Running Linux (3rd Edition) Reviews

• dissappointed: much dated material and not enough depth

  
  By on 2001-02-25
  After reading all the glorious reviews I could only believe this was the book I needed, being a relative newbie. Although I have found much usefullness in the book, I am disappointed nevertheless and will be looking for another.

  My main complaints with this book are:

  1) The back cover states that, "_Running Linux_ explains everything you need to understand, install, and start using the Linux operating system." Then the author states several times in the book that if you are new to unix/linux you may want to buy a book on the subject!

  2) This Third Edition, published in 1999, reads like an older edition at times. For example, I doubt that Chapters 2 and 3 regarding installation are useful to anyone installing a modern ditro, except maybe Debian. In fact these chapters would probably only be confusing - with their descriptions of installing from floppy, etc.

  3) The book also goes to great length to point out Linux's superiority over all things Microsoft, and it's not always accurate in this dubious endeavour. Sometimes it seems hardly a page goes by without one of those petty, unprofessional jabs at MS that are unfortunately so common in Linux writing. If I thought Microsoft were god, I wouldn't be Running Linux.

  As an example of 2) and 3) consider paes 49-50. The author describes that in a dual boot situation with W95 it's better to install W95 first because W95 has a nasty habit of overwriting the MBR. He then goes on to say, "We don't know whether Windows 98 will demonstrate the same cavalier behavior as as Windows 95." This book was published in 1999 so why doesn't he know? He then conveniently fails to mention that many Linux distros will not only overwrite the MBR, they will also erase the entire hard drive including other OS's partitions. (dated material and misleading evangelism).

  4) As other reviewers have pointed out, the book is simply not detailed enough for admins or power users. Considering it's not all that great for newbies either, then what is it good for?

  I could go on, but I think you get the point. My feeling is that in 1995 this was _the_ Linux book to have, and it's reputation has earned it a lot of sales, but it's just not the right book for today, not for newbies and not for experienced users.
  
  

• Very shallow coverage of Linux - probably nice for newbies

  
  By A2RKY0QM78MAOS on 2000-08-13
  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.
  
  

• WONDERFUL LINUX BOOK!

  
  By A1459Q5AU8EP6F on 1999-12-04
  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.
  
  

• Great book for Linux users

  
  By AU0ZB3C4M51QT on 2000-07-28
  I was very impressed by Running Linux. Like many other computer professionals, I have always been a fan of O'Reilly Publishing.

  "Running Linux" claims on its cover to be "One-Stop Shopping Guide to Linux." They aren't far off. With information ranging from installation to programming tips to TCP/IP, it packs a lot of information into a rather compact binding.

  I have only one complaint about "Running Linux." Unfortunately, the book really glosses over some basic Unix system administration and commands that are absolutely necessary for the beginner to be able to be productive with the book and the operating system. If this is your first book on Linux, I strongly recommend getting a companion volume such as a command reference or novice Unix System Administration tutorial. Use "Running Linux" to get concepts, then consult the companion volume when you sit down at the computer to make things work. You will have a lot more fun and a lot less frustration in the long term.

  Overall, I have nothing but good things to say about the book. I found it extremely helpful. The text is very readable and well organized. I highly recommend it for all Linux users!
  
  

• Very good; perhaps newbies might look at other options too

  
  By A1GBQWQ94T6OYP on 1999-12-21
  I recently migrated from win95 to linux. This is a very good reference book, typical of the high quality of O'Reilly publications. But I agree with the reader from Indiana: Michael Kofler's ``Linux: installation, configuration and use'' (2nd ed) is perhaps a better choice for installing and configuring linux, especially if you're migrating from Windows.

  I get the sense that a lot of people who praise this book highly already know linux well, and so find it easier to read. If O'Reilly books have a weakness, it's that they tend to be written for people who already know a good deal about the subject. (Their Perl books are a good example.) The really high praise often comes from advocates who already know the subject, and want you to love it as much as them. But the style can sometimes make it more difficult for a newbie to get a grip on the basic concepts .

