on the security point. Others have worked hard to
address the hidden gotcha's we will likely never think of. In most
cases it is better to use existing security tools.
On the other hand, going the LFS or Gentoo approach will teach you a ton
of stuff in a more systematic way than using something like Ubuntu and
trying to do the individual things.
The benefits of the "hard core" approach (honest, it's not THAT hard,
just a little more in depth...) go beyond security and file size.
Performance is a big factor. Not installing applications or modules
that you'll never use helps streamline the system. And then there is
all the extra support built into the kernel that may not be available to
you unless you recompile it... (HAM services for example). These in
depth distros help you through the learning process to do these steps.
Gustin is absolutely right though - you *can* treat Ubuntu as "hard
core" and compile your own kernel, and configure it to your hearts
intent. The problem is that once you deviate from the packaged approach
(.debs or apt-get in the case of Ubuntu) and begin compiling your own
software, you adopt a large(er) maintenance role to keep everything up
to date. (THIS is why I'm running Ubuntu these days - low maintenance.)
The last time I used Gentoo, it was possible to be completely custom,
while only adding a little more maintenance. Unless you were running a
mail server - the the maintenance load required a dedicated sys admin,
almost.
Linux is all about choice. Do what works for you. Learn from it. Move
onto the next educational task.
On 11-09-07 12:20 AM, Gustin Johnson wrote:
If you want security, don't do it yourself. I do not mean this as an
insult as I follow the exact same advice. Security is neither easy
nor trivial.
As for hardcore, don't fall for the hype, Ubuntu can satisfy those
"hard core" cravings for years to come.
@TekBudda, FOG for imaging, Openfiler/Freenas for GUI NAS. Desktop is
well covered these days.
On Tue, Sep 6, 2011 at 9:01 PM, Stuart Gilmour<stu...@stuartgilmour.com> wrote:
@TekBudda
That would be awesome. When and where?
On Sep 6, 2011, at 8:38 PM, TekBudda wrote:
Hey....I have some projects to do like setting up a new server at home,
setting up an imaging solution, A NAS& a desktop. Want to come over&
help? ;-)
On 9/6/2011 4:29 PM, Stuart Gilmour wrote:
Thanks for all the help!
I have already installed Ubuntu, but am thinking about installing a "hard core"
distro just so I can set everything myself. I am toying with the LFS idea but looks a
little outta me league. I learn better doing stuff hands on so I think that taking on
this endeavor will be helpful.
Anyway correct me if I am wrong - a person would want to create the own distro
of linux for the following of reasons :
security and size?
is that all?
Thanks and I will try and make it to tomorrows meeting.
Stuart
On Sep 6, 2011, at 9:50 AM, Shawn Grover wrote:
While Greg's response is a good starting point, the question is where you
currently see yourself in terms of Linux (and general computer) skill.
If you are not familiar with lower level system admin type tasks (yet), you may
want to simply start with learning the environment. Ubuntu is a relatively
good distribution to get your feet wet without being overwhelmed by the depth
of the topic.
If you are a little more skilled/knowledgeable, Then Greg's links will probably make
sense to you. Also, you might consider looking at the "hard core" distro's -
Slackware, Gentoo, Linux From Scratch, etc. These distros need you to setup everything
yourself, which means you get very familiar with the system - from compiling only what
you need to using the system for it's intended purpose. Gentoo is the one I went to that
taught me almost everything I know about Linux. The documentation was very good and
thorough. The LFS book was written by a local fellow...
Regarding distros, applications, and choices.... Think about it like buying a car. You
can make use of any car, but some don't feel right, some feel like they are too much,
some have polish, while others are more about function than looks. You need to try a few
out to see which ones work for you. Which one "clicks" with you. This might
be Ubuntu, or Red Hat, or Debian, or Slackware, or something else entirely.
One point - be careful to keep the desired task separate from the idea of the "Linux
Desktop". Building a web server is similar regardless of the distro. Managing a
Windows shared drive on Linux is similar regardless of the distro. Learn the concepts,
and everything becomes much simpler. Usually.
My top tips for using Linux. Use it. Don't be afraid to use Google. Or to ask
for help.
Welcome to the group.
On 11-09-05 07:07 PM, Greg King wrote:
Simple question to which I think there are no simple answers, but I'll
take a stab at it. With Linux you will want to become somewhat familiar
with the command line and a basic text editor like vi or vim (emacs if
your so inclined, but the learning curve on it is rather large). This
will save you from many a crisis when the GUI interface isn't available.
I'd start with:
1. a book on shell programming like "teach yourself shell programming in
24 hours" -
http://www.amazon.com/Teach-Yourself-Shell-Programming-Hours/dp/0672323583/ref=dp_ob_title_bk
2. A book on Linux itself like "LPI Linux certification"
http://www.amazon.com/LPI-Linux-Certification-Nutshell-OReilly/dp/0596804873/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1315267679&sr=1-1
<http://www.amazon.com/LPI-Linux-Certification-Nutshell-OReilly/dp/0596804873/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1315267679&sr=1-1>#_
3. A book on open source network administration like
http://www.amazon.com/Administration-Prentice-Computer-Networking-Distributed/dp/0130462101/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1315267946&sr=1-1
<http://www.amazon.com/Administration-Prentice-Computer-Networking-Distributed/dp/0130462101/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1315267946&sr=1-1>#_
(this one is a little dated but something similar would be good).
I have personally used all of the above resources and found them useful.
YMMV.
Play with a few distros, at least one RPM based like RedHat and one
Debian based like Ubuntu and learn the software management tools. Play
with user interfaces Gnome, KDE and a lightweight GUI like xfce. Here
virtual machines (VMs) are your friend. I use VMware server which is
free but somewhat old and has some issues, but there are others probably
as good or better. Buy a big multicore 8GB+ memory machine and load it
up with VMs - its all free as in no cost so the only limitation is your
ability to absorb the content.
There is a lot of information on Linux on the internet (an
understatment) so just google Linux + "your topic" and you will find
toms of information but beware that some of it will be out of date. The
Linux Documentation Project www.tldp.org<http://www.tldp.org/> is a
good place to start and each distro will have its own documentation and
release notes which are usually woth a browse, and man pages are your
friend too.
I hope that gives you some ideas. Good luck with your quest to learn
Linux. Taken in bite sized peices it can be a very reqarding experience.
Greg
----- Original Message -----
From: Stuart Gilmour<stu...@stuartgilmour.com>
Date: Monday, September 5, 2011 1:07 pm
Subject: [clug-talk] n00b
To: clug-talk@clug.ca
Hello,
My name is Stuart and I just started to learn linux. I was just
wondering if anybody had any thoughts on where a good place to
start would be. (books, links, courses in the calgary area) I
have "googled" and read few a articles and lessons on the net
but there is so much to choose from. PS I am interested in
network administration. If that helps?
Happy I found this group!
Cheers,
Stuart
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