The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group Hacking Ubuntu - For the bookshelf Major Keary |
Titles in Wiley's ExtremeTech series are designed for savvy users who want to tweak and modify applications and peripherals - in other words, to engage in hacking. The term, hack, is quietly being rehabilitated to its former respectability and restoration of its original meaning: a quick and dirty solution to a problem, or a clever way to get something done. Hacking Ubuntu reflects the spirit of that definition.
Covers of titles in the ExtremeTech series may suggest a lack of substance: mod designs with hi tech motifs and snappy headlines may not sit well with conservative users, but between the covers of these books is real substance.
Hacking Ubuntu is not a primer for new users, and does not pretend to be a comprehensive coverage of Ubuntu. It has been written for "power users" who "want the most out of their system", providing solutions to a wide range of problems and bringing to attention programs that are not usually mentioned in the general literature.
The book is in four parts: Optimising Your System covers installation options and discusses the affect of various decisions on how a system will function; it covers changing the user interface and installation and configuration issues relating to devices and peripherals.
Working with Compatibility discusses working with other - especially non-Linux - systems in a network environment and the installation of files for interoperability. This part also covers the Internet, e-mail, and messaging.
Improving Performance focuses on efficiency: tuning performance, multitasking, navigation, and video/ graphics systems.
Securing Your System shows how to protect a system and run checks for security vulnerabilities. It covers wireless and other advanced networking options, and discusses methods of secure access from external network services.
Any particular problem will usually have more than one solution; the author does not pretend to offer all possible solutions, but does present alternatives (which gives the reader better insights into the inner workings of Linux). There is a lot of interesting information here, such as how to set up multiple monitors to extend the desktop, fine tuning Firefox, managing software, and running software with emulators.
The style is tutorial, but goes into much more detail than bare-bones step 1, step, 2,.... instructions. Apart from serving as a useful reference, it is a good read and lends itself to browsing. Very good value.
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Neal Krawetz: Hacking Ubuntu ISBN 978-0-470-10872-7 Published by Wiley, 388 pp., RRP $44.95 incl. GST |
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Reprinted from the August 2007 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
