I have only been running Linux for approx 6 months. I really like the system and its reliability but am far from a expert. Being in my early twenties, I was brought up on Windows 3.1 and had been using 98/Me till six months ago. Just got tired of web browser going down and system crashing. I have learnt a lot but am far from being able to help other Linux users. I am a field engineer but when a client has a Linux/Unix or Novell os I just put my hands up.
Anyway I just want to know how many years it took you to become a Linux Guru for those that are. I have a Linux + exam in a week and I am still far from knowing every command and detail. Anyway I want to know how many years it will take me to learn everything about Linux.

Everything? Forever.... it changes every day.

Mostly, it depends how much time you spend at it. Some things that will help (IMHO) are:

• Pick an application or technology area you want to know more about - like document imaging or speech recognition or Java programming or ... just about anything. Linux has it all. Having a focus like this will help to keep you from drowning in the vast sea of Linux information.
• Another thing that helps a lot is to have one or more systems to experiment on. I mean systems that you can scrub clean and reinstall several times a week. You can pick up cast-off P500's by the truckload on eBay and places like that.

Being a guru is not much about remembering all the details, but more of knowing how to get information you need at the moment not to get stuck when problems arise.

I have been using Linux for three years as my only desktop OS (before that I were using OS/2 in the same role; I have tried few times to do some work with windows, without success.) and I think very content with my understanding of the system internals. I'm a programmer, though. But I still don't remember every command and detail; computers are a lot better in details than humans.

Still it is not about the years, but an urge to figure everything out. If you have lived 6 months with Linux, you are going quite well and I think you do can help others with it.

Do we ever stop being a newbie? I have to agree. GNU/Linux (and FreeBSD, for that matter) are changing so much that you are constantly able to learn something new. Take the membership of this site, for example. There are over 3000 new members in the last week (I guess by the bullitin, which Jeremy sends out most every week). They are all new..probably to Linux. There is a member here that's less than 1/2 my age (only 15) that I consider much closer to Guru status than I, although I have been a Linuxer for almost 4 years now. Everybody learns at their own pace, I guess. Most distros these days don't require you to be a guru anyhow.

I agree with your comments. I guess my problem has always been to try to be the jack of all IT trades, and being the master of none.
I have always liked the hardware side and disliked software stuff, but I know that most of the money is in software, unless you produce hardware, so recently I have been trying to learn more about software. Only recently have I understood how a subnet mask works. I think in the future I would like to switch more to programming. Perhaps, firewall and anti-virus security area.
At the moment most of my time is spent studying, but lacking a home network does not help. I think I will take the suggestion of buying older computers on ebay, so I can play around with different servers.

Before you ebay, try a school in the area and see if they're upgrading. It might save you spending $$$ on shipping.

Windows is like checkers...Linux is more like Chess or Go..so many more possibilities = easy to learn but could take years to master

if you want to be a GURU,forget about Linux. install FreeBSD in text mode and take it from there

What is FreeBSD? A non GUI version of Linux? Not sure about windows being like checkers and linux being like chess. Ever tried reinstalling Win Me on a corrupt filesystem without an emergancy floppy? With a GUI I would say Linux is easier to configure as it does not tell you "you can't do this because it is dangerous to your system", atleast when your root anyway. But I agree that Linux allows you more moves so in some ways your right.
By the way I am a pro at chess but have failed to master checkers as I do not have a checkers board.

FreeBSD isnt Linux.

Actually, there was a GUI for FreeBSD before ther was one for Linux.

They are all good learning tools. It doesn't matter which Unix-like operating system (or flavor of) that you choose. If you are willing to build it up from the base, you'll learn about how they all work (at least the concepts). Some distros place files on different spots, but if you know what to look for, you'll be able to find them anyways.

FreeBSD sounds good, atleast from the link. So it developed a GUI before Linux and is a son of Unix. I can understand a system not running x to make my brain work, but how would a system running a GUI before other unix os's make me more a unix/linux guru? Is not unix all about remembering commands rather than locations on the sreen?

forget about the GUI, it has nothing to do with what nodger is saying. basically he means that you should run the FreeBSD operating system in text mode (so you have to do everything with standard commands and no GNOME or KDE shit). this, according to nodger, willl help you learn to use UNIX like a pro. i think you could substitute freebsd with slackware there too. also you dont have to be in text mode, you could just use a light gui like fluxbox so that you can run gui programs only when they are most necessary (for example mozilla) and open up x terminals to do everything else.

whoops, accidental post.

The length of time it takes to become a guru depends entirely on how quickly you can learn, how well you can recall information, and how dedicated you are to the task - J.W.