I am a /. newbie with only aspirations of actually becoming a Linux user. I've been a Windows user since the birth of Windows and a dabbler in MacOS now and again. I've also used Unix on occasion. I haven't programmed in a while, but I am a lifelong geek and have been jonesing to get back into recreational coding.
My interest in Linux, beside its rumored stability and flexibility, is to build a system in which I actually know what everything does. I despise all that is hidden, automated, and assumed in Windows. All indications are that it is only going to get worse with time.
At present, I am in information gathering mode. I have been spending spare moments listening in at /. (more for Geek community than actually learning about Linux--though there are many useful links) and looking around various Linux resources online. I'm still trying to decide how to get started. The target system is an old Pentium PC in my basement that will be the proving ground. My initial goal is an operational system with full Internet capabilities (browsing, news, ftp, etc.) and nothing else.
