I don't think it really works that systematically. I started with 100% Linux - which was easy at that time, because DOS and Win 3.1 wasn't that efficient anyway and "the Internet" was much more interesting with all this cool gopher stuff.
Install it and use it. That's how it works. While working with it, the process of usage itself decides more or less where you end up with Linux.
Maybe you realize that you actually HATE networking and maybe writing templates for Open Office will be totally your thing.
The nice thing about Linux is that everyone can live in his/her own niche in the operating system.
I for example just do the barely necessary stuff for networking. "Just works" - more I'm simply not interested in. I know just a for loop for shell scripting purposes, because I don't like bash scripting, I'm using perl oneliners. I usally ignore deliberately on my private computers what the distributor's way of handling things is, I break them all the time.
On the other hand, I fiddle hours with some regular expression just to bend the enginge as far as it takes that it does what I want. I also like to optimize my GUI (usally to death
). I always have a Perl 6 at hand and install more or less every most recent Gimp version available. I collect browsers and windowmanagers.
Just go with the flow and realize what you want to do and don't try to do it perfect in the first place, start with "it works."
And being able to google helps immensely.
