This section covers introductory material. I go over the general organization of the guide.
The first time I attempted to install a Linux distro, I came across several good guides. However, I found it difficult to piece together what I learned. Guides online are often heavily opinionated, that is, the author has a very specific idea regarding
The required materials for use throughout this guide are presented here. Further details on these components are provided in Hardware Selection.
This guide is intended to be read by beginners in Linux. It is assumed that the reader has very little prior knowledge. This guide is not meant to be purely an instruction manual. For this reason, context will be provided regarding the code run by the author during the installation, with references to the relevant sources where applicable. T is to provide readers with the tools to solve any issues they come across. In addition, while running arbitrary code from the internet is tempting, and the author is very much guilty of doing so at times, it's a dangerous practice and should be avoided. The reader is strongly encouraged to only run code they understand.
The guide is divided into several sections, presented below in the Table of Contents. Each section is listed in chronological order, such that chapter 2 assumes that the reader has completed all the necessary setup outlined in chapter 1. At the beginning of each section, a summary of the contents of that section is provided.
It is very likely that by the time you are reading this guide, it will be out of date. The version information for every tool used througout this guide is specified when relevant. The reader is strongly encouraged to use those versions, even if they are outdated. This ensures that the reader's experience will be as close as possible to the author's. Once the installation is complete, the reader is then encouraged to update their tooling as needed. Further, it is strongly recommended to proceed with updates with caution. Sometimes, new versions can cause things to break. For this reason, tooling should be updated one tool at a time, not all at once. This makes it a lot easier to identify which tool may be causing issues.
Finally, I close with a note to the reader. It is very likely that you will run into obstacles as you follow this guide. This is normal. The reader is urged to refrain from getting frustrated. Nothing good ever comes out of that.
"Don't Panic!"
-- Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide Through the Galaxy