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I really want to build a Linux system !

AstarothMastemaRavenclaw
AstarothMastemaRavenclaw Posts: 19
in Software Development

I really want to build a Linux system but I don't know where to start !

First of all, I adore Linux .

My favorite distros so far are namely Linux Mint, Pardus, and OpenGEU .

But I want to take a different kind of ride; making my own .

I have been looking at Arch Linux, Slackware, and Linux From Scratch .

Or any other opportunity I find .

But there is a problem I should mention ..

My programming skills are left to be desired .

I can use the Terminal efficiently, but it very well ends there .

Though I am skilled in math and algebraic formulas, I don't even know if it would be useful in this domain ....

Aside from that I can pick up languages very, very, very easily .

Comments

  • corec
    corec Posts: 18
    You'll be happy to know that none of those actually require any programming skills. Well, there are shell scripts but that's it.
    Like LFS, it is just choosing what you want to have in your operating system then instructions for all the work that is required for compiling it into something useful. :)
  • AstarothMastemaRavenclaw
    AstarothMastemaRavenclaw Posts: 19
    Okay, but what about proprietary drivers, will it be easy enough to get those up and running ? Namely AMD Catalyst drivers, and Broadcom wlan drivers, and atheros etho drivers .
  • mfillpot
    mfillpot Posts: 2,177
    AstarothMastemaRavenclaw wrote:
    Okay, but what about proprietary drivers, will it be easy enough to get those up and running ? Namely AMD Catalyst drivers, and Broadcom wlan drivers, and atheros etho drivers .

    The AMD proprietary drivers are easy enough to install, you only need the kernel source installing on your system.

    The broadcom drivers are available as packages through various means on pretty much all linux based system. In the case of slackware the broadcom drivers are not included, but you can use the slackbuild scripts at http://slackbuilds.org/result/?search=broadcom&sv=13.1 to build the necessary packages and install them into the OS.

    The Atheros drivers should be included in the kernel, if they are not them you should also be able to find the necessary drivers and build scripts without too much trouble.
  • ben
    ben Posts: 134
    You need to be familiar with the kernel source or at least integrate something with closed source drivers.
    Proprietary drivers are usually supplied with streamline packages (RPM, DEB, ...) but even as .TAR.GZ (not always but quite often) binary packages. You need to integrate these .tar.gz files supplied from hw manufacturer if you want to deal with your peripherals.
    If you want to build your own Linux distro and you want to go underground you may select LFS as Corec suggested, there's nothing below it (except Linus, Andrew, Ted and these folks). LFS is basically a book, if you finish it you'll be able to do your own distro (even with proprietary drivers)

    Hope it helps
    Ben
  • Goineasy9
    Goineasy9 Posts: 1,114
    You say one of your favorite distros is Linux Mint. Well, installing any of those drivers shouldn't be more than a couple of clicks away in Mint. If you haven't yet, download a Mint Live CD and give it a try.
  • woboyle
    woboyle Posts: 501
    Linux From Scratch. They explain everything as you go, from "soup to nuts". One of the best approaches to understanding the internals of the operating system I have found.

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