What is a Good Text for 'Intro to Linux' Courses?

purpleduck asks: "I will be teaching an introductory college course in Linux this summer or fall. The idea is to introduce UNIX to the students using Linux. I think we will focus on the server side of things and will most likely use the Redhat distro. Does anyone have any suggestions for a good text?"

Re:if you're talking system administration, use:

[Matthew Weigel]

Or Essential System Administration, from O'Reilly. Frankly, having looked through both, I think the O'Reilly book teaches concepts better.

However, I don't think it's necessarily appropriate as an "Introduction to Unix via Linux" course. I'm not sure what is.

XEmacs

[Nelson]

You might as well start them off with what they're going to want to use down the road...

Seriously, you can use the arrow keys, it has a button bar with copy/cut/paste. It has a menu that covers the common editing tasks. gvim is probably as good.

gnotepad is rather friendly looking also but any proper intro course for Linux or UNIX should definitely point the users at emacs or vi.

ORAs Running Linux

[draziw]

I don't think you can go wrong with ORA's Running Linux, 3rd ed" [amazon.com]. It covers everything at a intro level. There are also a _ton_ of non book docs on the net. eg: Take a look at Linux Care [linuxcare.com]. Good luck on the class - sounds cool.

Re:XEmacs

[ywwg]

text, not text editor. as in textbook :)

if you're talking system administration, use:

[millia]

the Unix System Administration Handbook, 3rd edition, soon to be published. Here's the link to it at fatbrain [fatbrain.com]

It covers system admin from a multi-os perspective- linux, as well as freeBSD, and a couple of others, too, which I don't remember.

I've been a fan since the first edition, and can't wait for this one.

duh.

[Zurk]

the kernel hackers guide (formerly at khg.redhat.com - now in print). thats the bible. 42. the answer to everything linux. get it. now.

Beginning Linux Programming, 2nd Edition

[dane23]

I took a class in Linux programming while in college and we used the first edition [slashdot.org] of this great book. After reading the review here on Slashdot of the second edition [slashdot.org] it seems that it has been greatly improved in the update. I have to agree with Kurt Gray (the reviewer) that the first edition seemed a little out of date but the 2nd edition features info on GNOME and GTK+, Perl, more diagrams and screenshots, etc... And who could go wrong buying a linux book with a forward by Alan Cox?

A few to evaluate...

[mosch]

I'd evaluate the obvious O'Reilly titles, Running Linux, Learning RH Linux... Essential System Administration is a great text and covers a lot of unix concepts and such quite clearly. Perhaps it would be good if you just find the local quality technical bookstore (you *do* still have one right, they're not *all* B&N or Borders... at least I hope not) and just start reading Table of Contents... when you find a few that seem appropriate, go buy yourself a cup of coffee, sit down and read them until you decide which you like best.
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