DevOps From Scratch: Entry #02

Source: Dev.to

🎉 Happy New Year!

Before anything, happy new year!!! We made it to 2026! 🎇 (survived trials and tribulations 🥲)

The Stranger Things show has a new season, and I have a mountain of anime on my Netflix watch‑list that I’m itching to watch. But I realized that time waits for no one, so I had to forfeit all of that and use my free time to continue learning the Linux course.

Procrastination is a killer of dreams.
I decided to do things when I have to, because if I got cosy and binge‑watched Stranger Things, I wouldn’t be typing this blog right now.

---

📚 My Linux Learning Journey

Why the Linux Foundation’s LFS101?

• It’s widely considered the “gold standard” for beginners.
• The Linux Foundation is the non‑profit organization that employs Linus Torvalds (creator of the Linux kernel and Git).
• Learning from them is like learning about an engine directly from the people who designed it.

Who is Linus Torvalds?
He created the Linux kernel and Git at the age of 21—pretty impressive! (The penguin mascot always reminds me of cartoon penguins 😂.)

Installing a Linux‑based System

The “Linux philosophy and concepts” module advises us to install a Linux kernel on our machine to better understand it.

• I didn’t want to replace my main PC’s OS, so I used an older laptop for the switch.
• If you don’t have an extra machine, you can set up a dual‑boot system.
• I chose Ubuntu (the distro used in the tutorial) for a smoother learning experience.

Installation details

• Took about 1 hour 30 minutes (my laptop isn’t the fastest).
• Downloaded the ISO from the official site: Ubuntu ISO Download
• Followed the step‑by‑step guide provided on the site.

What I Love About the Course

• Self‑paced – you can pick up where you left off.
• I’m moving at a slow pace because I also have school modules, but I still make time to learn and document my progress, which helps retention.

🛠️ The Core Philosophy (The “Unix Way”)

1. Small is Beautiful – Write programs that do one thing and do it well.
2. Everything is a File – Hard drives, keyboards, documents… all are treated as files, letting the same tools manage almost everything.
3. Chainability (Pipes) – Small tools can be piped together: the output of one command becomes the input of the next.
4. Avoid Interactive User Interfaces – Tools are designed to be non‑interactive, which is crucial for automation in DevOps.

🖥️ Engine vs. Car: Kernel vs. Distribution

🌐 Three Main Linux Lineages

Almost every Linux distro descends from one of these three “founding houses.”

🛠️ Quick Tech Check: What Am I Running?

Since I installed Ubuntu, I’m officially part of the Debian family. I can verify how my system handles software by using its package manager.

# Update the list of available software
sudo apt update

(The original note cut off after “sudo ap”; the correct command is sudo apt update.)

apt update

sudo

• Stands for SuperUser DO.
• It’s like saying “I am the boss, give me permission to do this.”

apt

• The Advanced Package Tool – the “app store” of the Debian/Ubuntu world.
• On a Red Hat system you would use dnf instead.

update

• Tells the system to go online and check if newer versions of your apps are available.

Why This Matters

In DevOps you’ll spend a lot of time patching servers.
Knowing whether to use apt (Debian‑based) or dnf (Red Hat‑based) depends entirely on which family your server belongs to.

The Linux Foundation’s Open‑Source Principles

Linux is released under the GPL (General Public License), which guarantees three core freedoms:

1. Freedom to run – Use it for any purpose.
2. Freedom to study – Look at the source code (the “engine”) to see how it works.
3. Freedom to redistribute – Share copies with friends or even sell your own version (as long as you keep it open).

Flashy Update 🚀

I’ve officially updated Flashy (the flashcard site) with a brand‑new section!

• Foundations deck – All your terminal commands and directory‑structure basics.
• Philosophy & Concepts deck – New material on core ideas like “Small is Beautiful” and “Everything is a File.”

If you want those concepts to really stick, give the decks a spin. They’ve been a lifesaver for me while balancing school work with this Linux deep‑dive.

What’s Next?

Now that we’ve covered mindset and philosophy, it’s time to look under the hood of how a machine actually wakes up.

Upcoming post: Series 03 – Linux Basics and System Startup

We’ll be covering:

• The Boot Process – From BIOS to the Kernel.
• Initialization – What exactly happens during this phase.
• Service Management – How Linux handles background services.

Procrastination almost won today with Stranger Things calling my name, but finishing this summary and updating the app feels way more rewarding.

See you in the next one! 🚀🐧