In a 5 - 6 year span, would this be a good plan for Linux development and learning?
 

First start out with debian based distros like Ubuntu and Mint, in which I have used so far but I prefer Ubuntu. Next would be Fedora Red Hat to get out of my comfort zone *Currently at this phase, installed FC14 on an experimental laptop* and later use OpenSUSE, which I heard is a lot different from Fedora and Ubuntu. Later Arch Linux to get used to a command-line based distro and try out more of the popular "Old School Linux" type of thing. Next is Slackware in which I've heard is one of the best ways to understand Linux more, also a way to try out Fluxbox. Later Gentoo and try compiling the Kernel and eventually Linux-From-Scratch. Also, in between this I will learn programming and scripting, including BASH Scripting too. I want to learn more about Linux but not excessively to the point where it overloads, but a little at a time over the next 5 to 6 years. I'm only in 11th grade currently.

My personal opinion, and the way I started with Linux is to just install Slackware and go for it. It was the first one I used and the one I always go back to whenever I may try something new. It is a great way to learn and I have found it very stable. It can be configured into whatever you want it to be in the end and does not shove anything down your throat (Like Ubuntu with Unity desktop). The Slackware documentation is great and the community helpful as well.

I would recommend you read Rute User's guide. It is great, easy to read and you will learn much.

Once you are comfortable with Slackware the rest are easier to pick up and learn their quirks.

I just don't understand the fascination with Slackware personally. Are the desktop environments just too tempting to avoid? I mean Linux is Linux... You can use the shell in Linux Mint just the same as in Slackware. The major difference is that Slackware makes installing packages (overly) complicated and tedious, for the sake of a more stable Operating System.

The old saying "If you learn Red Hat then you'll know Red Hat but if you learn Slackware then you'll know Linux" really applies to the use of Red Hat specific wrapper tools (e.g. userconf vs. useradd). Preferring the shell over wrappers doesn't necessarily make you "know" Linux more than you might otherwise know it, it just makes your skills more portable across the Linux space.

--T3

PS: please take no offense slackware gurus. Slackware is a excellent distro; I just prefer it personally the least (for day to day desktop use)

I'm wanting to use it because I'm kind of lazy so I want something that will FORCE me to get more involved. Although you're right, I can do every and anything in Ubuntu or Mint easily, I want to learn how to cope with problems instead of just going back to the GUI instead. Also, I want to try out everything to see what fits me.

Thank you for the advice, I looked up the PDF and saved it to my iPod. Anyway, although I want to be forced to have to learn something, I don't want to go head first without any rope or experience, I'll at least try Arch before Slack. Thank you for the advice.

This should be your plan for learning about Linux over the next five to six years:


Use Linux whenever you can for whatever you can.


That's it. Five to six years is a long time, especially if you consider that you're what, 16 or 17 years old now? So over the next five to six years you're going to be doing stuff like going to college, getting a job, leaving home, meeting girls/boys (delete as per your preference ;) ) and all sorts of other Life stuff. You will change, your circumstances will change, Linux will change. Realistically, what are the chances that you would stick to a plan such as the one you outline?

If you are competent on one Linux distro you shouldn't have much difficulty adapting to a different one as a lot of skills are transferable across distros, especially if you concentrate on generic ways to do things on the command line rather than concentrating on whatever GUI tools are provided which are unique to that Linux distro. For example openSUSE provides YaST which allows you to configure all sorts of things including the Firewall. But if you chose not to rely on YaST for setting up the Firewall and learn how to configure iptables directly, you can then do firewall stuff on any distro.