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Linux for the Rest of Us
The author uses many anecdotes and personal experiences which give the instruction a real-world feel and which also gives it a human element. I enjoyed the occasional tongue-in-cheek humor as well.
The book is very concise, written in a quick guide format, which I found more user-friendly than some of the larger, intimidating tomes available on the subject. The 108 pages are densely packed with information with step-by-step instructions on installing, formatting hard drives for dual boot use, using the bundled graphics and text editors, and configuring a Linux machine for use as a server. It includes essential elements in a quick reference format in the manner I would draw up my own cheat sheets.
I think the book would also make a great gift for new users. Its small size encourages browsing by people who may be hesitant about taking the plunge into Linux. It is a practical way for Linux fans to encourage others to try Linux.
There are a few shortcomings, but these are the exception rather than the rule. Initially I was a little dismayed that the author did not spend more time on the desktop environment and describing some more features of KDE/Gnome etc. I would have also liked for the author to help guide beginners with tips for other useful programs such as Evolution.
One of the strongest aspects of this book, aside from overtly doing new Linux users a huge favor by helping them along the tricky steps, is that the author includes a healthy dose of real-world experiences.
And real-world experiences are indeed included, as I slowly realized that although the author, Rais, was both very gentle and down to earth in tone and writing, his experiences with Linux and technology are significant. His subtle remarks throughout the book about how he helped set up Linux servers with colleagues almost hides the point that some of these servers were involved in serving content to staging servers for some high profile sites, including Netscape.com and aol.com.
I would have enjoyed some further anecdotes about the author's own experiences. He includes a number of useful tips from his experience, but as I read the section "Stories from the Field" I felt like the author probably had a lot more to share and only for sake of brevity did not include more.
Rais maintains a very helpful and encouraging tone, which is rare among users as experienced as he is. The author obviously knows Linux well and still walks the reader through the subject matter much as a mentor would.
The book is also a substantive reference of sorts, enabling easy lookup of critical line commands or troubleshooting errors. It's limited in scope in some areas, and few Linux experts would pick this up as a reference, but as a tool to encourage hesitant new users, it is beneficial.
Linux for the Rest of Us is convenient, easy to read, and inexpensive. Also, note that all proceeds (after tax and print costs) are to be donated to charity.
You can purchase Linux For the Rest of Us from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
If Slashdot users are the "Rest of Us" who are the other Linux users?
That's pretty decent as well, you know. Never mind that it's a little old (and comes prepackaged with Red Hat.)
"Also, note that all proceeds (after tax and print costs) are to be donated to charity."
It is nice that they are supporting Mandrake.
*ducks*
Saskboy's blog is good. 9 out of 10 dentists agree.
The book's philosophy is that Linux is a viable alternative OS that is also fun
When people ask me about Linux I tell them it's a great default OS for most of their work. It can be very easy.
"Well, I can play games on it like windows, right?"
"Yes, there are a few games available for it," I reply. "You can also play some Windows games under Wine, which is software that emulates parts of Windows."
"Is that easy?"
Uhm...
The next Slashdot story will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush and slashdot the links early!
I only identify two groups:
1) The entire world whole uses Windows, makes money, produces things, and participates in a capitalist commercial society.
2) Filthy stinky hippies who enjoy using some shitty alternative operating system who think they're sticking it to "the man" but really they're just fucking themselves since they can't get any work done. They spend more time editing obscure cfg files and it's a good thing, since they sure as fuck aren't running any apps. Other than the few bullshit ones written by some fat pimply hippy in his mother's basement.
So who is the "rest of us?" People who want to use an easy alternative OS and be able to do something productive with it, I guess. In which case they sure as fuck aren't using that smelly Linux. Linux is as filthy as a port-o-john can less documented. It's the world's public condom.
Well, its nice to see that there are attempts out there for educating the masses (the non slashdot crowd, Linux illiterates). Not having read this book myself, I cant vouch for its overall quality, but if its that good it might make a pretty decent computer literacy book for schools that are wanting to get away from the Microsoft based curriculum, or at least a supplement to existing programs to educate about an alternative OS (although possibly MacOS would be a better alternative for these kinds of programs). Although the only thing is the title is only a stones throw away from being a "Linux for Dummies" book...
