Linux Pocket Guide

I am a linux newbie, though I have an extensive computer background in other operating systems, and I wanted a comprehensive, yet brief reference book for Linux. This is indespensible! I have other detailed, how-to Linux books, but this is the one I continue to use on a regular basis. THe book is arranged in a very logical way, and the table of contents in conjunction with the index allows me to quickly find the command I need. Essentially all Linux commands are included, and for a given command, the most commonly used options are explained. If I need more detail, and I infrequently do, I can go to those other books, or most likely I just use Linux available documentation (command help, man pages, etc.) Alot of information for just a few bucks -- again, indispensible!

If you are a competent computer user and want to switch to Linux but don't really know anything about it, you NEED this book! Basically, it tells you how to do all the things that everyone assumes you already know how to do: text editing, basic text manipulation, finding files, managing files, changing permissions, using groups, & c & c. If you have installed Linux but are now wondering, "How do I delete a folder?" go buy this book! Edit: It's 2008 and years since I first wrote this review. I'm LPI certified and I work with Linux every day at an advanced level. A lot of the knowledge I apply every day came from this book. I recommend it to my coworkers who know less about Linux and I still use it for a quick reference on some commands. When I wrote the review, I was a beginner; now I'm an expert and I still feel the same way about this book. BUY IT!

I've always been more of a GUI-type user, and even the old DOS commands never did much for me. But now that I'm moving into the world of Linux, I need to understand the power of the command line. To that end, I got a review copy of the Linux Pocket Guide by Daniel J. Barrett (O'Reilly). I have a feeling this will become a dog-eared favorite on my bookshelf. Normally I'd list a chapter breakout, but there's just too many "chapters" here to do so. Suffice it to say that if it's a shell command in Linux, it's in here somewhere. The great thing is that you get the command and a list of the useful options, along with the syntax in less than half a page (and the book is small!). So instead of hauling down the large volume and scrolling through multiple pages, you can get right to the command you need with the options you're probably looking for. For a beginner like me, it will help to make me more comfortable with many of the basics of command line work. For experts, it will be the quick reference for that particular option that you can't remember the capitalization rules for... Short, concise, easy to understand, and packed with meat... What more could you want in a reference manual? This is a keeper.

It's no secret, there's a lot of books about Linux on the market today. Linux is HOT!! But it's also no secret that a lot of publishers have been jumping on the bandwagon churning out Linux books just to get a piece of the action. This Oreilly pocket guide is everything you would expect from an Oreilly book: thorough, succinct, and worth the money.The book has a great structure, covering the basics and then going into commands. The commands are organized in functional groups. So if you want to do some user administration, just thumb to that section and all the relevant comands are at your fingertips.There's enough detail about each command that you can actually use it. The author also often tells you how the command is "usually used," which is helpful. There's even some basics sprinkled in about programming and shell syntax. It's awesome that they actually put useful stuff in a pocket guide!Whether you're an advanced administrator or a beginner, this book is worth the investment. It has enough info to be a quick reference, but it's clearly written enough to be a primer for beginners. ENJOY!!!

Anyone who uses Linux will benefit from this handy pocket guide which lists general Linux commands for various tasks, ranging from directory operations, file commands, locating files, doing backups, controlling various processes, to working on the Internet (web browsing, Usenet news, email, and network connections). There are lots of commands listed here. No, this is not a general reference book by any means (and there are lots of Linux reference books around), but it is just the thing when you need to look up a specific command fast. All commands are listed with their syntax and a brief explanation of what they do.The book discusses in a little detail about Fedora, Red Hat's "free Linux OS." It also goes into some descriptions about running a shell, logins and logouts, filesystems, and home and system directories. Again this book covers the basics and it assumes the readers already have a decent knowledge of Linux. Since Linux does so many things and it's next to impossible to remember every single command, a book like this is handy to have on your desk when you can't remember a specific command.