Continuing in the best-selling tradition of the Special Edition Using Linux series, Special Edition Using Linux, Fourth Edition, is a one-stop comprehensive reference and tutorial for users who want to install and use Linux productively. Th
-Covers the most recent versions of Red Hat, Slackware, and Caldera, the three most popular Linux distributions
-Contains three CDs, one for each of the distributions covered in the book
-Written to be accessible by the beginner, yet contains information on more advanced topics for the intermediate users as well
This latest version of
Special Edition Using Linux shows how to install, configure, use, and network the latest generation of freeware Linux operating systems. The authors focus mostly on the freeware version of Red Hat Linux 5.1, though Caldera OpenLinux 1.2 and other popular distributions also receive attention.
The book includes lots of information on how to successfully accessorize Linux with various add-ons. The authors explain how to install and use XFree 86, the popular X Windows system. They also show what you can do with various utilities.
Using Linux offers excellent coverage of networking matters. Not only do Tackett and Burnett do a great job of showing how to get the Apache Web server running under Linux, they show how to configure TCP/IP and set up a Domain Name Service (DNS). Some fluff--"how to surf the Web" material--inevitably sneaks in, but it doesn't detract much from this otherwise solid book.
The disks that come with this book contain the freeware versions of Red Hat Linux 5.1 and Caldera OpenLinux 1.2--two of the best distributions around. There's also a copy of StarOffice 4 in the sleeve, making Using Linux a complete Linux solution. --David Wall