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Ask HN: How to learn Linux?
2 points by shire on Sept 26, 2013 | hide | past | favorite | 7 comments
I have a macbook pro 2013 15inch OS X 10.8.5. I love this machine. A few years ago I switched from Windows to Mac and I never looked back this machine is awesome and powerful I love it and use it every second of the day but lately I've been having a craving for Linux plus I'm always in the mood for expanding my knowledge for technology and always want to learn new stuff.

To be quite honest I've always heard about linux but never actually tried it the idea of it confuses me in a way. I would like to play with it and learn all about it plus I hear it's important for any programmer to understand how linux works. A lot of jobs are also in Linux!.

I want to learn Linux in and out from how to set it up to all the Linux distribution (distros) like Mint, Ubuntu and Debian, what they're, which is best and how to use them. Thanks!



I really got into Linux by setting up servers on CentOS back in 2007. Linux, the resources and the community are great and the fact that those servers still run fine today is a testimony to that.

If you have some time and you would just like to read some good basics start with http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/lfs/view/stable/prologue/for... and go as far as you can.

If you would like to get down and set up a server grab a Debian install kit.

The other option would be to get a RaspberryPI and start with that. Tons of resources and much closer to the hardware as a server install. Good if you re into electronics too.

I am a Mac user myself and you will find that the BSD underneath is mostly what Linux works like. They do say that MacOS is the best BSD available :-) So learning Linux will definitely help you to get much more from your Mac as well.

Have fun!


Here's something I did that I highly recommend: build your own Linux distribution via the Linux from Scratch (LFS) project (Google it).

I took an old laptop and installed Slackware with an LFS partition. Then I downloaded all the packages and followed the directions from the LFS book.

It took a while, but by the time I had finished I had learned three key things: (1) a lot about how Linux works, (2) how to find information (about Linux and for solving problems with Linux), and (3) a lot about BASH.

Seriously, although it sounds daunting, it is doable and you will learn more than you ever imagined.


I don't think there are huge difference between Mac OS and Linux, they all derived from Unix.

I suggest using VM to learn Linux, for example install Linux VM in VirtualBox and have a try.


Many Linux distros come on a live CD allowing you to try them out without changing anything on your hard drive.

Or you could try a virtual machine.


This sounds interesting, I would appreciate for some tips on how to go about the Live CD or choosing the right Distro something other than Ubuntu.


i started with making custom iso's of slax linux and then moved on to slitaz linux, haven't used any other linux since, ended up learning bash awk, setting up webservers/cgi, compiling pretty much anything out there on the internet, making it a router/firewall etc.


Use it to accomplish a task. Repeat.




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