Tips on improving linux knowledge

Operating Systems & Open Source Linux
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Hello fellow users of the interwebs I have a question for you. What are your tips on improving Linux knowledge, methods of improving your experience. Or random tasks that you thought improved your skills at Linux a lot.

The reason I ask this is because the 3 years of my time using Linux hasn’t really taught me anything non essential. Most of that knowledge is the simple knowledge you gain from just using Linux. Very similar to this flow chart made by JohnBobSmith:

arch_linux_use_system_flowchart

The problem is I want to expand my knowledge on Linux but don’t really know where to go. There are so many great topics in general I can learn from Linux but I’m not quite sure where to start.

So that’s where you come in

What is something you learned that you think others should learn? What branch of Linux do you think is rather interesting? I would be interested to know, cheers.

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Watch this

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I learned quite a bit from using Arch and Gentoo.
They taught me more about how the system was put together and it made me use a lot of utilities I would not really use on a day-to-day basis.

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Watch Linux administration videos on Youtube. That taught me the TUI side of things.

Arch, Slackware and Getnoo taught me more about the nuts and bolts. Compiling programs and your own cut down kernel can also teach you the nuts and bolts of linux.

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Saved for later, thanks.

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I didn’t know much about linux until I took a course over it and it’s uses in network administration.
If you wan’t to increase your knowledge with the different kinds of distros I would highly recommend you test out different stuff with it to put yourself in situation where you have to teach yourself new tricks.

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Tasks drive knowledge

1.) Compile your own kernel. No need to customize. Just take your existing config.
2.) add custom boot entry into boot loader.
3.) create hello world program in bash, perl, c, and c++. Learn to read error messages and compiler warnings.
4.) make bash scripts to do repetitive activities.
5.) concatenate the output of dmesg to a file. Learn how to redirect standard output and standard error to non console device/file.
6.) explore bash.rc and profile.rc. learn how your session is setup at login.

These are a few things that I tried to tackle once I got my basic bearing in Gnu/Linux word. These activities led me to explore the pieces required to do these things. Eventually, you find out how related the skills and tools are.

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The archwiki and staring at the archlinux channel on freenode.

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I built an LFS system which helped teach me some things. Although probably the biggest thing practiced was patience from waiting for packages.

http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/

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The bottom right hand of your “graph” is the learn

You may suffer from a failure to encode. That is a differnet thing. It has nothing to do with Linux.

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11

As most seemed to have recommended, building something or starting a long project and maintaining it are the best ways.

If you want some free resources, I would suggest:

If you want some books:

Other paid resources:

I’m sure some other people can suggest some great, or better resources. But those have helped me gain, and reinforce existing knowledge. Really top tier stuff. I would also like to recommend Linux Administration: A Beginners Guide. Some people have criticized the book as being too hardcore or biased towards Linux. Sure, but they’re not as obnoxious as the people are on Reddit or anything like that.

I would recommend building a couple of web servers with different architectures. You don’t have to know how to code, just need to know how to follow instructions. NodeJS, Apache, Nginx, and Python would be good to springboard into.

I’m going to introduce my personal beliefs, which have been known to upset and offend more than a couple of people. Please, don’t be upset, and don’t be offended :slight_smile:

I do not recommend Arch Linux. I do not recommend Slackware, Gentoo, or Linux From Scratch. Not yet. As a hobbyist, sure, go for it and cut loose. But if you are looking to be productive on Linux, I recommend picking Debian, Ubuntu, or Fedora and sticking with that. The Arch wiki and Gentoo wiki pages are useful at times, but they are not the be all end all. In my experience, gaining useful, productive knowledge with Linux, especially with first time users or novices, is best served in a well maintained and well used distribution.

I am not a pinnacle in the Linux world, or even in the open-source world. I’ve taught a handful of people and I’ve used Linux professionally for a few years. Take what I, or anyone else said, how you will. You will benefit greatly from something if it is practical. Build a Nextcloud or Owncloud instance so you can access your files from anywhere. Create a security lab with KVM, and use Linux distros as routers to secure your lab. Build a website to host your resume and digital portfolio. Build a wiki for storing knowledge you’ve gained as you learn more about Linux.

All of the above will go along way then say learning DNS Bind or NIC Teaming. While those are useful, start with something practical, make that your goal, and strive to make it happen. You will be surprised with what you learn and what you can do, especially with so little.

I would also like to add that how you use Linux doesn’t matter. There is some elitist Internet mentality that if you don’t install Linux baremetal and use a 16 bit tiling window manager that you’re not a real Linux user. Do not let these people intimidate or bully you. If you’re ssh’ing into a Linux server from Windows or using a desktop in VirtualBox or VMware Workstation, you are using a Linux system.

L1T is a great community, so if you have questions be sure to post them. I’m sure myself as well as others will be more than willing to help.

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As mentioned in other threads, this ^.
Before getting into the weeds on the fixer upper, you need to know what a properly functioning distro and system looks like first. Once you take on LFS, Slack, Gentoo, or Arch, you will have an idea/feel for what is normal, what is functioning correctly, and what you like.

The worst thing for Gnu/Linux newbies is to jump right into the muck with no bearings. When you need to source compile things just to do simple functions, it can be a turn off. When you understand why it is not in the base system, it makes things more clear and less of a chore.

I personally run Debian SID as my daily and Arch for gaming and Bleeding Edge testing.

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Personally learned a lot from using ubuntu but wanted more customisability and felt I had enough knowledge for arch. I don’t doubt that you couldent learn a lot from a well maintained distribution but for me personally, I learned a lot more the last 6 months using arch than I have the 3 years on ubuntu.

Couldent agree more, just get one of those distributions add i3 and your set, for a highly efficient workspace.

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