NewToLinux - with excellent tutorials that guide you through the basics step by step
JustLinux - with forums to ask all those annoying questions, and again not get insulted
Though buying a book is usually also a good idea, especially for when you can't access the web ;)
The problem is 1) that someone should need a book to work an OS means it isn't for 'the rest of us'
Have you been into a bookshop lately? Have you not at least glanced the shelves upon shelves of "Windows XP For Dummies" and "Learn Windows XP in 21minutes" books? They're right there, next to the copies of "Mac OSX : The missing manual" which was reviewed yesterday.
So you're clearly wrong. Massive amounts of users do want books to tell them how to use their computers. Why shouldn't they have one for Linux, too?
Now, if you'd simply have said that Linux is a pain in the backside to use day to day for many of us, let alone a novice user, and that the user interface and configuration managment of a Linux system is poor, then I would have outright agreed with you. I like Linux, I really do, but lets face it, its not easy to use.
Are they censoring the news so all the juicy bits don't filter down to th trolls?
That's those fundy xtians for you, get into office, and the first thing they want to do is immantize the eschaticon. Hey, they're all going to paradis ^H^H^H^H heaven, why should they care about the unsaved portion of the world? (Oh, that's right, because the big J said to!)
Congrats! A book just for you!
This is a great book.
It only costs $11 from Amazon.
If you have someone who is realizing Windows is WONDERFUL (sarcasm intended..duh), give them this book and the latest distro of choice (mandrake/redhat for ease of use). Help someone else be released from the borg.
Get paid to code OSS
Linux for the rest of us
I'm currently reading "running Linux" and "learning GNU Emacs." Both are fine for what I need, so far. To me, Linux is a hobby, but one I would like to be decently versed in.
In terms of books (not man pages, please), what would be a next logical step to advance my linux knowledge a bit beyond newbie? Quite a few of the Amzon suggestions are "Hacking Linux Exposed " by Brian Hatch and "Linux Administration Handbook" by Evi Nemeth. Any thoughts?
Sorry if this is a bit off topic. The book reviewed seems nice, but like someone else noted, there are quite a few Linux for dummies/idiots/newbies out there. I would like to see Linux for people who know the basics books....
I pulled a jack move to cop this sig
There may be more non-linux users reading Slashdot than some posters think. I happen to really like the technology, free speech, open source, and other information and breeze through most of the Linux specific stuff because I don't use it. Not that I wouldn't like to but time commitments at work and other interests outside of work have pushed adopting linux to the back burner. Nonetheless I advocate for it and talk about it regularly with non-tech people. Which makes up most the American population. Anything that makes open source software more accessable to the general public is a good thing. Posting reviews like this one on slashdot gives people who don't think non-linux using non-technology oriented people are unevolved neadrethals more tools with which to educate, support and encourage linux adoption among the general public. So even if only a couple people get introduced to Linux because someone read the review and used the book to get them started that accomplishes more than 1000 flames about the stupidity of non-linux users.
You mean non-Mac users?
I'm gonna have to disagree with the contention that there needs to be a focus on the desktops as opposed to the command stuff.
I've been using RH8 almost exclusively since I first installed it on my notebook six months ago, and I'm of the opinion that Gnome and KDE should be no problem at all for the new user who's even mildly technically inclined.
On the other hand, I sure as hell could have used some clear, concise info on basic command line stuff, as well as a basic introduction to common multimedia tools. Most of the n00b guides seem to spend half the book on installation, a few chapters jumping around the terminal (usually with not-immediately-clear examples), then the remainder on the desktops and the totally frickin obvious apps. I mean, if I couln't figure out how to use Netscape on my own, a new OS is probably a bit outta my league, innit?
Thank god for linuxnewbie.org....
hang brain.
I give credit where credit is due and while this might be a great book for beginners, I don't see the point in learning an OS if you are never going to run any sort of server off of it.
