Flavour to best learn / discover linux on.

BoB_BoT

Hey all,
Just would like a few opinions on which flavour of linux to pick. I'd like to get to know linux quite well and the best method of getting to know anything is to fiddle about with it. Ubuntu is nice and all, have xubuntu on my laptop but feel I'm possibly missing out on something having most things provided by GUIs or not having to fully learn what packages and dependencies do exactly.

If I stick with Ubuntu I can probe into the OS myself and try to do everything by commands and terminal windows. But again, I get the feeling Ubuntu is designed to be Windows user friendly (ignoring the thread about ubuntus failings)

Has anyone recommendations on a flavour, I'd like to just dive head first into it even if it leaves me with sleepless nights Or will I learn / experience enough from Ubuntu?

When I do finally decided on a flavour, I'd like to stick it on the laptop and desktop and try to use it as the main OS.

Thanks for any replies.

Blowfish

A great way to learn would be to grab an old machine, stick FreeBSD/OpenBSD on it and set it up as a server. Neither of them have a GUI by default, so lots of poking around various config files will be involved. It's Unix rather than Linux, but a lot of the principles carry accross.

corkie

if you use Fedora Core, you learn Fedora Core. If you use ubuntu, you learn debian. If you use Slackware, you learn Linux.

Khannie

If you want to learn about the depths of linux, LFS or Gentoo are where it's at. I learned a /huge/ amount from installing Gentoo. It is not pain free though.

Stuxnet

i'm learning with sabayon, its based on gentoo
its bloody fantastic !, dont mind your ubuntus..etc !
i'm only at it a month, but i'll be sticking with it for life !!

http://www.sabayonlinux.org/

BoB_BoT

humm will have a look at them all, thanks for the replies

and who said variety was the spice of life :P

An Fear Aniar

BOBBY wrote: »

i'm learning with sabayon, its based on gentoo
its bloody fantastic !, dont mind your ubuntus..etc !
i'm only at it a month, but i'll be sticking with it for life !!

http://www.sabayonlinux.org/

When it's installing it plays music, which is really cool. I had a look at it in Virtualbox, very slick.

.

Tillotson

Archlinux, check it out before you make your decision.

I'm a fanatic. Installer drops you at a command line after installing a few core packages. You work up from there. Rolling release means you'll never have to reinstall again. You'll learn lots.

marco_polo

So in conclusion FreeBSD/OpenBSD or LFS or or Slackware or Ubuntu or Sabayon or Gentoo or Debian or Archlinux.

This thread reminds me of the which programing language should I learn threads in Programming.

Weaning myself back onto Linux after a few years with Ubuntu, so I am deffo gonna try a couple of these myself later on.

Khannie

marco_polo wrote: »

This thread reminds me of the which programing language should I learn threads in Programming.

Threads are to be avoided.