Rating: 
Summary: Great if your new to Linux
Review: I changed my PC from NT to Dual boot NT and Linux, I installed Linux easily then got stuck trying to set Linux up. I ended up reading a never ending circle of how to's and FAQ's and getting nowhere. Then I bought this book. 2 weeks later I've got linux up and running (apache, mail, gnome, kde, ppp, ethernet ...) and I feel confident about what I'm doing. Great book - Changes Linux System Admin from frustrating guess work to an enjoyable learning experience.
Rating:
Summary: I simply cannot think of a better book for a Linux beginner!
Review: When I heard about Linux, way back in 99, I was very eager to try it out. Everyone was talking about its stability and power. I got myself Red Hat Linux 6.0 and *tried* to install it, to no avail. I thought I knew much but I apparently did not. Then I sought help of a Linux pro who installed the system for me, I played around with it for about a month and then got sick of it because I did not know any commands so I was not able to use it productively, guess what, I deleted it again. By that time I hated Linux. Then after a couple of months the Linux bug bit me once again.I came looking for a Linux book at Amazon.com and selected this book mainly because of its great reputation . Since the day this book got to me I have been able to connect to the internet, compile C and C++ programs, edit images, share files with Windows computers in my 4 PC home network,edit files with editors such as vi and emacs,safely multi-boot my system using LILO and re-compile custom kernels. Thats alot of teaching for one book , but this book does it and with ease and style. This book teaches you the essentials in such a way that you get to know the internals of the topic as well, in other words it builds your knowledge from the ground up. okay enough stories, the bottom line is that there is no better getting started guide about Linux than this wonderful book in the Entire Galaxy!
Rating:
Summary: Best of Breed
Review: This is the best book on Linux that I have read, and I have read and browsed several. Unlike the others, this book does not try to be all things to all people. Its simple title says it all. I can honestly say that I have learned far more from this book than any other in my collection. Excellent.
Rating: 
Summary: yummy, but shallow
Review: I loved this book. It was very yummy, easy and fun to read, however, most topics are covered at a very superficial level. Many of the subjects have more comprehensive coverages in the manpages. Chapters 4 (basic unix commands and concepts), 9 (editors, text tools, graphics, and printing), and 13 (programming languages) were very sketchy and in no way provide adequate information. But, I loved this book anyway.
Rating:
Summary: The first and best Oreilly book I have read
Review: This is the first book I had ever read about Linux, and it is still the best. I found it to be most useful in explaining simple things that other linux books (and webpages) overlook. It also explains things rather clearly, and provides a nice intro to just about everything a beginner needs to know. If you are somewhat familiar with Linux, you might still find a few things you didn't know before, though I'd recommend reading another book. Anyhow, money VERY well spent!
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Summary: Great Books for BEGINNERS!!
Review: If you are looking for a well-constructed and step-by-step setup of Linux, This is the book. It goes in detail on the installation of Linux, X Windows, configurations, and even touched on the syntex. I would recommand it to the BEGINNERS!
Rating:
Summary: A Must for Beginners
Review: My hat's truly off to Matt Welsh and the gang. As a new Linux user, I was naturally overwhelmed by all the "command-line" intensive structure of Linux. Needless to say, I began to have doubts about how "great" the operating system really is. Fortunately, Matt (and et al) came to the rescue with Running Linux. If you are new to Linux, and have no previous Unix background either, then this is the book for you. Although it doesn't exactly handhold you through the whole process, the book is deadly accurate on what to expect when you punch the keys and instructions start flying across the screen. I've had the book for almost six months now, and I still reference it regularly to find my way out of a pitfall or problem. With books and authors like this, it's no wonder O'Reilly is number one with all the pros when it comes to computer books.
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Summary: Well written guide to using Linux
Review: Running Linux is loaded with little tricks to relieve frustrations with Linux. My favorite parts of this book are when it talks about device files, using vi, lilo and using modules. This book is very useful for someone who wants to run Win95 and Linux or who just wants to learn more about how Linux is set up. One gaping hole in this book is how to use Linux with NT. It is mentioned but not covered well. This is also lacking in the 3rd addition. Another problem is that this book spends too much time trying to teach the reader to program without going into enough depth to really get going. The chapters on programming languages and tools for programmers really belong in another book altogether. Despite its flaws, I did find the book useful and would recommend it to anyone using Linux.
Rating:
Summary: Picture this:
Review: You just got hold of a Linux distribution for the first time in your life. Probably it is Red Hat but it could be anything. You may even have some manuals that came with the distribution but you know you are going to need more than that. And you have absolutely no experience with this operating system. You feel overwhelmed even before you start the installation. Been there done that. Grab a copy of Running Linux and you are set.By the time you will finish the book you will be on the top 30% of experienced Linux users. Welcome to Linux.
Rating: 
Summary: Very shallow coverage of Linux - probably nice for newbies
Review: I think this book is not good enough and can serve only as a very general overview of Linux. The more you know about Linux/Unix the more you hate this book. It was especially funny to read other readers reviews that it may be good for sysadmins. No way. To serious users and sysadmins I would recommend to choose a book devoted to their particular platform, e.g. "Red Hat Linux x.x Unleashed" or "Linux Network Servers" or various kinds of Administrators handbooks. At least you'll get some information in there. "Running Linux" in 90% of cases won't help you to solve your problems. It simply not practical. If you really want to learn Linux try books for sysadmins like "Linux Network servers". Even beginners will learn more about Linux/Unix from the book like "Teach yourself Unix (or Linux) in 24 hours" - they are much more to the point. One general comment about O'Reilly. They really have quite a number of good books out there. Like "Unix Power Tools" and some exceptionally good books about Perl. But they have a number of bad ones. "Running Linux", "Managing projects with Make", "Learning Java" are exceptionally good examples of general fluff/bad editing. One of the major problems with O'Reilly that they don't know how to deal with books for beginners or just cannot decide what kind of audience this or that particular book is written for... When we are reading books we are looking for well organized information and not general stories about history of Linux or Perl. We need helpful examples. Take a look at chapter 16 for example. The authors tried to explain how to use Netscape Navigator on 3 pages, HTML basics on several pages, how to write cgi script on 1 or 2 pages. All these attempts are nice but even a newbie needs a book about HTML, not just a few pages... Simply waste of paper... The best way to spoil a book is to try to consider 100 topics each of which deserves a separate book and try to explain each one on one or two pages... What one gets from "Running Linux" is not good enough even for newbies. Maybe good for company managers. Beware. I hope the next edition will be more focused or will contain three-four times more pages.
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