  That said, though, this is still a great book. I get the feeling that as I get to know linux better I'll rely on this book more than Kofler's. But new users should be aware of Kofler's book -- it's better at getting you through the nuts and bolts of installation and the inevitable early teething problems.
  
  

• You want this one on your bookshelf!
  By on 1999-05-24
  This was the first Linux book that I bought, which I found to be useful, but often a little too advanced. I therefore ended up buying several other books (Linux Secrets and Red Hat 5.2 Unleashed - these contained a lot of immediately practical info I needed). However, now that I've been using Linux for a while I find myself continually coming back to Running Linux for additional info often not found in other books. People complain about it being out of date and not having a CDROM. These are the resons this book is so good - it doesn't deal with all the distribution specific issues - these can be found in the documentation that comes with your distribution. Instead it supplies a plethora of information on a wide range of Linux topics that don't chage much over time. In addition, Matt Welsh is perhaps the best technical writer I've come across.
  
  
• Beginners Guide to Workstations
  By on 2000-02-04
  First, if you're setting up a Linux Server then this book is not your best choice. If you're completely new to Linux and want to learn as much as possible about all of it's functionality in general then this book is for you. This guide takes you through the paces and shows you all the bells and whistles that come with Linux but really only touches on network administration tasks. Great book for workstation users (i.e. if your NOT the sysadmin!) but if you're looking for more specific networking information then I suggest other books such as DNS and BIND, Linux Network Toolkit, TCP/IP Administration and others specific to sendmail and apache and linux networking!
  
  
• A classic
  By A1OTXAIOE5ETEW on 2000-06-24
  With its first edition dating back to early 1995, Matt Welsh's book is widely regarded as classic, to the extent this term can be applied to Linux. Mr. Welsh, now continuing his PhD studies at UC Berkeley, is a renowned Linux expert, and was actively involved in Linux development since 1992. In particular, he is known in the Linux community for starting the Linux Documentation Project, for contributing to it with Linux Installation and Getting Started (LIGS) Guide (available freely from the Internet) and, lately, for being the founding editor of the Linux Magazine.

  Running Linux grew out of LIGS as its expanded and professionally edited version. This has its pluses and minuses. When it came out, there were hardly any other books on Linux available, so it tried to teach the reader everything, from Linux installation to Unix administration, from the command shell basics to compiling the kernel, and from using the C compiler to configuration of X Windows. Its breadth is thus encyclopedic, and yet it is surprisingly sharp at details. The third edition added all the things that happened since: KDE, GNOME, Samba... It may be my personal feeling only, but the new chapters somewhat stick out, without really growing into the tissue of the text.

  More important, the book fails to recognize that the structure of new Linux users changed since 1995. At the time, it was written as a "getting started" guide, and it served its role perfectly. However, nowadays you cannot assume any more that every new Linux user is familiar with command line commands or other Unix systems. Therefore I don't think I could still recommend Running Linux as a beginner's guide.

  Being one of the top-selling books on Linux, it doesn't need any particular recommendation, anyway. Still, Running Linux is a book edited to high O'Reilly standards, and written by some of the most knowledgeable people in Linux community - which is to many a definite plus compared to books written by journalists. I would say its best target population are seasoned Unix users wanting to try Linux, technically minded people in general, and CS students in particular. Others might find its learning curve somewhat steep.
  
