Mastering Linux

Mastering Linux is the "Un-Unix" book on Linux. For all the Windows or Linux users who are not Unix hackers, this is the book for you. The focus is on making Linux work and arcane Unix commands are demystified. Readers will quickly and painlessly learn how to install Linux, get the X-Windows environment up and running, and begin moving files and working with applications. It also includes extensive coverage of file management, internet connectivity, networking, and web server installation. There is a unique section designed for the SOHO or small business which demonstrates how to use Linux as an inexpensive but powerful file and print server for an office network. The book covers Red Hat Linux throughout, but also includes installation appendices and tips throughout the book for additional distributions such as Caldera, Slackware, and Debian.

Mastering Linux's informed, well-written prose and deliberate pacing gets you up to speed on Red Hat Linux 5.1. The book begins with installation of the Linux kernel and then quickly gets into the installation and use of XFree86. In talking about applications, the author is always very careful to explain exactly how to run and configure each--valuable advice for those not used to the Unix way of doing things. Other chapters explain file management and hardware configuration, and some especially excellent chapters address Linux networking. (The author covers TCP/IP networks, as well as networks based on Microsoft and Novell standards.) A set of hardware compatibility lists and a command reference are also included.

A word of criticism: this book tries a bit too hard to make Linux into a turnkey solution. It isn't like that yet, and any Linux author writing for Unix novices needs to recognize that fact. Danesh should impart more information about working at the Linux command line before jumping into XFree86. But aside from that, this book is a great introduction to Red Hat Linux 5.1. The operating system appears on the accompanying CD-ROM (which, in turn, includes disk images you can use to make boot floppies for a fresh installation). --David Wall