I'm planning to learn Unix/Linux as much as possible to be able to expert on Unix system.
I have a few questions in regard to Unix system
How come they are so many different type of Linux, and do they follow same standard commands in the Unix system? I'm afraid of having so many choices selecting right type of system.
Do you know which Unix\Linux is better than other or has higher market demand in regard to getting a good job?
Do you operate Unix system by only using commands, how many commands are they?
What is the easiest way to learn Unix other than practice every day?
What is the best way to intall Unix\Linux in my computer? I have two computers, One has XP and other one is running with Windows 7. I don't want to install Virualbox which did not work.
At what point, I could say to myself as an intermediate level of expert on Unix\Linux?
Let me know any tips that may help me learning Unix system. I'm determined to learn Unix\Linux throughly.
Thank you in advance for your great advice. You guys already post so many links that cover all type of Unix system, but I am kind of lost after reading for last 2 days.
Linux is the 5-megabyte file that loads when you push the power button on the computer. Everything else, everything else, is whatever software your distribution decided to bundle with this 5-megabyte file. It's not one big thing like Windows. It's more like a small component, which people have adapted for thousands of uses.
Other UNIX are often more combined than this.
Not even all UNIX is alike.
It's not an exclusive thing. Learning one kind of UNIX won't stop you from learning others, if anything it'll make it easier to switch if you need to.
Using commands and editing files. You don't need to memorize everything. Small simple commands will become part of the language, so to speak. More complicated ones you can look up at need.
I might install an extra hard drive on one of the computers and use that to dual-boot. This is safer than trying to install it on the same drive, which could destroy both if you make a mistake.
There are many linux distros for many purposes; as always your usually recommended to try em out and see which one your the most comfortable with/ is more fitting for your needs. Take BSD variations for instance. Open-security, Net- portability, Free- performance.
BSD is closer to Unix than linux although slackware is closer to unix in terms of linux distros. I personally use BSD (free, open) and slackware. Slackware to me gives me more control over the linux system and the syntax is similar to BSD which is closer to Unix in nature so the transition between the two is essentially easier for me plus your getting to know the ins and outs of each system.
Knowing/ learning the command lines is the best way to "master" the system (though you'll never truly master Unix). There are visual/ graphical interfaces (xfce, fluxbox, blackbox,<--lightweight | heavyweight --> kde, gnome) you can use which may make things a little easier in terms of maneuverability. You will not memorize/ know every single command line, but the more you work with your system, the more comfortable you'll be with it, hence certain commands will become a use of habit (just like learning french, spanish, etc.)
The handbook, forums, search engines are your best friend. You will also make several mistakes/ run into a few walls. Like anything in life it is a learning process and will make you stronger in terms of understanding the system. Though you dont want to make any critical mistakes, making mistakes will benefit you in the longrun because you will know what to and what not to do if the problem or similar situation occurs later. Troubleshooting and common sense are part of the "mastering" the system. I always recommend learning the system from the ground-up as well. C/C++, perl, ruby, python, etc. are additional essentials. Some dont recommend it (for one reason or another) but learn asm (assembly) to really get to know the grindworks of your system.
First, back up ALL of your data from you OS before installing. Like Corona stated, its best to do it on an extra harddrive. Get the handbook and follow the instructions. The are concise, but mistakes will be made, so ask for help, no question is a stupid question (unless its OpenBSD :wall:, but its usually a point of figuring it out yourself and following the instructions with greater precision). You also have other forums based on what OS you are using. Whatever mistake you made, it has been done before, so do some research before asking.
The time and dedication you put into learning the system are all factors of measuring ones skill level. Depending on your learning curve, there will be points in time in which you will want to give up, but continue to have the determination and will you have now and you will continue to grow. You will know when you reach certain levels of certainty based on the amount of comfort you have with your system, but as I said before, you will never truly master the system, there are always new things to learn..ALWAYS.
Depending on what systems you become comfortable with, search around (amazon, etc.) for recommended literature to get to know your system from novice to pro including recommended UNIX literature. Best of luck to you and welcome to the free world my friend. You have made the first step toward your intellectual freedom.
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One last thing (idea), now this isnt for the light-hearted, but if you really wanna be a total bada$$, use lfs (linux from scratch), but I would recommend what I and Corona said first.
I don't have words to thank both of you enough for guiding me with sincerity in the selection of Unix\Linux system.
I have started learning Python and Ruby as well.
After a few search I have a found this link tech-faq.com/where-to-download-unix where you can download different types of Unix\Linux. As you mentioned that OpenBSD or FreeBSD has more advantages, however you can always explore to other one.
it seems to me that you can download and burn the installation files to CD. Just wondering whether you can install BSD in external hard drive, so I don't need to install another internal hard drive for specific to Unix system running.
Is there installation instruction after downloading it to the hard drive?
You can also download images for things called livecd's, which boot a complete UNIX system from CDROM without having to install anything on your hard drive. They don't save changes across reboot, of course -- the CD image can't be changed once burned -- but they can be a relatively safe way to introduce yourself to a system. They're also handy rescue disks.
This depends a lot on the computer. Some do a good job of booting from USB, some don't.
Probably, but which instructions you need really depend which distro you pick. UNIX is alike in the sense that it provides a similar environment when installed, not that it's installed or managed the same way across the board. Installation and management actually vary quite a lot across different UNIX varieties.
Dont know much about booting from external HD or if your computer will even allow it. You probably want to try installing/booting from a USB drive to test the OS out. There are instructions on their site as to how to do so.
