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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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Linux for the Airheaded Layman? (lemm.ee)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I have tried to learn Linux for ages, and have experimented with installing Arch and Ubuntu. Usually something goes wrong when I try to set up a desktop environment after installing Arch in VirtualBox. KDE gave me a problem where I couldn't log in after getting to the point where my username was displayed in a similar format to how it is for Windows. My end use case is to help keep my workflow more organized than haphazardly throwing files somewhere on my desktop or in a folder nested somewhere that I'll just inevitably lose :(

Somehow after all this time, I feel like I actually understand less about my computer and what I need to understand regarding its facets. Is it an unrealistic goal to want to eventually run a computer with coreboot and a more cybersecurity heavy emphasis? I'm still a noob at this and any advice would be appreciated!

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

@gronjo45 The big question here is; what do you mean by "learn linux"?

If you really want to learn and understand what you're doing, here's a solution that will not leave you empty handed. No matter if you decide to call it quits half way through, you still have a great deal more knowledge than you'd get from simply installing a distro that does all the hard work for you.

No one ever listens when I say it but I'll say it again; follow the #gentoo handbook cover to cover doing a stage3 install. When you encounter something you don't understand, go read about it, usually links are included. Once you've gotten to any graphical environment, wipe it and start again. Repeat this process until you only reference the handbook to verify you're doing it correctly.

I would also advise doing this on metal, as the VM approach will likely give you no hardware problems to solve along the way. You'll never learn how to fix what never breaks. ;)

Installing something that just works, or where you only need to click next in the installer only gets you a working system. It offers you absolutely nothing in the way of knowledge or understanding. What good to you is a working linux system if you know nothing about it? The method I propose will ensure you have all the basic skills and knowledge you need to be a (mostly) self sufficient linux user.

If you do take my advice and have any questions along the way, feel free to send me a direct message. I'd be happy to help.