best linux distro for learning?

[gotfrag?]

hey guys what do you think the best linux distro is?
and also what is the best way to learn it?

 

[DanK]

Your first question isn't an easy / simple one... there are a myriad of linux distributions because they all specialize in some different thing than all the others. It all depends on what you want to use it for. Is it for a personal desktop? I think (k)ubuntu is the current favorite for that, since it installs with a minimum of effort, has sensible default GUI settings, and a good community. If you're looking to simply test the waters without a lot of frustration, this would be a good place to start.

As far as the best way to learn, I think it's to pick a distribution that's not made to be easy or friendly, and try to customize it as you like. This is the way I started off, at least. Slackware linux still holds a special place in my heart... It's actually pretty easy to install, but after that, you're on your own. Almost no GUI tools to configure your system; no automatic packaging either, the "packages" are essentially zip files with the programs. It will be more frustrating and time-consuming, but I feel I came away from the experience having learned a lot.

Some people recommend Gentoo linux. One of the ways to install Gentoo is to compile the entire system from source code. This can definitely be a good learning experience, but I personally don't recommend it at first. When I tried it (which I did before Slackware), I ended up just following the steps in the guide without knowing what I was doing. If you're really dedicated to learning how linux works, I'd recommend building Gentoo from source only after getting comfortable with Slackware - I think one should have an understanding of the system as a whole in a finished state before trying to build it from the ground up.

 

[jpmkm]

I'd say the best way to learn is to just jump in and do stuff. When you run into something you can't figure out, search the internet and you should be able to figure it out pretty quickly.

 

[neo86]

If you want to learn A LOT about Linux then I suggest Gentoo. After taking forever to get a working system I found myself giving advice to people with different distros how to fix their shit.

 

[gotfrag?]

ok thanks for the replys guys!
it will be for a desktop computer, the one in my signature
i think that i will try slackware as soon as i get some more cd's

 

[1c3d0g]

Or go "Slackware light".

http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=pocket

 

[KoolDrew]

Try Ubuntu.

 

[zeos]

i vote linux from scratch

 

[santaliqueur]

i'd say find a popular distro (fedora, ubuntu, suse) and dive in and do stuff. it's the way i am learning, and i barely even turn my windows machine on anymore. i'm glad i went with a popular distro, because there is lots of help when i need it. as i learn, i'm going to try out some of the more complicated distros. try to do as little as possible with windows, otherwise you will eventually fall back on what you are comfortable with.

 

[Rabidfox]

i vote linux from scratch

All I ever got from LFS were handcramps, lol

I started with redhat7, moved to slackware, then moved to gentoo and now use FC4/RHE4 for work. Honestly, it pains me to say this, but FC4/RHE4 is really easy to admin when you have a bunch of boxes. Plus, the updating has really matured. I *hated* updating my gentoo boxen after 6 months of letting them run, portage would always hose up, and swaret for slack sucked hard. I'm more into the server administration at this point, and the mature updating tools are what sorta turned me on to FC/RHE. Plus, I got sick of recompiling shit all the time on my p2 400 router. DistCC helped alot, but still a PITA.