  

• Run with LINUX
  By A35G68W1QXA5JP on 2003-04-16
  These authors share a passion for LINUX and share that passion though great detail about how this freeware operating system is put together. This book is NOT a "LINUX in 21-days" or "LINUX for Dummies" quick read. What this book is however, is a must add to your library as a LINUX reference. Like the title indicates - it covers everything you need to understand if you want to run the LINUX operating system.
  While the core of the book hasn't changed, this edition has updated installation, configuration and security material. Not a UNIX guru or need to brush up? The book covers all the basic UNIX commands and concepts in a simple and clear manner. I found the chapter on upgrading and building a new Kernel one of the best parts as the authors explain not just what to do but how to get a variety of hardware devices to work.
  Want to play with X Windows, KDE or GNOME - they cover it. While the book tries to cover programming languages enough to help one understand how gcc, makefiles, perl, and java fit into the LINUX puzzle, to the authors' credit, they quickly point out there are many books covering these subjects and don't try to get into too much detail. They do get into detail about a subject anyone playing with LINUX must learn - security.
  There is no wonder why this book is in it's 4th Edition. It's complete. There will likely be more editions to follow in the coming years as the LINUX wave keeps growing. But best to get the book now and learn LINUX, before the lawyers take over this OS.
  
  
• If you already know some Unix, forget this book
  By A3FTI7OJSB577 on 2004-05-18
  If you already know a little bit of Unix or Linux or other Unix-variants, this book is way too "introductory" for you. It covers stuff like how to login and run ls, cp and mv. As another example, see the section on backing your computer. It talks about using find and tar, but nothing about dump and restore and backup strategies.

  Overall, too much scratching the surface and not enough in depth information for real Unix users.
  
  

• One of the better books on Linux
  By A3IP6BCFJVE7KY on 2000-02-10
  I found this book to be quite helpful in setting up my own Linux box at home. I had never used Linux (and had some minor skills as a Unix user at my university), and Running Linux smoothed over quite a few of the rough spots. I did have some problems with partitioning, which neither this book nor the Redhat documentation adequately addressed. Because of that, 4, instead of 5 stars. Otherwise, an excellent general purpose book on using/programming/tinkering with Linux.
  
  
• Excellent
  By on 2003-09-28
  Running Linux covers everything from the history and philosophy of Linux to installation and running applications on Linux. After the introduction, the first few chapters cover the different versions of Linux and how to install it on different hardware platforms. This is very helpful to anyone who has never installed Linux. The step-by-step tutorial to setup and configure Linux is very detailed and explains many of the common problems that could be encountered. The setup and configuration sections are generic to cover all versions of Linux, but differences of diverse vendors are covered when it varies from the generic tutorial.

  A short introduction to UNIX commands and concepts is provided for users who have never used a Unix based operating system. This section applies to not just Linux, but any Unix based operating system. Common applications that are installed are each given a small tutorial. The applications covered are vi, EMACS, GIMP, etc. Linux programming tools are also each covered in a short tutorial section on several tools.

  The last sections of the book cover Linux administration. Setting up new users and file premissions are discussed. Also, networking aspects of Linux and covered in various chapters about TCP/IP and e-mail. This book is a comprehensive book covering all aspects of Linux and should be required reading for anyone new to Linux.
  
  

• Intermediate to advanced reference
  By A18IYHHMQT7BDG on 2000-02-08
  This book is an excellent reference book for administrators and/or intermediate to advanced users. If you are new to linux, skip this book and opt for the O'Reilly title "Learning Linux". There are several titles out for different distributions. The book sticks true to it's description in the "About this book" section where it describes itself as "...(giving) you enough background to find out more on your own".

  I caution anyone who intends to use this book as a reference for building a new or custom kernel! The information presented isn't entirely accurate and lacks some depth. If you are new to this - pick a different source.

  Overall - the book is an excellent reference book for power users and intermediate users looking to exploit the power of Linux.
  
  

• Great book - but get 3rd edition!
  By on 1999-10-05
  DO NOT BUY THE 2nd EDITION. As usual, Amazon fails to make it clear that this book is obsolete. The 3rd edition of Running Linux is now available and may be purchased at Amazon. If enough people complain, perhaps Amazon will finally make it easy to spot when a new edition of a technical book has become available. By the way, Running Linux is THE best introduction to Linux, just be sure to get the 3rd edition!
  
