When I learned the most about Linux was when I was helping build an
embedded distribution for a single board computer in the early 2000's. We
had kernels on floppy disks to bootstrap the machine, Compact Flash for
storage, and I'd update through NFS-mounted rootfs to a Linux desktop I
ran. I learned a ton about configuring kernels, and stripping everything
down to the bare bones (we had to fit in small flash & RAM).

Shortly after that, I started running Gentoo and haven't looked back. I've
run into so many problems with other distros (especially LTS/enterprise
varieties), that I just can't pull myself away from Gentoo. It has it's
quirks, but I find my way past them usually faster and easier than with any
other distro. I used Arch once, and it seemed like a decent alternative,
but I still prefer Gentoo.

On Mon, Mar 26, 2018 at 10:57 AM, Alpheus Madsen <[email protected]>
wrote:

> Several years ago, my company decided to start a sort of technical "book
> club", and I joined a group for the book "Linux Kernel Development" by
> Robert Love.  The book is intended to get anyone who's interested in kernel
> development up-to-speed on the architecture.  I haven't kept tabs on the
> book, so I don't know how often or if the book has been updated; the book
> we used was the 3rd Edition, and when we got to the concurrency chapter,
> someone in the group mentioned that the kernel developers were in the
> process of rooting out all the locks in the kernel, and replacing them with
> a more abstract, and more robust, way of referring to data without locks (I
> cannot at this time remember the device that was being used), so the book
> we were using was going out of date even as we were reading it.
>
> But then, that's probably the inevitable fate of any book on software in
> active development.  :-)
>
> Regardless, I really liked the book, and would recommend it.
>
> On Sat, Mar 24, 2018 at 7:14 PM, AJ ONeal (Home) <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
> > I'm looking for a not just good, but great book for diving deep into
> Linux
> > that would also be great as part of a balanced LPI curriculum.
> >
> > I can't remember the publisher, but I read a wonderful book back when I
> was
> > studying for my own Linux+ that I found to be so much more enjoyable to
> > read, such better examples, and overall more helpful in studying via the
> > actual Linux+ exam book I had also bought.
> >
> > I've got a friend who knows his way around the command line, but it's
> time
> > for him to get his hands dirty and build a kernel, know what all the
> lines
> > in /etc/passwd and whatnot mean, know the truth and light of philosophy
> > behind the naming conventions of /usr, /root, /sbin, and all of the fun
> > nitty gritties.
> >
> > What shall I recommend to him?
> >
> > Also, is Gentoo still the thing for really getting nasty with Linux, or
> is
> > Arch sufficient? Or should one truly Linux From Scratch?
> >
> > Give me your best rants and raves, please. :)
> >
> > AJ ONeal
> >
> > /*
> > PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net
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> > Don't fear the penguin.
> > */
> >
>
> /*
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>

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