should i learn linux

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i was gonna put this in the linux/unix forum but as a newbie wasn't sure.(mods please move if applicable) my question is that im only 7 weeks into my A+ and going onto N+ then CCNA but will it benefit me to try to learn linux as well. it seems to be gaining a huge following and looks like the OS of choice for the majority of IT tech people.
if so what would anyone recommend as a first start(Distro)

 

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IMHO get A+ and your N+ first.

Trying to do too many things at once usualy confuses.

Harry.

 

i knows wot u mean but. if i can start to use linux will it help me out in the long term. cos from what i heard and seen the internet runs of it as sutch(unix).

 

Uhm, the Internet is basically just an internetwork of computers and servers running TCP/IP.

As TCP/IP is a network protocol, the Operating systems serving and accessing the internet can be anything from Mac, Windows or Linux (and some others that arent so widespread.)

 

I would say this is one of those questions answered with a maybe. Maybe you should if you already have computer skills and your A+ is mainly review along with filling in some missing blanks in areas you haven't worked with.

I don't think you should be trying to learn 2 OS's at the same time if computing is new to you, especially not if you have set yourself a time frame on your A+ and N+. I look at it as what happens when a kid is put into a situation where he grows up around people speaking two languages. At first he will confuse the two languages and mix words from each into one sentence. As he gets better he will stop doing that and become proficient in both on a level he could never reach if he hadn't grown up with both. However, because of how the mind learns he reaches proficiency later than he would have learning one at a time.

Now, if you don't have a time frame on your testing and on how long you want it to take before you get your certs then go ahead and learn them both at the same time. You will certainly learn more about computing in general from Linux than you will from any MS product, but there are enough differences to confuse the newbie. The learning curve with Linux will be much steeper because of the openness and the freedom Linux gives you to modify your system.

You know your own capabilities better than anyone else does and how well you cope with steep learning curves so this is one of those decisions that only you can make, but just be aware that if you are running into some frustrations in your learning process just using Windows your frustration level is going to be much higher when adding Linux to the picture.

I'm not trying to talk you out of learning Linux as I think it is a superior system. You just need to be prepared to work harder learning Linux than you do learning Windows. Linux isn't all point and click so you have to thoroughly understand the concepts you're working with. It will teach them to you if you have the patience, but it takes desire and effort to learn.

 

In a way the Internet sort of does run off of *nix. Apache on Linux is the most prevalent system for Web servers. Really large corporations such as Google run Linux, and we all know that the Internet wouldn't be quite what it is without Google. I know I wouldn't find the Internet the indispensable tool it is without Google. Plus, most of the root dns servers that in effect make Internet usage possible run Bind on *nix.

Yeah, there are a lot of other server OS's out there, but, in a way, *nix really does run the internet.

One thing that most people don't know is that several of the top 10 fastest computer systems in the world are run on Linux.

 

To add to that - we (or rather the company I work for) are in the process of buying a *big* telephone exchange. All 3 bidders for this contract mentioned that their core systems ran on Linux.

Harry.

 

thanks for all the advise. i think i will put it on hold for a bit as i still in early stages o f a+. once i get a bit more experience then maybe i will have go at linux.

 

Only learn it if you need it - it is a HUGE subject.

 

Nothing against you, Sandy, but I think this is bad advice. Who knows what any one person's future may hold, and having to learn something such as Linux because of an immediate need is the worst possible condition under which to learn anything. That is a highly stressful position to be in.

The larger a subject is, the greater amount of time is needed to learn it, so putting the subject off until needed is not a good idea. That's the same as saying, in effect, make sure you don't put yourself in a situation where you need to learn it because it's a huge subject.

The reality is, the greater a person's knowledge, the greater the number of possible open doors. So, why limit yourself just because a subject is large?

Linux usage is growing all the time so more and more doors will be opening for those who have Linux knowledge.

 

Personally, i think it can only be a good thing and one i am keeping on the back burner

Si

 

Fair enough I take your comments but... Look at it from where I am standing

I am an MCSE in Windows 2000, in my day to day work I run a number of national UK based systems in which we use a mix of Windows, UNIX and Linux so I get a feel for all the major operating systems.

If somebody was coming into IT I would advise them to work out what they wanted to do and what skill set they want to start with. In the UK there is not a huge take up of Linix (IMHO) and as an Operating System still pretty far off being the OS of choice for the average user.

So, what I am saying is get some skills that are reconised, e.g. an MCP or A+ & N+ (I do hold them as well) then once you have a solid foundation of skills then take on a new OS.

 

I can understand that, and I don't really have a problem with it. I had advised something similar earlier in the thread. I just think it's a bad idea to try to learn something when you "have" to, rather than when you "can".

Working with Linux has increased my computer skills by quite bit. Yes, it takes effort, but I put a lot of effort in my MCSE too. However, I've learned more from Linux than I did from my MS studies. Why? Because MS hides so much from both the admin and the user. Linux opens up the computer to the admin and the user, and that's why it's such a HUGE subject. You're not learning a gui with Linux. You're actually working with the computer, not the interface. That makes a huge difference in how much you can learn and the level of knowledge reached.

As to Linux jobs, well, I am seeing more and more jobs advertised in my part of the world saying that Linux skills are a real plus for an applicant. It's not unusual for there to be at least a couple of ads a fortnight with that in the job description.

I mean, take a look around on even this MS centric forum. When I first started posting here in 2005 there was only one other person that I know of who had even tried Linux: Phoenix. Now take a look around. In a recent poll here more than half the respondents said they had or were considering using Linux as their main OS. That's a lot of growth in the Linux community here, and that is happening on a lot of other forums too. The requests for Linux knowledge are growing all the time on all forums, and so is the anger at MS over WGA and the way they are going about their anti-piracy fight. This is opening, and is going to continue to open, more and more doors for Linux.

 

Only if you use the GUI interface.

95% of my work is done at the command line in the domain.

 

Then you'll have to admit that you're far beyond what MS teaches in the MCSE 2000 certs. And, if you're good on the command line and scripting then the subject of MS is HUGE compared to what is taught by MS as the way to administer MS servers because they teach gui administration.

You are administering your servers much more like a *nix admin would administer a *nix server except you're not allowed access to the text configuration files that give a *nix admin much more flexibility and granularity than Windows gives you. But, you already know that....