Re: Linux: a gentle, growing approach
I think that a good book such as "Linux Administration Handbook" (Prentice
Hall) will help a lot.
For other good books look at http://www.oreilly.com :-)
cheers,
Mihalis.
On Sun, 13 Oct 2002, Josh Rehman wrote:
> Date: Sun, 13 Oct 2002 11:50:18 -0700
> From: Josh Rehman <java.josh@verizon.net>
> To: 'debian-user' <debian-user@lists.debian.org>
> Subject: Linux: a gentle, growing approach
> Resent-Date: Sun, 13 Oct 2002 13:41:29 -0500 (CDT)
> Resent-From: debian-user@lists.debian.org
>
> I want to master Linux. I figure there are two ways to learn Linux
> system administration and usage. The first is to install a distribution
> and then explore it's nooks and crannies. The second is to begin with a
> seed and *grow* the nooks and crannies as needed. The former method is
> overwhelmingly used; I'd like to see more of the latter, because it's
> the more effective approach for advanced studies.
>
> I believe that the second approach is superior because complexity is
> best understood when the student understands why the complexity was
> introduced in the first place. And the best way to accomplish *that* is
> to present the student with the problems that the complexity was
> originally introduced to solve. Then when they are stumped, you can give
> them the answer and they can say, "ah".
>
> WRT GNU/Linux in general and the Debian distribution in particular,
> there are several aspects of the OS that still baffle me, and frankly
> intimidate me with their complexity. The boot process is one of these,
> as is the nature of the filesystem, dev and proc in particular. Logging
> is opaque to me. There are many aspects of the system where it is not
> clear where the responsibilities of one program ends and the other
> begins. I find the blurred distinction between shell scripts and
> compiled programs to be confusing. Not to mention the dizzying array of
> configuration files and their baroque syntax!
>
> I am looking to understand and manipulate a Linux system with the
> minimum number of tools to accomplish certain simple goals. The goals
> increase in complexity. Tools should be introduced only as needed to
> accomplish a goal that is simply impossible (or would require an
> inordinate amount of shell or c work) with a current toolset.
>
> Is there some resource that takes this approach to learning Linux? Would
> others find this approach useful? Are there any Linux gurus and/or
> students interested in trying this approach?
>
> (It seems impossible for a student to teach themselves in this way, as
> laying out the goals and meting out the tools requires an expert level
> of understanding. In particular, setting up a system that is either
> actually devoid of tools are has many aspects 'turned off' is a rather
> daunting task.)
>
> What do ya think?
>
> Thanks,
> Josh Rehman, LGW
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