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Linux System Admin.. is it worth learning?

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Jabberwokky
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25 Dec 2013, 5:07 pm

Thanks. Its now Boxing Day so I'll probably have a go tomorrow.


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klausnrooster
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25 Dec 2013, 5:55 pm

While you're on DistroWatch, find a link to "Linux From Scratch". I don't have it yet but it is a book (and more) that walks you through making your own Linux-based distro from the ground up. Maybe that would be a step after the Ubuntu - Debian - Arch - Gentoo arc Abstract_Logic mentioned. Some would say Slackware should be in there somewhere. I may not take the time to actually DO LFS, but I'm definitely going to read it. Oh hey they have a whole site: Linux From Scratch dot org <---that's a clickable link. And yes let's promote the habit of saying "GNU-Linux"!



klausnrooster
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25 Dec 2013, 6:17 pm

Jabberwokky wrote:
...I am not a highly sophisticated programmer; I can do some fairly sophisticated macros in spreadsheets and I taught myself VBA enough to know its limitations...

Hey Jabberwokky, that describes me too. It has paid off in job satisfaction (security too i think), efficiency, and stimulating problem-solving. To make all that less off-topic, I'll say any programming language is worth learning and lessons learned will apply to others. That goes for scripting languages like GNU-Linux's BASH too. I get the feeling a GNU-Linix Sys Admin could do quite well with Python alone.



Jabberwokky
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25 Dec 2013, 6:40 pm

Yes, I really have enjoyed the minimal programming that I have learnt but I found it very time consuming such that I neglected other apsects of my normal job. Then, after hours, I sacrificed all such things on the altar of gaming. In time I'll probably get back to programming in a big way, but right now my slayer level in Runescape is the priority.


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DRzero
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11 Mar 2015, 12:27 pm

This reminds me, I'm transitioning from MS Office to LibreOffice. Every few years, MS updates Office and f***s up its UI (I don't know if its "basic code" has changed much). None of the recent changes are improvements, from my perspective, and some are the opposite. OneDrive might be useful, but I don't want to be locked into doing things the way MS wants me to.

Adapting to unnecessary changes, that aren't improvements, in software or OS's is a waste of my time.

I'm also using Linux more and more, but that transition won't happen overnight.


Jabberwokky wrote:
The advantage with Linux and Open Source software such as OpenOffice is that the basic code does not change continuously with every upgrade as happens with Windows, MS Office and (I am told) the Apple equivalents. Its impossible to build any application in Windows and MS Office environment (using VBA) because when the newest versions come out, the application developed stops working. You can well imagine how that kills creativity. It forces companies to solve every computing problem by purchasing off-the-shelf standalone software. Its a bit like how cars cannot be serviced without use of specialised hi-tech diagnostic instruments; this eliminates all those basic mechanics that could fix any car in the old days with a few spanners. I am not a highly sophisticated programmer; I can do some fairly sophisticated macros in spreadsheets and I taught myself VBA enough to know its limitations, especially in a multiple user corporate setting. I am the ultimate 'spanner wielding mechanic' in the programming realm.

Microsoft make money by forcing upgrades to software. Its a bit like narcotics as well because once a Windows/MS Office user, the desire for things to stay the same makes its hard to make the switch. However, the disruptive effects of versions/upgrades slowly but surely reduces confidence/satisfaction and companies move over to Open Source. Its a matter of time before MS Office and Windows die. Personally, I think Microsoft know this and are tapping new markets for apps and suchlike.

I've picked on Microsoft a lot in this post but what I'm stating applies to any entity that tries to lock the consumer into a brand; it won't work in the long term.


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