Linux Bible 2010 Edition: Boot Up to Ubuntu, Fedora, KNOPPIX, Debian, openSUSE, and 13 Other Distributions
The definitive guide to the basics of one of the most popular operating systems in the world Whether you’re a first-time Linux user or you’re migrating from another operating system, this book is an ideal introductory guide for getting comfortable with the building-block nature of Linux. Written by bestselling author Christopher Negus, this guide is packed with in-depth descriptions on the basics of Linux desktops, servers, and programming tools and gets you up to speed on all the new and exciting features of the newest version: Linux 2010. Negus walks you through transitioning from Windows or Mac and helps you find the Linux distribution that best meets your needs. You’ll explore more than 18 Linux distributions, including the latest versions of Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian, OpenSUSE, Slackware, Knoppix, Gentoo, Mandriva, SLAX, and more. Plus, you’ll discover how to set up secure, fully functioning Linux server systems and get up-to-date installation advice. …
Buy Linux Bible 2010 Edition: Boot Up to Ubuntu, Fedora, KNOPPIX, Debian, openSUSE, and 13 Other Distributions at Amazon
It seems like a lot of the Linux books out there right now pick a single distribution and teach you that one. Wiley’s Linux Bible (2005 Edition) by Christopher Negus takes a different approach that may be valuable to you.
Chapter List:
Part 1 – Linux First Steps: Starting With Linux; Running Commands from the Shell; Getting into the Desktop
Part 2 – Running The Show: Learning Basic Administration; Getting on the Internet; Securing Linux
Part 3 – Choosing and Installing a Linux Distribution: Installing Linux; Running Fedora Core and Red Hat Enterprise Linux; Running Debian GNU/Linux; Running SUSE Linux; Running KNOPPIX; Running Yellow Dog Linux; Running Gentoo Linux; Running Slackware Linux; Running Linspire; Running Mandrakelinux; Running a Linux Firewall/Router; Running Bootable Linux Distribution
Part 4 – Running Applications: Paying Music and Video; Working with Words and Images; E-Mailing and Web Browsing; Gaming Alone and Online
Part 5 – Running Servers: Running a Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP (LAMP) Server; Running a Mail Server; Running a Print Server; Running a File Server
Part 6 – Programming in Linux: Programming Environments and Interfaces; Programming Tools and Utilities
Appendix A: Media; Appendix B: Entering the Linux Community; Index
The main difference I see in this book is the lack of focus on a particular distribution. The different chapters (with the exception of Part 3) are all designed to teach you the basics of Linux apart from any flavor. This allows you to learn core skills that can transfer between whatever distribution you might be using at any given time. Part 3 gives a short coverage of each major distribution available on the market. If you’re wondering about the pros and cons of each, this section of the book will help you decide where you want to start your specific distribution-specific learning.
Like all Bible titles, this is pretty big (800+ pages). While there’s a lot of useful information, I don’t know that I’d recommend this to be your *only* Linux book. 200+ pages deal with the distribution information, which leaves considerably less room for core Linux information. The other chapters cover the gamut of Linux software (server, desktop, productivity, internet, games, etc.), so there’s not a lot in in-depth coverage on any one particular area. I’d probably position this as a very good entry level book to teach the reader about Linux and help them decide what distribution to pick. From there, I’d pick a book specific to my distribution of choice and continue my learning.
If your the right audience and in the right situation, this book will work well for you…
The back of the book claims it’s recommended “Beginner to Advanced.” That’s a bit of a stretch. This is probably a good book for someone new to the glories of Linux who wants to be told what and when to type. It also provides a decent overview of what specific applications are out there. This book answers questions like, “Are there any applications that’ll let me hook up my digital camera?” If you’re looking for a tome-like reference book that’ll be there when you need to find out how to configure some obscure daemon or interpret cryptic dmesg output, then you should probably look elsewhere. (And if you find it elsewhere, let me know!)
The book comes with alot of linux distros on a DVD and CD, but most of these are several versions out of data at this point and you’ll probably end up downloading newer ISO’s and burning your own CD’s anyway. If you already know which distrubution you’re going to use, get a book specific to it.
While the Linux world develops by the day, and new advances and Kernels are constantly being updated, this book remains a helpful and near essential tool for a beginning Linux user. From the absolute basics to a moderately advanced approach, this book offers a huge amount of tips as to which direction to approach Linux. I would suggest that anyone reading this book actually download and install the most recent distributions rather than installing the outdated ones on the disks.
The author definitely has a strong presence throughout the book, giving a tone of guidance necessary to those new to the operating system.
Though this book is excellent in it’s own respect, never rely solely upon it, and stock up on Linux books. This book seems to wax over the command line, among other small facets of Linux that need to be explored in greater detail, so I would Suggest Linux in a Nutshell, or any of the other fantastic O’Reilly books as a companion to this book
Content: 4/5
Exploration: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Completeness: 5/5
Overall: 5/5