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I would advise against going with a linux desktop to start with. Buy yourself a cheap 'Low End Box' -> lowendbox.com and get a feel for linux. Once you feel yo

by c16 14y ago

I would advise against going with a linux desktop to start with. Buy yourself a cheap 'Low End Box' -> lowendbox.com and get a feel for linux. Once you feel you can happily control a server, then install it as your desktop so you don't by accident nuke your computer. I find that being in a similar environment to your servers all day helps a lot. Try it :)

AgentConundrum 14y ago
Why not just create a VM?
- loxs 14y ago
  Because by using a VM on a "baby-sitted environment" like Linode, you will most likely never have any real issues. Unless you create them yourself (which is quite likely).
  - mhurron 14y ago
    So don't put it in a managed environment. VirtualBox and VMware Player are free. Put it on your own machine and do it yourself. Honestly, I am becoming amazed how the attitude of I'll do it myself, especially in a learning environment is slowly seeping away.
  - AgentConundrum 14y ago
    Not a Linode. Just on your own machine. You can run your own VM with something like VirtualBox. Just download the install iso for the Linux you want, register it as a CD/DVD in VirtualBox, turn on the VM, and away you go. It's dead simple. Even I managed to do it.
loxs 14y ago
Nuking your computer is a part of the learning curve. It will happen one day. And if that happens on a production server, it hurts quite a lot more, than on your own desktop machine. "Server Administration" is not only "having the feel". Server administration is experience. If you haven't been in hell, you can't prepare for going there. Of course, this is only true if one really wants to learn "system administration". If one wants to be able to fix problems when the whole office is standing on his head (systems not working). If one wants to just be able to deploy their "hobby project", then fine, go with the copy/paste way. You don't need anything more than that.

by c16 14y ago

AgentConundrum 14y ago

Why not just create a VM?

loxs 14y ago
Because by using a VM on a "baby-sitted environment" like Linode, you will most likely never have any real issues. Unless you create them yourself (which is quite likely).
- mhurron 14y ago
  So don't put it in a managed environment. VirtualBox and VMware Player are free. Put it on your own machine and do it yourself. Honestly, I am becoming amazed how the attitude of I'll do it myself, especially in a learning environment is slowly seeping away.
- AgentConundrum 14y ago
  Not a Linode. Just on your own machine. You can run your own VM with something like VirtualBox. Just download the install iso for the Linux you want, register it as a CD/DVD in VirtualBox, turn on the VM, and away you go. It's dead simple. Even I managed to do it.

loxs 14y ago

Nuking your computer is a part of the learning curve. It will happen one day. And if that happens on a production server, it hurts quite a lot more, than on your own desktop machine. "Server Administration" is not only "having the feel". Server administration is experience. If you haven't been in hell, you can't prepare for going there. Of course, this is only true if one really wants to learn "system administration". If one wants to be able to fix problems when the whole office is standing on his head (systems not working). If one wants to just be able to deploy their "hobby project", then fine, go with the copy/paste way. You don't need anything more than that.