Product Description

You may be contemplating your first Linux installation. Or you may have been using Linux for years and need to know more about adding a network printer or setting up an FTP server. "Running Linux", now in its fifth edition, is the book you'll want on hand in either case. Widely recognized in the Linux community as the ultimate getting-started and problem-solving book, it answers the questions and tackles the configuration issues that frequently plague users, but are seldom addressed in other books. This fifth edition of "Running Linux" is greatly expanded, reflecting the maturity of the operating system and the teeming wealth of software available for it. Hot consumer topics, such as audio and video playback applications, groupware functionality, and spam filtering are covered, along with the basics in configuration and management that always have made the book popular. "Running Linux" covers basic communications, such as mail, Web surfing, and instant messaging, but also delves into the subtleties of network configuration - including dial-up, ADSL, and cable modems - in case you need to set up your network manually. The book can make you proficient on office suites and personal productivity applications - and also tells you what programming tools are available if you're interested in contributing to these applications. Other new topics in the fifth edition include: encrypted email and filesystems, advanced shell techniques, and remote login applications. Classic discussions on booting, package management, kernel recompilation, and X configuration have also been updated. The authors of "Running Linux" have anticipated problem areas, selected stable and popular solutions, and provided clear instructions to ensure that you'll have a satisfying experience using Linux. The discussion is direct and complete enough to guide novice users, while still providing the additional information experienced users will need to progress in their mastery of Linux. Whether you're using Linux on a home workstation or maintaining a network server, "Running Linux" will provide expert advice just when you need it.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #506401 in Books
• Published on: 2005-12-22
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 951 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Earlier editions of O'Reilly's Running Linux served as central guides on installing, configuring and using the OS. The third edition of this guide covers the kernel through version 2.2.1 and will prove especially useful to those with high technical aptitudes and a well-tested willingness to experiment with their computing environments.

The explanation of how to rebuild the kernel--a particularly daunting task for many--deserves special praise, as do the sections on configuring network links and servers. Users will find that the informative, prose- heavy style packs maximum information into this book's pages. For example, the purpose of a Linux element is described and then the reader is shown various ways of using it, complete with explicit statements of what you type and what you get in response. Back this book up with a good command reference (Linux in a Nutshell is solid), and you'll be well on your way to Linux mastery. --David Wall, Amazon.com

Topics covered: KDE and Gnome windowing systems; Samba, file, and system management; shells; windowing systems and networking; installation on Alpha, PowerPC, Motorola 680x0 and Sparc boxes.

Review
"With so many books on the market covering every aspect of Linux configuration and use under almost every distro available, it's refreshing to see a well updated work which tackles the core issues with such vigour. Running Linux is a fabulous guide for the eager newbie and experienced user alike." - Martin Howse, Linux User & Developer, issue 27

Russell J.T. Dyer, Linux Journal, February 09, 2003
'Running Linux' really is one of the ultimate Linux manuals.

Customer Reviews

Good for beginers and experienced users.
Unlike the previous reader, I found this very useful as a newbie. It's a surprisingly easy book to read for an O'Reilly book (they usually tend to write very "dry" books that are easier to understand when you already have a good grounding in a subject)...

The book tackles installtion, system maintenance, file systems, commands etc etc with clarity, making it both a book to read in an idle moment and a fine reference book.I'd hate to be without this book now, so I'm going to have to return the copy I have to my friend and buy my own!

Good Book - Especially for the Newbie
This book got me up to speed with Linux in a day...!

This is an excellent general introduction to Linux covering all the basics, no matter what distribution you are using. I have specific texts on Red Hat, Caldera and Debian distributions, but if you are just starting out and don't need to know the esoteric differences between Distributions, buy this book as a general getting started guide and reference.

As I am learning Linux for work, I did find some of the information lacked detail on specific subjects, i.e. the detailed nut and bolts of FTP, Apache and Samba, but in fairness, this information is easy to come by on the WWW and where this book really excells is in getting you started.

I also suggest you consider Linux in a Nutshell by the same publishers as a command reference guide to accompany Running Linux

A Good Reference
I'll start off by saying that I like this book. It's the book that I often reach for when I need to know the location of a specific file or the correct order for executing certain commands. I recommend it thouroghly.

Now the problems:

I don't particuarly like he way it starts explaining a certain topic but doesn't really cover the possible pitalls one might face. it seems to refer the reader to the distribution vendor just a little too often for me. It does however still go into plenty of detail on the various options available for various parts of the Linux OS. Setting up X, recompiling the kernel, navigating the file system and many more are all done in a well laid out and effective manner.

It also explains things which with modern distributions (Fedora/Red Hat, SuSE, Mandrake etc...) you don't need to do. Using Fdisk for instance. I think this is good as it explains the industry standard tools which get the job done, and which at some point you may well need to fall back on. It also carries on the tradition of O'Reilly books by being accessable for the new user but not treating them like an idiot. It assumes you want to go further and allows you to do so by giving a good grounding as well as introducing advanced topics.

All in all, a very good book which I would say is suited to the person who wants to learn the way things are done and really access the power of Linux. If you just want to write letters in Red Hat, get "Red Hat for Dummies" or "Red Hat in 24 hours". If, however, you want to learn how to properly reconfigure the kernel in Slackware then go for this.