The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group Linux Resources Major Keary majkeary@netspace.com.au

Installing Linux

The Black Book series from Coriolis has been extended to include a Little Black Book sub-series written for system and network administrators, and programmers and software engineers.

Linux Install and Confguration is a concise handbook designed to help solve problems for administrators experienced in other operating systems, but new to Linux; experienced Linux users who have not been exposed to the role of administrator; and those people who want to set up Linux and "learn the intricate ins and outs of configuration and administration".

The format is designed to make information easy to find. Each chapter begins with a list of "if you need an immediate solution to:" topics with page references. Next follows an In Brief section that provides potted background information. Then come the immediate solutions.

For example, the chapter on installing Red Hat explains in brief the install classes, LILO, the MBR, the Linux root partition, and installing multiple operating systems. The "immediate solutions" section is a series of statements that describe tasks, such as "Determining which install disks arc necessary", with a succinct statement that tells the reader what to do.

Apart from a well laid out and detailed list of contents, and a comprehensive index, the book is thumb-indexed; each page has a tab that identifies the chapter subject.

This is not a beginners handbook; it assumes knowledge of administration in general or of the Linux operating system in particular. Ordinary users who are installing either Red Hat or Caldera distributions should find it helpful in sorting out configuration problems, and for that purpose it is a useful library acquisition.

An essential resource and reference anyone who regularly handles installation and configuration matters.

Linux for Dummies

The first edition of Linux for Dummies was not well received in some quarters; those critics have welcomed this, the second edition, rewritten by Jon Hall (who is the Executive Director of Linux International).

This is for beginners and it comes with a Red Hat 5.2 on a companion CD. There is a newer version of Red Hat, but 5.2 is stable and can easily be upgraded once you have got Linux running. The book-CD package is good value for anyone making their first foray into Linux.

An appendix contains a listing of Linux compatible hardware and peripherals, which is a convenient checklist for someone starting out. The language is good, plain English; explanations of Linux commands are easy to follow, and the general instructions for installation and use of software are clear and unambiguous. The author goes to some trouble in pointing out potentially confusing usages in "man" (manual) pages and many books.

Most users will want a graphical inter-face, and the installation, configuration, and use of the X-Windows system is explained.

A practical, hands-on, approach to Linux for first time users. Well written and, for a book of this size, surprisingly comprehensive. Very well indexed.

Jon Hall: Linux for Dummies 2nd edn. ISBN 0-7645-0421-5 Published by IDG, 360 pp. + CD RRP $39.95

Running Linux

O'Reilly has always been a source of quality texts on Unix, and led the way to putting Linux into print. Early titles, including the first edition of Running Linux, were published in 1995 (I should mention that Prentice Hall included the Slackware distribution of Linux in a 1994 title, Internet CD). Running Linux is now in its third edition and covers all distributions, including ports to the Macintosh platform.

The KDE desktop is included, which enables the user to have a look-alike windows interface to match Windows, Mac, or whatever. Also, Samba, the usefulness of which seems to have been overlooked; it enables Linux users to serve files and printers to Windows systems.

This is probably the most useful single text for getting started. That term is not used to include beginners who are unfamiliar with the workings of an operating system. It means users who have sufficient understanding to install an operating system, even if it is new to them. In many Linux titles the tools that come with the various distributions are given scant attention, or even mention. Here the reader will find them covered in good depth and presented in clear language. An innovative use of marginal logos provides cross references within the book and to other, more specific, titles.

Reprinted from the June 2000 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia

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