Beginning Ubuntu Linux From Novice to Professional~tqw~ darksiderg

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Beginning Ubuntu Linux: From Novice to Professional
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General Information
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Type.................: Ebook
Part Size............: 25,536,947 bytes
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Posted by............: ~tqw~
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Release Notes
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Keir Thomas puts everything you need to get started with the distribution of
Linux getting the most press these days all in one handy tome. All you'll need
is a decent computer, the software, and you're set! The book's chapters - 34 in
all - deal with the various aspects of installing/configuring, using and
personalizing Ubuntu for your tastes. br/ br/ Stating true to the political
slant of most open source and Linux advocates, the book spares no expense when
taking potshots at rival Microsoft and denouncing the company's operating system
and Windows' implied failure to live up to its billing as a high-performance,
stable, secure operating system. Ubuntu, Thomas preaches, to the rescue. br/ br/
For history buffs, the book starts out with a well-chronicled backstory on the
oft-misconceived beginnings of GNU/Linux, and of the free and open source
software movement. The book then proceeds to do a great job of talking about the
various concerns with Linux's hardware compatibility, including WiFi access, and
of finding your way around the default GNOME desktop environment.
Differentiations are clearly made between traditional UNIX hardware problems and
Ubuntu's nature to auto-detect all but the most obscure of devices and
peripherals. An equally rewarding section is Thomas's lesson on using Synaptic
and RPM-based repositories to discover, download, install and update the latest
software. br/ br/ Also helpful for Microsoft converts is a nice introduction to
working with the UNIX terminal, specifically Ubuntu's use of BASH, and of basics
of using the command-line interface for interacting with Linux. Cron and crontab
are dealt with sparingly, but nicely. br/ br/ There are also several very
helpful chapters on multimedia. And one of the book's many redeeming sections is
evident in the excellent discussions on using Wine, remote terminals, and
virtualization to access external resources, or run other Linux or Windows
applications from within Ubuntu. It's a part of the book that's very
well-written and nicely laid out. And any user will appreciate the healthy
section on using OpenOffice, and then the individual chapters laying out basic
features and functionality of each of the applications with that productivity
suite. br/ br/ The live CD also ensures you can start playing with the OS right
away, for those of you not wanting to download the 700MB ISO image (although the
version on CD is likely one or more generations behind the current stable
distro). br/ br/ I found the book to only have a couple of minor shortcomings,
namely a surprising lack of a chapter on gaming with Linux, which for a growing
population is a major draw. It would have also been beneficial to go more into
detail about shell scripting, beyond just simple (sub)directory and setting up
basic cron jobs. Also, I find that the one area keeping the book attaining
absolute perfection would be incorporating a Mac-centric viewpoint for people
coming over from Apple environments, or looking to bridge Linux with that
platform. br/ br/ But those aside, the book is otherwise a one-stop shopping gem
- everything you'd need to get up and running in a matter of hours.
Part 1: Introducing the World of Linux
Part 2: Installing Ubuntu
Part 3: The No-Nonsense Getting Started Guide
Part 4: The Shell and Beyond
Part 5: Multimedia
Part 6: Office Tasks
Part 7: Keeping your System Running
Product Details
* ISBN-13: 9781590596272
* Format: Paperback, 608pp
* Publisher: Apress L. P.
* Pub. Date: March 2006
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