Yesterday evening I was joking around with a couple of the people here as they were bugging me about being an “Ubuntu” user. Often the questions I receive are about how to do something in “Ubuntu”. Maybe I’m just being thin-skinned, but I’d like to clarify something, particularly to new users. Ubuntu is not an operating system as I understand it. Instead Ubuntu is a version of LINUX! It is Linux, we are Linux users. I call it Ubuntu Linux so clarify what type of Linux I am talking about. The key focus is “Linux”. Got it!? 
There… rant over.
Fun and jibes aside, I’ve always espoused that anyone who really wants to roll up their sleeves and learn about Linux, should install a customized system from the ground up. Sure we can install Ubuntu, Gentoo, Fedora and a myriad of other distributions, and we would learn a lot. But (in my opinion) to garner a really powerful learning experience, I’ve often suggested that users try the LFS Project. What’s that?…
“Linux From Scratch (LFS) is a project that provides you with step-by-step instructions for building your own customized Linux system entirely from source.”
For readers of my blog that truly want an enriched experience and enjoy tinkering to develop their own fully customized PC, I really do encourage you to check out the amazing Linux From Scratch resource here: http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/lfs/index.html
I’m pretty sure that you’ll find the resource very rewarding! 
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There are 4 comment(s) added so far...
I’m not sure about other people, but being a newbie I will stick with a “normal” distro.
I discovered your blog a week ago and it is really good, a bit complicated for someone like me (yesterday I was getting lost with the installation). Anyway I will jot down the link just in case in the future I’m up to the challenge.
Thanks for the blog and best wishes. :O)
@olga9999 - Thanks! I remember when I started with linux there was no way I could understand half of what people were telling me. I started with RedHat, gave up. Returned with the last RedHat (I think it was 9.0) and then went to Fedora Core 1 to 4. Now it’s Ubuntu. I’m really glad I stuck with it as I’m now learning more than I ever thought I would.
If there’s anything I can post about that helps, or if you have questions, don’t hesitate to comment about them. Same goes for anything you’d like to contribute to the blog. Have a great day!
Is the “real” way always the “right” way?
Re: Is the “real” way always the “right” way?
Hmm… that’s a good question. I think for some people they might get frustrated and leave linux. I remember when I first played with Red Hat. Everything was okay until I had to get a network card working. I got so frustrated at that time that I never did much except install the OS (often without networking). I quit Linux then. I returned (with Fedora Core 1) when there was a better GUI interface, that allowed me to slowly learn more and more about terminal commands. (I picked up Ubuntu after Fedora Core 3) I think that with a little experience the “immersion” method might be effective. But with brand new users? Maybe not.
In one way, it’s funny that you mention this as I think one of the ways to encourage people to switch is to show them how rich the environment is, and that it’s not something the average user should consider as rocket science. I remember when my father switched to Linux (he uses Ubuntu Linux). He was in his late 70’s at the time. Being a Windows user he thought there we several similarities between his Windows and Linux computer. He also said the hardest challenge for him was getting used to the GUI. “Where to click to get what”, as he phrased it. But he stuck with it and does not want to go back, because in his words “I can do more with Linux”. He’s now in his 80’s. If he would have been given “The real way” back then, I wonder how much he would have learned and if he’d have stayed with Windows.