What next?

[DeadSilence]

I've been using Ubuntu for about three months now. While I love it, I don't feel that I'm learning enough from it and want to switch to a distro that I will learn more from. I feel fairly comfortable with Linux, so a more advanced distro wouldn't bother me, though I'm not sure if I'm ready for a distro that will break my brain.

[oz]

Welcome to the forums!

You might be ready to try Arch, Crux, Gentoo, and Slackware.

Hope you have with all of them.

[Cabhan]

While it is true that Ubuntu is comfortable for beginners, what do you think you are missing out on that another distro might provide? You can still employ the CLI under Ubuntu and run / configure other services.

I personally run Gentoo, and it's true that it forces you to have a deeper awareness during the installation process, and there are fewer (read: no) wizards, but I'm not convinced that Ubuntu does not provide most, if not all, of the opportunities for learning that Gentoo does.

I'm also honestly curious, so please let us know! If you do decide to switch to another distro, best of luck!

[DeadSilence]

Hmm, well, I don't dislike Ubuntu exactly. I think it's a great OS. It was my first Linux distro so there's that too. Maybe I'm not asking the right question. Maybe I should be asking for ideas or tips on how to use Ubuntu to further my learning. I know how to do a few things with the CLI, basic things such as copying, moving, and removing files, creating directories, and a few other things. I know that much much more can be done with it though, and I'm not sure where to even begin. One hinderence is I don't exactly know what is is capable of myself. Another thing I'd like to learn is how to configure files manually, the knowledge may come in handy. And also, I apologize if I'm not being too clear, I am pretty tired at the moment and will be hitting the sack before long.

[jayd512]

Well, since Ubuntu is Debian based, you could look into some info on running Debian. Just use the CLI in Ubuntu to do the same tasks instead of using the GUI front-ends. That way, you'll be exercising your talents while staying within the confines of a distro that you're fairly comfortable with. Other than that, I think ozar gave a couple of the best suggestions for branching out to more challenging fare.

[Manchunian]

I don't think a move from Ubuntu should be motivated by the things you mention - you can compile in it, for example. Whilst it's true that a distro like Gentoo and Archlinux demands more knowledge from a user than does Ubuntu, this doesn't mean that the opportunuties to learn don't exist with it. A change should be motivated for other reasons. For myself, I got fed up of the release-cycle - it was too fast. I mean, you either do a complete re-install every 6 months, or you risk doing a system upgrade via apt, which can cause problems. Also, I didn't like Ubuntu's philosopy of take, take, take from Debian, but give nothing back. Finally, I wanted something that was faster. These considerations motivated me to use Debian for a year - whose release cycle is too slow, and then to Archlinux, which is a rolling distro and blinding fast.

[jmadero]

I think if you're really wanting to learn a ton about Linux you should follow the following instructions (it's a very large book that is available free online) to make your own distro, I've thought about doing this a few times and just haven't had the time:

Welcome to Linux From Scratch!


This is the reason why you can go to distrowatch or one of those and you see all these tiny distros that no one really uses, people just make them and put them up, maybe if you're good some other people will check it out and add to it.

[Manchunian]

Yes, Linux from Scratch is the way to become and expert! But it's long, hard work, and I think you'd be better advised to steer away from it until you've gained more experience - and until your summer holidays come back round!

[elija]

I agree that the opportunities for learning exist under Ubuntu.

Running an Ubuntu server (cli only) in a live environment has taught me the following (so far)
File Mangement
Process Management
Basic Network Management
Log searching
Apache Configuration and Tuning
MySQL Configuration and Tuning
Samba Configuration
User management
Subversion Configuration
Basic Bash scripting

IPTables still scares the crap out of me. But I will get it.

I am soon to be installing and configuring my first FTP server (on Linux; I have done several on Windows) and will need to get to grips with an MTA almost as soon.

Can I compile my own software? Yes. It's usually three simple commands. Can I compile my own kernel? Probably but I have no real interest in doing so.

Oh and I run an Ubuntu derivitive at home for my desktop, so there is lots of learning there too.

All this without leaving Ubuntu.

The other distros mentioned will probably force you to get a lower level understanding of Linux and how it works right under the hood. It all depends where your interests lie.

@Manchunian: I don't get it. A six month release cycle is too often but constant rolling releases are OK?

[edit]I have just read back the list of stuff I can do and I have to say [/edit]

[jayd512]

I've never actually had to set up a server, but I have found that anything you can do with an advanced distro (Arch, Gentoo...) you can do in any distro. The main portion of my learning has come from running Fedora, but now (when time permits) I'm trying to chew through an install of CRUX. And that's just because I want that understanding of what's going on in my machine.

@elija

You probably already have it... but here ya go:
IP Masquarade How-To
Linux IP tables