And before you start doggin' on windows security issues - let me specify that this post is ENTIRELY aimed at personal users. The person who wants to play any game, browse the web, and check their email.
And before anyone says "well outlook express is the mail propagator of viruses (besides people lacking common sense) - I KNOW THIS. THATS WHY I DON'T USE IT. I use a simple email that has been wonderful called yahoo. Sure I may not be able to sign up for fileshack download services and whatnot, but when it comes to the virus and spam protection I get from them, its quite obvious that if you know how to use Windows CORRECTLY it is a very effective tool to do whatever you want.
So all that being said - why in the world would you want to go to another OS when the one you are currently on does everything you need? Play games, read email, and browse the web. Even if you are a programmer, chances are you do quite a bit of your programming on a win32 platform? Am I wrong here?
I say, use what works. If I needed to run a server, I would love to pick this book up, but unfortunatly i'm capped by my cable company making any atempt to frivolous becuase I know Win2k can handle a pittly 32k upstream. I've run ftp's and small multiplayer servers off it until people just can't play anymore, and linux is not going to help that a bit.
All I have to do is double click a link to get my game to work.... what do YOU have to do? =/
Please don't take any offense in my post, i'ts just how I feel. For instance - right now on my quicklaunch bar I have DiabloII, Unreal2, Unreal2003, kazaa, Serious Sam, RTCW, Gamespy, Nero, Quake3, GTA3, Sim City 4, Splinter Cell, Neverwinter Nights, and many more.
All I have to do is single click. I don't have to worry about configuring my video card to run the right resolution and refresh rate becuase windows is so supported all I have to do is right click my desktop and change a couple slider bars.
I'm sorry - but the phrase "Linux for Beginners" is a bit of a paradox in itself.
And before you flame me or take any of what I've said as flames just know one thing - I would love to know how to use linux but to put it simply, I don't need to. Good day.
To quote Jon Stewart : " hhhhhwwwwaaaahh? "
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
I haven't read the book, but I do hope it details how easy-to-use the new Ninnle Linux is.
The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language Definition (from Cambridge International Dictionary of English) sarcasm noun [U] (the use of) remarks which clearly mean the opposite of what they say, and which are made in order to hurt someone's feelings or to criticize something in an amusing way
If you don't get modded up to +5 Insightful, then something is seriously fucked with the moderators today.
Apple used to run Mac ads that said "the computer for the rest of us". There's a local Mac user group here called The Rest Of Us. I'm assuming the publisher checked for legal issues, but I'm curious.
A festivus for the rest of us!
>>"...if all you use your computer for is browsing the web, sending emails, and you want to play ANY game that comes out.."
For those folks -- representing the vast majority of computer users -- the choice of an OS is essentially irrelevant. Its purpose is to run, use the conventions you expect, and not break. An appropriate analogy is the transmission of your car. Odds are you don't care at all about that transmission. you just want it to work as you expect and not break.
-- Slashdot: When Public Access TV Says "No"
My RedHat distro included Chess. You won't find that with Windows though it does come with OSX. The X version is surprisingly attractive and provides pretty tough competition. Ok, turn the sarcasm back on...
to err is human, to forgive is divine, to forget is... umm...
Yes, that is good.
It sounds like the book isn't too centered around a single distro. That was the single most annoying thing with certain books, back when I was a n00b: books that only dealt with one distro, usually RedHat. Since details are what cause problems when you don't know what you are doing, the subtle differences between Debian and RH made some books (that I had already purchased) useless as time went by.
Running Linux was a good exception to this.
Congratulations! Now we are the Evil Empire
Most Linux books for newbies reminds me of that Monty Python sketch one how to play the flute: you blow in one end, and just move your fingers up and down the shaft.
:)
they go over in great detail on how to partition the HD, networking, file rights, the concept of root etc.
but no real-life trouble that the newbie (like me) will run into like:
1. what to do when you hosed your Xfree86 config file when trying to install the nvidia drivers.
2. what the hell is glibc, and how do you upgrade it!
actually..I found out what glibc was eventually...and that I should just update the entire system!
