Linux Book Recommendations, for 2004? 20
An anonymous reader asks: "LinuxDevices.com editor Henry Kingman has reviewed O'Reilly's new Pocket Linux Guide, a 191-page guide to Linux, asking whether a book that short can tell you what you need to know to get started working on a Linux system. Apparently this book cannot, to believe Kingman, who also dismisses O'Reilly's Linux in a Nutshell as 'dry.' Can anyone recommend a good book for smart but inexperienced Linux users, something that conveys a little of the magic of Linux without being too chatty, or too esoteric, or just too overwhelming?"
Linux for Non-Geeks (Score:4, Informative)
What does '2004' have to do with it? (Score:1)
Otherwise, this '2004' stuff implies that the gui slickness is 'progress' and that the old ways are 'backward.'
I find that offensive. If you want a good Linux reference, 'Running Linux' by Matt Welsch, in the second edition published by O'Reilly back in about 1994 is entirely filled with material that you really should have a thorough exposure to. And I saw a copy of it at Half-Price boo
Re:What does '2004' have to do with it? (Score:2)
I'm fairly certain that the book you refer to will cover linuxconf in depth, as that was typically available on distributions at that time or shortly after. I don't believe ANY current commercial distribution actually installs linuxconf by default anymore.
And, offensive as you may find it, most "New" users of Linux WILL care about the GUI. The hope is th
Re:What does '2004' have to do with it? (Score:1)
vi is your friend, and a foot or two of OReilly books that don't even have to mention Linux anywhere in them is your friend, too.
Linux books? BAH! (Score:2, Funny)
Just read the man pages!
</guru>
start with the traditional UNIX CLI (start simple) (Score:2)
this is IMO important
Re:start with the traditional UNIX CLI (start simp (Score:2)
I'd suggest starting with Gentoo, you'll learn a lot about how and where things are in Linux if you follow the installation instructions well. Gentoo installs today somewhat resemble that Debian install I did backintheday.
Perhaps another platform is a better start (Score:2)
After experiencing the quality of the documentation of systems like Solaris and OpenBSD, perhaps it is better to do most learning there and then apply it to Linux. Linux is the "Windows" of UNIX, where there are so many third parties involved and so many similar software packages available that learning can be very frustrating. The "Cathedral" approach of traditional UNIX can be much more coherent and satisfying for newbies and old farts alike.
I don't intend to sound like a troll, but I'm pretty convince
The best newbie book (and a good reference) (Score:5, Insightful)
My favorite reference book is O'Reilly's LPI Certification in a Nutshell; it covers the same material as Running Linux, and is just as dry, but I prefer the layout and organization.
So how does our newbie get from point A to point B? The same way most of us did: with the distro manual, man pages, HOW-TOs, online support, and so on. I love computer books, but there's definitely something to be said for figuring stuff out for yourself.
Re:The best newbie book (and a good reference) (Score:2)
A Practical Guide to Linux" by Mark G. Sobell (Score:4, Informative)
I recommend "A Practical Guide to Linux" by Mark G. Sobell for a very good distro neutral book. Although it might be a little light on admin specific stuff.
http://www.sobell.com/LINUX/linux/html
Here's an online Linux admin guide I stumbled across awhile back-
http://rute.sourceforge.net/
For Linux specific security, I recommend "Real World Linux Security - Intrusion Prevention, Detection, and Recovery" by Bob Toxen (Prentice
Hall ISBN 0-13-028187-5).
http://www.realworldlinuxsecurity.com/
All "smart but inexperienced Linux users" should follow the guidelines Toxen presents before ever connecting an ethernet cable (or modem) to the machine.
Complete... (Score:1)
Heck, I have karma to burn...
Gentoo Linux x86 Install Guide (Score:1)
Re:Gentoo Linux x86 Install Guide (Score:2)
Or...
You will certainly learn a ton about Linux systems in general just by following the LFS recipe. Plus, you'll end up with a system that has exactly what you want on i
Another question... (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Another question... (Score:3, Interesting)
Enjoy,
I really liked "Linux in a Nutshell" (Score:1)
One of the things I hate about "newbie" computer books, is that it's great when I'm first learning the stuff, but after I've read it once, I almost never go back to that book.
I try to stay with reference material like " * in a nutshell" whenever possible, so that it will always be useful to me, and then just google for newbie tutorials.
Check out Red Hat Press (Score:1)