  
• The Definitive Linux Guide
  By A2NHNFXGL84STJ on 2003-01-26
  I own the 3rd edition of this book and liked it so much that I ordered the 4th edition as soon as it came out. If you are interested in learning how to become a power linux user, this is the book for you. The book does a nice job teaching you the fundamentals of linux and system administration. And the best thing about the book is that it is distrobution independant. Unlike other linux guides that are focused toward a single distrobution this one covers the core of linux. What you learn here you can use regardless of what distro you run. The book also has some nice sections on programming tools that are availble on linux and how to use them efficiently. For example it goes into how to use CVS, and how to create linux libraries for your programs, and much more. It also does a good job covering how to set up and use basic unix/linux services like ssh, apache, and email to name just a few. And it has a great section on how to compile your own kernel, which is often a stumbling block to newbies. In order to get the fullest advantage of linux performance you must know how to compile kernels. This is really one of few truely great books on linux. It it well written, and explained in a clear and concise manner. After you have finished reading it you will find yourself picking this book up again and again as a handy reference. I recommend this book as the first linux book to read to everyone i meet that expresses interest in Linux and is new to it.
  
  
• Not for the timid
  By ACHMB2TVOWOUA on 2001-05-22
  Caveat: this book is not intended for use by those who are afraid of the command-line and of probing deep into their OS to configure things manually, but then again, that is what Linux is all about- getting under the hood! For those with no previous knowledge of Linux but with a desire to really understand and be able to optimize your OS based on your needs, this book is for you. While this book gives a passing nod to the X-Windows GUI interface, it spends most of its time on the command line, wherein the real power lies. From installing the LILO boot loader to recompiling the kernel, this book will guide the reader step by step, taking very little for granted. While the book assumes no previous knowledge of Linux, it does have a steep learning curve, and the subsequent payoff is huge. This is in particular the best first step for newbies to take to prepare to use Linux's extensive, powerful (and free!) development tools (C, C++, Python, Lisp, Perl, Java etc.). My only complaints are the scanty coverage of PPP configuration and configuration files (such as .bashrc and .bash_profile). This book otherwise superlative.
  
  
• If you don't know any Unix, forget it!
  By A22943K5OY7DLX on 2003-10-01
  I read this book through when I started with Linux 6 months ago. Since then I've installed RedHat, Mandrake and Lycoris, tried a Suze LiveCD and had a look at Debian, while I developed my own website and started to use signed/encrypted email. I'll stick to my convenient Mandrake distro, to which I hope switching everything what I've got left on Win2k (I keep reading and want to know more about Debian, a fascinating world indeed). I've also used Linux very successfully to recover my Win2K station and now feel more and more comfo with Linux.
  But THAT book did not help me much! The author himself says in the intro that he'll have no pity with Unix newbies!! Appart from good chapter intros, you'll find 80% of the book useless if you have a modern distro or impossible to understand and apply if you are new to Unix.
  Paul Sheer's tutorial, Brian Ward's problem solver and Michael Stutz's Linux Cookbook are on my wish list, they sound much more accessible and useful.
  By the way, O'Reilly's "Linux in a Nutshell" is a good reference book to have, although I haven't needed it much yet.
  Conclusion: don't waste money on this book if you are new to the Unix world!
  
  
• Only if you are a beginner to Linux/Unix
  By A3T1J6ZJ2IWX2B on 2004-08-07
  I bought this along with "Linux in a Nutshell" when I decided to look into Linux. I've got a 20+ year background with Unix. I'm sorry to say I never found this book useful! Between my experience and the modern Linux installers (I've got Mandrake) this book is redundant. That hasn't been true for the Nutshell book.
  
  I gave this book two stars because for beginners it offers a decent introduction to Linux.
  
  
• Sensible and Intelligent Guide to Linux
  By A2AMA2QI1BRX63 on 2000-02-01
  This book is written for novice users and experienced programmer-types alike. It covers a lot of the essential ground in successfully running and even troubleshooting a linux system! It covers even the most basic topics other books "brush over" while still getting to the really neat good advanced stuff. I love this book and keep it by my bedside!
  
