Hello, so I am new to linux... and as part of my "training" I needed to better familiarize myself with writing unix. to do this my boss suggested installing some form of linux on a thumb drive and play around with it. so, writing code to secure it, things like that. would anyone have ideas/suggestions on this? sites that walk you through it?

thanks in advance!

Hi and welcome here, at LQ.

What you wrote is a bit confusing.
Do you want to use a thumb drive to boot the OS, develop something?
Installing a linux mint onto a pendrive is not a trivial task. First of all you need an iso image, you need to boot it (from a dvd or another pendrive) and install it.
Is this what you want?
What dou you mean by "writing unix"?

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Sounds like they're after a training course...

I am confused as well - not sure what "writing code to secure it" means. Could be they are looking for training; just an odd way of putting it.

"writing code to secure it"

I'd have used the encryption when you installed it. Would be secure I'd think.

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I would recommend installing the OS to a thumb drive with "persistence."

hmmm, sorry...guess i thought my subject in coordination with the question was enough. I installed Linux Mint 20 Cinnamon on a thumb drive because my boss wants me to get better with writing unix, so he suggested installing some form of linux os, then doing things like writing unix code to secure the network, the os, things like that. maybe he meant something different, honestly i dont even know if those things can be done on linux with unix. he even mentioned writing some c++. does this sound doable/reasonable in a 3 month span? to learn?

thanks

I do not understand what are you talking about.
But it looks like (for me) it is impossible to "write unix code to secure the network, the os, things like that." within 3 month.

Did you write any [working] c++ app on linux already?

So, something I think your boss is not understanding is Unix is an operating system, not a programming language. You can't "write Unix". Also, securing the network in an enterprise is done via network equipment, firewall rules, IDS, etc, not to mention planning. Sure, you can use Linux to do those things, but learning Linux and effectively securing an enterprise network in 3 months is a bit of a stretch if you have no experience at all.

Linux and Unix are the same thing in a high level sense: they are both operating systems. One is commercial and proprietary (Unix), and the other is open source (Linux).

Writing C++ doesn't make any sense either: that is an application programming language and is used to create applications. You need to know what you are creating before you can create it.

Having a live, bootable thumb drive of Linux on a thumb drive is good because it can help you get familiar with the Linux operating system without installing it. No persistence though, unless the live version has that capability. If your boss wants you to learn Linux, by all means dive in and learn it, but how he is suggesting to do this is nonsensical.

To be strictly accurate you can write Unix, for example, Advanced UNIX programming by Andy Yao - ISBN: 193036007X


Or Advanced Linux Programming by Mark Mitchell ISBN:
0735710430


But I do agree - the boss probably means learn the OS to make sure it's secure and so on.
Installing Mint on a USB stick, I think he means he's running it as a Live version off the usb stick. Maybe Puppy linux would be better bet - or get a cheap laptop and install Mint to learn it that way.

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Linux has almost every available feature and program that can allow you to code or make programs for unix. Of course unix is not really seen these days. I assume you may need to ask what the target is before you get too far.

I would not have used mint personally. I think I'd have used OpenSuse or maybe Centos.