Running Linux

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 972 pages
• Published by: O'Reilly Media, Inc.; Fifth edition December 22, 2005
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0596007604
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0596007607
• Book Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.8 x 1.8 inches
• Weighs: 2.9 pounds

Product Review
Earlier editions of O'Reilly's Running Linux served as central guides on installing, configuring, and using the OS. The third edition of this guide covers the kernel through version 2.2.1 and will prove especially useful to those with high technical aptitudes and a well-tested willingness to experiment with their computing environments.

The explanation of how to rebuild the kernel--a particularly daunting task for many--deserves special praise, as do the sections on configuring network links and servers. Users will find that the informative, prose-heavy style packs maximum information into this book's pages. For example, the purpose of a Linux element is described and then the reader is shown various ways of using it, complete with explicit statements of what you type and what you get in response. Back this book up with a good command reference (Linux in a Nutshell is solid), and you'll be well on your way to Linux extreme proficiency. --David Wall

Topics covered: KDE and Gnome windowing systems; Samba, file, and system management; shells; windowing systems and networking; installation on Alpha, PowerPC, Motorola 680x0, and Sparc boxes. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Dr. Dobb's Electronic Review of Computer Books
Read the full review for this book.

Switching to Linux is like moving to a new city -- you don't know where things are, what they are called, or how to get there. In short, you don't know enough to ask the right questions, and probably have a job or some work you want to get done. Running Linux, by Matt Welsh and Lar Kaufman, is a gentle welcome to Linux that shows you around, points out some places where you may want to spend some time, and tells you where to find good detailed guides. I read the first six chapters, and every article in print or on the Web I could get my hands on, before installing Linux on its own partition. (I had started with Dragon Linux's IronWing, an eight-floppy distribution that uses the MS-DOS file system. It is a low impact way to try out Linux.) --Jeff Taylor, Dr. Dobb's Electronic Review of Computer Books --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Reader Reviews
This review is from: Running Linux (Paperback) Amazon - How can I give a book six stars? An exception should be made here. This book is truly excellent. If you are just starting out, you'll learn enough here to be WELL on your way to being a Linux pro. Matt Welsh et al write wonderfully. Everything is explained in the clearest manner imaginable. No, the book doesn't cover everything, and I don't believe that is the intention of this book. This book is a superb introduction to Linux and a wonderful reference. If you go through the entire book, you'll easily be an advanced user of Linux. The best part is that this book explains it all so well, you'll find nothing is very difficult at all. I've owned all three editions of this book. Each edition replaces the prior on the same location on the shelf - the closest shelf to my computer. O'Reilly is truly an amazing book publisher. It's very uncommon to pick up one of their books and find even one error or lack of coverage. This book is NO EXCEPTION. O'Reilly makes a durable book with a clever binding called a RepKover. That's very important, something you'll discover after referring to O'Reilly books over & over & over again. These books are kept on the desktop or very nearby and used continuously. This is a sure-fire winner! I doubt if Amazon ever sees one of these books show up as a return. It's truly among the very best computer books available today.