Hi All,

I am new to Linux but want to be an expert. I have the time and the motivation and hopefully the ability to do so.
My main topics of interest is shell programming, networking and administration.
What I need is a starting point. I need a reference for good book(s) ,ebooks,and tutorial websites.
Most importantly I need to practice on something. I don't have a spare machine to install Linux on so I want to find/create a bootable CD that I can use.

I know there are several versions of the Linux OS. Any suggestions which one will be the best one to achieve my goals?

Many thanks,
ronsha

There isn't a Linux distribution that is generally the best. But as you said, you need a live CD or DVD. Just plunk it into the drive, restart and the system's up and running, you'll just have to edit your BIOS settings so that the CD Drive boots bedore the hard drive. A good live CD/live DVD would be Knoppix (latest version: 4.0.2).

To get an idea how Linux works and to learn lots of Linux commands, click here. Nice lesson archive with a touch of humour here and there. Enjoy..

-A

First of all welcom to LQ !

Start with TLDP - the Linux Documentation Project and use Google Linux Search. There's a whole lot of resources in the Net. So dig in. And Stick with LQ.

If you don't have the privilege of installing Linux try a Live CD. Something like Knoppix, Mepis, Slax, Ubuntu Live, Taprobane GNU/Linux. You can order Ubuntu CDs for free and you can download the others.

Thnaks very much for that.

i will try to download all these versions.
Out of the list that SkyEye provided , which one should i start with?
Do all of them look/behave the same?

What I'm trying to ask is , will the guide book i'll be using should match the linux brand I'm running? if not then what is the difference really?

The one I gave you is talks about commands mostly rather than Graphical interfaces, and the commands should be basically the same for most Linux distributions.

-A

Thanks again.

Just downloading Knoppix now

If you are not handling software packages (most probably you would not, since you are going to use live CDs), most of the usage is very much the same. All core UNIX utilities are usually the same. Recommending a distro is not straight forward. But most probably you'd better try Knoppix first (or Mepis), since it is one of the most popular live CDs around. It'll be easier to find help.

GUIs may differ, but don't get decieted by the looks. Linux doesn't have freezed GUIs. They are usually very flexible. So better not to choose a distro because the wallpaper and the theme look nice.

Anyway if you are really interested in Linux and you have the enthusiasm it takes, try any of the above. Non are scary.