hi folks,
i've recently migrated to the linux world after deciding that i wanted more excitement compared to m$ land ;-) i want to learn stuff about linux, use it for my day-to-day work, add new packages using the good ole command line interface, and basically get to know the internal workings of linux better :-)
i wanted to know which distro might suit my needs....i definitely want to have access to all the source code, and i want x-windows too when i just want to listen to music or relax. most important, i want a distro that will enable me to compile and run new programs (the good ole tarred gzipped files), compile and install a newer kernel (when i get better at linux ;-), and learn all about the kernel from bottom-up. to be brief, i want to delve deep into linux, and get to know all about its workings, and one day become a linux guru ;-)
i'd greatly appreciate it if any of you could give me some pointers, so i can get hold of a distro thats best for me. btw, is it possible for me to download just the latest stable kernel, and start from there? without installing any specific distro? so i get just the vanilla kernel for me to start from? guess doing that would require more expertise?!
and suppose i install a distro, is it possible for me to download the latest kernel and install it, so my distro is updated? but in that case, would all my other apps work, or wuld i need to recompile all of them?!
forgive my ignorance, but i'm a total noob

!
thanx in advance,
guy24x