PC Magazine Linux Solutions [With CDROM]

The first chapter of Linux Solutions offers an excellent exposition of Linux, its history, its communtiy, and how it fits into the world of computing. Chapter two is a very good outline of today's most popular Linux distributions. Unfortunately, for those new to Linux and the Linux community, the book does not explain how you can get help from your local user group or the phenomenon of the installfest. As with any printed book, some of the specifics were obsolete when it went to press. I have a page about this book on my wiki: wsms.wikiplanet.com, which I will update from time-to-time.

The following review was originally written for the Tucson Computer Society in August of 2006. Since then I've had a chance to get into Linux more and use this book more. It truly is a solutions book. Using this book I set up a samba server and SSH. I've worked with and gained understanding of file permissions. I'm able to work from the command line. There is a lot of helpful information on using apt. I use KNOPPIX to experiment with tweaking configuration files and not endangering my installation. I run Debian Etch on a PII and three Sun Ultra machines. I use Debian Sarge on a Sun Ultra file server and Ubuntu on the PII mentioned above. I saved long searches on the internet by using this book. This book works. I often get more detailed information from man pages, etc. but I use this book as a first reference. I get things going using the instructions included. I am new to Linux and I consider this book a great beginner's guide. ------------- PC Magazine Linux Solutions is copyrighted 2006, making it as current as possible. This paperback book is aimed at computer users who are interested in Linux but who have little or no Linux or UNIX experience. Included with the book is a live CD of KNOPPIX, a Debian based distribution of Linux. The first section of the book briefly introduces the philosophy and history of Linux and the open source movement. The author compares and discusses ten popular versions or distributions of Linux (there are about 400) to help the reader decide which distribution fits their situation best. The distributions discussed might be classed as general distributions as opposed to many distributions for specialized purposes. He discusses Linux hardware and possible hardware problems that could be encountered because Linux doesn't have the driver support some other operating systems have. One very important item stressed in the first section is visiting the web sites of the distributions and finding the latest information. The second section has installation instructions for the i386 or Intel Linux distributions. There is a Linux distribution for almost any architecture but i386 is the most common. The author uses Fedora Core 4 for his installation example. His explanation of the installation procedure is clear enough to be carried over to most other distributions with little problem. The instructions begin with obtaining ISOs and making bootable installation CDs. The installation procedure is explained in detail including how to install Linux on a hard drive containing a version of Windows and setting up a dual boot situation. After the system is installed successfully in Section Two, Section Three discusses configuring and running Linux. GNOME and KDE, the two most popular desktop interfaces, are introduced to the user. Linux, from its UNIX heritage, is traditionally a command line operating system and much configuration is traditionally done using a text editor to write and edit configuration files.

Are you a Windows user looking for a fast route to get acquainted with Linux? Look no further! Joe Merlino did a great job on his "PC Magazine Linux Solutions". This 400 page books is an excellent resource for Linux enthusiasts and beginners. Interestingly enough, some Linux users who are already familiar with this exciting operating system will find it a good read as well. The book is versatile, as much as Linux is. The book will briefly introduce you to several Linux distributions. You will learn how to install Linux and setup your desktop environment. Useful install and boot commands are described in plain English. You will learn a variety of topics from partitioning your hard drive, setting up new user accounts and groups, to customizing GNOME and KDE (window/desktop environments) and using productivity software. Linux comes with hundreds of highly useful applications. Joe Merlino did a great job covering a good few of them. Once you read through beginner subjects you can progress to some administrative tasks. System administration is an integral part of Linux OS. You will learn how to backup data, install and remove hardware, learn to share files and adjust security settings. The strength of the Linux OS is in its command line. The author does not shy away from this powerful topic. Neither does he skip from some server related subjects. The book is a must. For your convenience, the publisher attached a copy of Knoppix to this book.