Linux and the best way to the Linux-Heaven
Slackware is the oldest Linux-distro that is till being maintained. Most Linux Newbs start with K/X/Ubuntu, Linux Mint or other Ubuntu derivates. Of course: Ubuntu is easy, looks good and is quite fast (compared with for example Windows) but you don’t really learn much about what Linux really is and how to get the best out of Linux. I think there’re only two rules for learning Linux: DO and SEARCH! Reading books might help you understand where which file has to go but the real Linux-thing is Doing!
So learning by doing…for that I find two distros very, very usefull: Puppy Linux and Slackware. For some reason, both of them make fun of themselves by choosing those names whilst Ubuntu takes itself a bit too serious. So let’s start with Puppy:
Right now Puppy is available in version 3.01 which is around 100MB and incredibly fast - even when run from CD or USB. After a few prompts you’ll boot directly into X (which is the graphical user interface - GUI - as oppsoed to the command line interface - CLI). The rest is self explaining: the backgroud image gives the first introduction into Linux. Connecting to the internet (just for the record: ethX is your network interface) , text editing and some other basic tasks. While you’ll be familiar with the programs for your everydays use (Office, Music Player, E-Mail client, Webbrowser,…) the real power and the real life of Linux is still the CLI (you can acces the CLI by opening a terminal or shell - in Puppy you’ll. And that’s where Puppy Linux is at it’s best (the speed is amazing though!): in many directories you’ll find a file named README. just type in the command line “vi README”(if nothing really happens but a few lines appearing do the following: look for vi replacements in the text and than replace vi with the new command) the file opens. To exit vi (thats the most basic text editing program in UNIX operating systems) just pres ESC, than type “:q!”. The Readme is very useful to find out, what directory you’re in (there’re directories like the Program Files under Windows) - keep that in mind for it will help you understand how Linux works.
The CLI…some very basic commands (and the ones you’ll be using most of the time) in the formula command - description : usage example:
cd - change directory : cd /usr/bin
ls - list all files in a directory
ps -ax - list all running processes
with the last you see, that it consists of two parts: the command and the option(s). Using options is always the same: command -option. many programs need options to function properly. That might be a bit overwhelming at the beginning but there’s a way to get the system to help you. To give an example: I want to know, how to use the ls command so I type “ls –help” which will display syntax-/information and a listing of options; or I type “man ls” which will display the manual for ls. You can try this with any command you find.
After a while experimenting with Puppy Linux, you propably should give Debian a try. Installation is quite easy, it is the most stable and solid Linux-distro and has an awsome packaging system (apt) - hence it may take itself seriously for it is a serious distro.
But Debian, while being my personal favorite isn’t the right distro for “digging in”. For that I used and still use Slackware Linux. The Howto’s and FAQ’s (in /usr/doc/__) will come in handy. And make sure to read the slackbook!!! But you know: after you managed Slackware, you can do almost anything you want with Linux - and that, not the Ubuntu-Standardized-Like-Desktop-Linux is the real strength of all those Unix-derivates
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