Teach Yourself Linux

Rating:
Summary: Not worth getting
Review: ... but I wish I hadn't bought this book. It may be that this was a good choice when it came out, but it's not very valuable now. It includes Red Hat 6.1 (RH 8.0 is available now), which kept crashing when I tried to install it on my PC. A friend recommended that I try Mandrake. That installed with no problems. Using this book (which is a blow-by-blow Red Hat guide) with Mandrake is just awkward. (Once I got Mandrake up and running, I didn't have much incentive to download RH8.0 to see if this book works.) To be fair to the authors, it looks like they tried to write an interesting book. But as far as my goal - to move from linux virgin to linux newbie - this book didn't help me.
If you already bought this book or find it in a garage sale for cheap, I'd recommend you download RH 8.0 and try that from the start. Maybe you'll have better luck than me.

Rating:
Summary: very practical intro
Review: A good introduction to Linux. It assumes no prior knowledge of unix.

Rating:
Summary: Not worth getting
Review: I bought Teach Yourself Linux as recommended by Tech TV. They said that this was one of the better Linux books for newbies. Though the book isn't bad, it has many problems.

Firstly, it's very outdated - Red Hat Linux 6.2 is included with it! This distribution of Linux is very very old. Right now Red Hat 7 is out!

Secondly, the book focuses too much on this single distribution! I was hoping to find a book that taught Linux in general, but this one is very Red Hat specific. Generally, Mandrake Linux is suggested to newbie users because of how user friendly it is. Why the authors chose to write about Red Hat is beyond me.

Lastly, the book focuses too much the GNOME Windows Manager. Of the many Windows Managers that come with Linux, there are two very popular ones - GNOME and KDE. Why they chose to talk more about GNOME also boggles my mind. Simply put, GNOME's interface is ugly! I planned to use KDE, the much nicer looking Windows Manager.

Instead of buying this book, I recommend buying the newest distribution of Mandrake Linux from the store, and use the books that come with the software. They are very good and cover the same stuff these guys do, but are up-to-date and explain things alot more clearly.

Rating:
Summary: Looked GREAT! Maybe the IDEAL 1st Linux book!
Review: I looked at this in a store, and it seemed superb, for the price. Covers what a competent/ computer-literate person needs to get a LOT out of Linux. I esp. liked that it includes RH 6.1 cd. But I haven't seen it for sale anywhere else, and it looks like it's not immed. avail. here ;-(

Rating:
Summary: This book WILL help you setup Linux
Review: I've tried a couple of different books on installing Linux and this is the only one that was of any help. In one evening I set up my sound card, printer, and network!

The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that it lacks any discussion on Perl or C that you can find in almost every other Linux book.

Rating:
Summary: An Incomplete Book
Review: The book did well in getting you started. It went through step by step the installation and setup of Linux. It taught you how to use the included applications and some basic terminal commands.

It left out one key subject area that is a mystery to most Linux beginners: how to install programs that didn't come built-in.

Rating:
Summary: DON'T PUT DOWN THE BOOK
Review: This book is an excellent book, it was suggested on TechTV. it is true old but not outdated because the same Linux commands and the basics and advancced feathures in Linux have not changed. This focuess on Redhat not Mandrake people because Redhat is the most widely used distro of Linux! DUH! Why write a book on somethign that isn't as popular! Its an excellent book to get started. Download the newest Redhat version. dont use the cd. Its old. But the book is good so i give it 5 stars. i don't know why the others gave it bad ratings. THeyre just ignorant.

Rating:
Summary: Bill Gates- your money is safe
Review: This was my first book on the subject and i could definately have found a better book. The title "Teach yourself linux" couldn't be more true, you need to teach yourself Linux because this book wont be much of a help. The authors don't go deep at all, just scratching the surface, not explaining much. Important things as the installation process, the structure of the system, and some bits here and there are written poorly and will almost definately leave a beginner helpless. As the authors say, this book is for a beginner but in my opinion it's a bit too confusing for a beginner.
Don't buy this book if you want to get serious with Linux, there are far better books out there.
The Red Hat CD + RPM-packages CD and a useful section about text-editing barely makes this book a two star.