  
• Good Start for Intermediate Beginners
  By on 1999-10-30
  This book in conjuction with "Linux : Installation, Configuration, and Use" by Michael Kofler brings an experienced computer user new to Linux up to the fork in the road regarding what exactly one wishes to do with Linux. The two books have a little of everything.
  
  
• Overall excellent book
  By on 1999-12-22
  A very good book which succeeds at explaining Linux without focusing on any distribution (even if some distribution particularities are described) or any given detail of some specific version of the OS.

  Instead of the kind of fluff you can find in other Linux books such as : " select PPP connection from the menu if you have a PPP connection " Here you find an in-depth description of the OS structure and usual problems which allows you to *understand* and *keep control* of the situation in most cases.

  Just one more thing : the author of the book is a developer from the KDE team. As you may know GNOME and KDE compete for the Linux desktop environment. I had the feeling that the coverage of GNOME and GTK (the underlying widget toolkit) was a bit superficial compared to the coverage of KDE and Qt. But this was minor and concerned barely a few pages.

  Overall, the book is excellent, well-written and concise (a quite rare distinction in the world of Linux books).
  
  

• Simply Classic
  By A21EHUXPTB0NTE on 2001-03-23
  This work is by far the best animal of its kind when it comes to getting your feet wet with this fantastic operating system. Well organized and structured, it takes the "Linux newbie" firmly by the hand and walks them through their initial experiences with Linux; from installation, basic configuration and shell commands to more advanced topics like compiling a kernel, XFree86 installation/tweaking and some elementary TCP/IP networking theory/practice. The best part about Running Linux is that it is very distribution neutral and immediately applicable to whatever flavor of Linux you happen to run - a true rarity in Linux books.

  This fine book will quickly give you a sense of power and comfort on your Linux system, putting you firmly in control. It will also serve as a fine (and much used) desktop reference (my copy has been used and reused so much it looks like it has been through through a washing machine :-). The icing on the cake is that it reads like a novel; first time through I could not put my copy down.

  If you are starting out with or have been only recently introduced to Linux, then this book is "must have" first book on the subject. When you consider the high cost of books these days, you want to make sure that you are getting some "bang for your buck". Well "bang for your buck" is exactly what you are getting here.
  
  

• Nice to see a new edition
  By A1NSJHH59U8EKD on 2003-01-16
  Just the fact that this is the fourth edition should tell you how good this is. I never owned the first edition, and skipped the third. By page count, this is only 42 pages longer then that second edition, and yet it immediately seemed to me that there is much more here.

  There is. Obviously there have been cuts too - warnings and workarounds for problems and situations that no longer exist, reduction of some tables and listings that probably never were really necessary. There are new chapters (I don't know if they are new from the 3rd edition), and new sections.

  I like that the book provides a fair amount of troubleshooting information along with its basic introductions. Of course, that does mean that it will quickly become outdated, just as previous editions have. Some Amazon reviews complain about this sort of thing, but I still think it's better to include it.

  Other reviews have complained that this isn't a beginners book. Perhaps it is not - I hesitated before including it in that category, but ultimately decided that it still belongs there even though it may be a little more advanced than a rank beginner might desire. Actually, I'm not even sure that's fair: a rank beginner will find this useful; it's just that they may find it a bit overwhelming too. This isn't "Linux for Dummies", it is very comprehensive and has more than sufficient detail in every area it covers.

  Not too many of us will be able to dismiss this as "just stuff I already know", either. I picked up things in just a casual skimming, and even more when I went back to read carefully. Of course that is hard to do when you already have a fair amount of experience, but it's worth the effort.
  
  

• There is much, much better available
  By A28OFFKPLYVQ6E on 2004-12-16
  This book is supposed to serve as a reference, something you keep on your desk and refer to when you want to tweak the desktop settings, make an adjustment to your sound setup, change your boot manager, etc, etc.
  
