you are correct, for instance the TAR command can be used to make a snapshot of the files on a partition, though in practice only the /etc and /home directories need to be backed up, unless you have made changes elsewhere, which is unlikely for a casual linux user.

Lets say I want to just tear linux down to it's nust and bolts and force myself to learn as much as possible. Reading is all well and good but sooner or later I need to jump into the deep end yes? From my research it appears my best bet for jumping into the deep end would be either Slackware or Arch, both of which seem to require you to configure them piece by piece? Any suggestions on which one would better benefit a new user that wants to learn by total emersion? (It doesn't matter which one is more stable or more powerful at this point, I just want to know which one is going to teach me the most about the nuts and bolts of Linux and why certain things work the way they do)

I have a feeling if I go in for a job interview some place where they use Linux servers or computers I'll probably have a leg up on others if I can say I'm a linux fanatic rather than just saying I took a few linux classes in school :P

Arch: You only install a minimal base (currently not even using a menu-driven installer) from that you build up your system the way you like.
Gentoo: The same as Arch, but installing new software is done with compiling from source.

Both distros come as minimal install and can be turned into everything you want, configuration is done by editing text-files.

Slackware: The recommended full installation comes with almost everything a desktop user needs, including several DEs and WMs, can be easily configured to serve any role you want.

Slackware also makes use of configuration by editing text-files.

All three distros are good for the learning experience and come with very good documentation, the combination of Slackbook, ArchWiki and Gentoo Wiki are the most complete assembly of Linux documentation you can find, IMHO.

I personally would recommend to first learn the basics of the command-line and shell scripting. Do all of your tasks using Linux. If you are proficient enough on the command-line that you can read a command posted on a forum and understand what it does you may want to try LinuxFromScratch to learn the inner workings of Linux systems.

actually, if you REALLY want to tear linux down to it's nuts and bolts, look up 'linux from scratch', you start with a live cd (or other host os, but the provided live cd is the recommended way, and compile an entire linux install from source.

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Hrm ,I think Linux from Scratch is what my up coming Linux class teacher used to teach his last basic linux class (A person in one of my other classes said he was making them build their own version of linux from scratch) It didn't go over very well with the class from what he told me

Once I finish reading this file system document I'm going to start with basic command line and then read the scripting and advanced bash scripting documents, you think by the time I'm finished reading these I should be ready to try Arch/Slack/Gento ? Or are you saying I should go straight into LinuxFromScratch? I like the idea of compiling source code to make programs but it sounds extremely time consuming

Just to be clear I'm 30 years old, not 18 coming out of high school or anything. I'm attending night classes (Right now doing mySQL database development) I'm pretty clear to getting my associates degree and I know next to nothing about Linux other than what I've taught myself. The linux class I've already taken just gave us the basics of command line, using vim text editor and very simple scripts. I got an A in the class and I'm not really sure how (don't send your children to ITT Tech it's a scam!)

as a 'victim' of ITT myself, i concur

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LFS is nothing that I would touch in a basic Linux class. You need a good understanding of the command-line to have a learning experience from that project, otherwise it will be just copy and paste without learning anything.

If you are already knowing at least the basics of the command-line and how to use a text-editor (vim is a great tool) and since you seem to be willing to learn through reading and asking questions I would assume that the right time to jump into a Linux distro that requires you to learn is exactly now.
I would recommend to install one of the mentioned distros (Arch, Gentoo, Slackware) into a virtual machine, so that you always have a working base system while experimenting with your "harder" system. If you feel proficient enough (and have read the prerequisites) go for LFS.

There is currently no official live-CD for LFS 7.X.

Sounds good, I think I will start with Slackware that seems to be a very popular OS around here and since i'll be badgering you guys with questions it makes sense to pick an OS you know a lot about ^_^

My school uses VMware Player and I have a copy of that myself, I guess I can make my first attempt on there, would perfer virtualbox but I don't think my school has that as software on their machines (I have to admit ITT upgraded their lab computers to some pretty nice hardware this year so at least my insane amounts of money are being well spent lol)