The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group Linux Bible 2007 - For the bookshelf Major Keary |
Titles in Wiley's Bible series are authoritative, comprehensive, and up-to-date. New editions of the Linux Bible are released regularly; the present title covers a number of distros and comes with a DVD and CD that contain live versions of Knoppix, Ubuntu, Mandriva, Gentoo, SLAX, Damn Small Linux, Puppy, and tools (BackTrack, INSERT); there are also ISO images for other distros and a ready-to-install copy of Fedora 6. An interesting inclusion is a group of files for building Coyote, which enables a Linux OS to be installed on a floppy (principally for use as a firewall).
I have looked at most of the material on the disks and everything worked without any problems; sometimes companion disks are disappointing and not always easy to use, but in this case Wiley has put together a formidable collection and taken a lot of care to ensure that it all works.
Having all that you beaut software is one thing; knowing what to do with it is something else. The Linux Bible runs to some 850 pages of information and is in three main parts. About 60% of the content is devoted to discussions of installation issues and how to run the various distros and tools. The second part - 16% - contains brief tutorials and descriptions relating to Linux applications (playing music and video, word processors, Linux publishing tools, email and web browsing, games, etc.). The third part - about a quarter of the total content - deals with advanced topics that include running servers, running a print server, running a file server, and programming (a detailed discussion of Linux firewall/router software is included in the first part).
This is not a definitive guide - such as Ubuntu Linux Bible - to Linux or a particular distro, but is intended to provide information about a wide selection of distros, including some with specialised uses. Given such a breadth of coverage it remarkably detailed and has good technical depth. It usefulness is enhanced by the inclusion of a number of specialised distros.
The book is not recommended to raw novices - there are better introductory texts for them - but it does not require readers to be hairy-chested Linux aficionados. Anyone who is reasonably computer literate will find this an excellent guide to Linux per se and the leading distros. For those already familiar with Linux there is a wealth of information about the command line, system administration, the use of Linux software tools, setting up and using servers, and other ancillary applications such as firewalls.
A valuable resource for anyone teaching Linux, manning a Linux help desk, or assisting new users. An excellent source of information for anyone wanting to select a distro to suit particular needs, from desktop to server. Recommended as a library acquisition. Great value.
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Christopher Negus et al.: Linux Bible
2007 Edition ISBN 978-0-470-08279-9 Published by Wiley, 848 pp. + DVD & CD, RRP $74.95 incl. GST |
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Reprinted from the August 2007 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