  It's not. Avoid this book. It is incomplete and shallow. If you need help with your Linux installation, get "Linux in a Nutshell" from the same publisher. It is a vastly superior book. Or just Google for a solution to your question/problem - your chances of success are much better.
  
  The money that I spent on this book was pretty much wasted.
  
  
• A fine book
  By A3QM8GPBZ6OBG8 on 1999-12-29
  I wish I'd had this before I started setting up my Linux system - while I got things mostly configured by following the HOW-TO trail, this book is much clearer and better written. Reading it was a series of Aha!s that cleared up the problems I wasn't able to solve on my own.

  Imho, the explanation of IP routing alone is worth the price of the book - I even learned some things about my Windows machines, here.
  
  

• Excellent for beginner, shallow in some areas
  By A2T734V9HWK6BL on 2000-01-13
  I bought this one with a recommondation from photo.net and some other review sites. i was looking forword to install a linux for tryout/learn reason. The author has a style of presenting things in a very simple way. O'Rielly advertizes it as one-stop shopping guide and thats what it is. whatever you need to start as beginner, there is almost everything you need. but if you need to do some extensive work, buy some other book. some places author doesn't discuss things in good(if not great) detail. e.g. the perl intro, shell programming etc. I would definitely recommend this book (and linux over Windoz).
  
  
• This is the best Linux book out there - period.
  By A18NDG7TO8IN9L on 2000-05-16
  Matt Welsh's book is easily the best of the current spate of Linux books. In fact, it's outstanding. It's very readable, and highly informative. If I could only have two computer books, it'd be this one and Lynda Weinman's Deconstructing Web Graphics.

  This book actually teaches you about Linux -- how to install, how to run, and what to do when problems arise. Forget the distribution-centric books, like "Red Hat ".

  My only qualm is that it doesn't mention anything about SVGAlib. I really don't care much for X, and would like to learn more about that gaming library.
  
  

• quite good - doesn't cover everything though
  By on 1999-10-08
  This is a highly regarded book by most and I agree. The style is clean and to the point. It tells you what you need to know - gets you in and out and on to the next problem.

  Anybody comfortable with computers will not have a problem with the book. It doesn't have a lot of fluff and they don't spend half the book on a command reference (just use the man pages). They tell you the main issues in running linux and how to handle them.

  I would highly recommend getting a second book with this one "Linux : Installation, Configuration, and Use" by Michael Kofler It is in the exact same style and just as good. Kofler, however, covers many topics that "Running Linux" doesn't and vice-versa. For example, only one covers setting up Samba. Only one covers shell programming in detail, etc.. (sorry, I don't remember which).

  If you get both, you will have pretty much all you need.
  
  

• A Must for Beginners
  By on 2000-09-10
  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.
  
  
• Excellent Introduction for the Technically Proficient
  By A1VXF6ZN6S3715 on 2001-12-27
  Typical of O'Reilly books, Running Linux was written with the intelligent reader in mind. This is not a book "for dummies"; it is a thorough and respectful introduction to the Linux operating system.

  With that said, the authors use their seven hundred pages wisely, covering nearly every aspect of Linux in some level of detail. Despite its breadth, Running Linux does not gloss over the details, but rather, to use the authors' words, looks at "what goes on under the hood" and "behind the scenes". Their step-by-step coverage of the boot process is particularly detailed and precise.

  As with any introductory text, individual readers with their differing backgrounds will have contradictory opinions as to what degree each topic should be covered. In my opinion, the authors used excellent judgment and showed remarkable restraint in their writing. Furthermore, readers with an appetite for detail will find solice in the categorized and selective bibliography

  Quite simply, Running Linux is both a definitive guide and an excellent reference.

  tpm
  December 26, 2001
  
  

• Linux in a Nutshell (In a Nutshell (O'Reilly))
• Linux Pocket Guide
• A Practical Guide to Linux(R) Commands, Editors, and Shell Programming
• Linux Cookbook
• Understanding the Linux Kernel, Third Edition