Finally, the book to send to my mom when she calls with those Family Tech Support problems with her laptop.
The net will not be what we demand, but what we make it. Build it well.
You can purchase Linux For the Rest of Us from bn.com.
Per BN.com: "A new copy is not available from Barnes & Noble.com at this time. A used copy may be available from our network of book dealers."
You can however buy it from Amazon.
What no one here has mentioned, and what doesn't appear in the reviews is whether or not it comes with a Distro on CD-ROM. I'm assuming from the low price that it doesn't, which is a shame, as it would seem the perfect vehicle for distributing a copy of DemoLinux or Knoppix. Without an included disk, I can only assume the guidance is kept very distro-independent, which is good if you are technically oriented, but I think the people that consider themselves technically oriented and that are interested in Linux don't consider themselves part of "the rest of us". The people that I would put in the category of "the rest of us" are people that would love to try linux, as long as they can do so without downloading an ISO image, burning it to a cd, and then partitioning their harddrive - or alternatively shelling out $20 - $99 for a commercial shrink-wrapped distro.
Work for Change & GET PAID!
Which distro should I use?
thx,
Pedro
I'm a Linux newbie, and I agree with what the parent post had to say regarding man pages, but I think the post ignored the many LUG's (Linux Users Groups) scattered around the country, which are a terrific resource. The Jacksonville Linux Users Group has Installfests every couple of months where newbies can gather together and get lots of help from more experienced folks. They've also been having beginners classes two or three times a year.
People talk about newbies getting told to RTFM, but I've found that experienced Linux users are more than happy to help out a newbie, especially if the newbie has sincerely attempted to help himself.
I have never had sexual relations with a hobo. How dare you make that kind of blanket statement, you filthy robosexual!
After spending a good part of the day pulling my hair trying to help my wife read some files from a floppy disk, I figure that the fun must be in a pervert sense. (what is the device name to be used for 'mount'??? Let me google it... damn, do I need to give her root password so that she can 'su'...)
I gave her a Windows XP. She use it to download pictures from digicam and to organize them. I get some peace of mind and have my sanity preserved. Perhaps this can be called fun.
Linux is great for many purposes. But a viable and fun OS for the rest of us it is not.
"Oddly enough, I installed a linux machine for my fiancee (so she could put her website there and work on it remotely). Oddly enough, she uses it almost exclusively to play mahjong or puzzle bobble while her windows machine burns cds."
... Why not move the CD burner to the Linux machine? :) I burn CDs while playing Frozen Bubble on the same machine with no strain, and since my video card won't let me use FlightGear anyhow, no troubles ;)
There are some really nice burning programs
timothy
jrnl: http://tinyurl.com/c2l8yr / foes: http://tinyurl.com/ckjno5
Laziness mostly. Plus I've never done it before, and I don't want to suggest something or try to impliment it on someone else's stuff when I've not done it myself before.
"you blow..., and just move your fingers up and down the shaft."
>>You can purchase Linux For the Rest of Us from bn.com. It's listed as not available. Or perhaps that's because Slashdotters have gobbled up all the copies?
That's gotta fit into your schema somewhere
Playstation has a linuxkit for the ps2. It's not made for a big audience, just for a few nerds, but it is a step in the right direction. Maybe it will be somewhat more popular if Europeans are able to connect their playstation to the internet too.
I&N
...based on cost and enthusiasm. I come from a 95% mac classic background. I wanted to segue into OSX, but the cost involved with upgrading both hardware massively plus the full price OS upgrade has held me back. Jobs might make good stuff, just too expensive now, for me anyway. So then I am reading about linux, and owning some older peecees, I tried it. it runs, I threw some more RAM in one machine, that's all it took cost wise to make it work perfectly fine. It's OK enough for pure GUI use, so the command line can be used and learned at your leisure. It wasn't near as intuitive(initially) as classic,nor apps as easy, but you get so many apps with a default install it doesn't matter, and close enough in point and click out of the box useability that it's quite practical.
I have also grown quite fond of the whole open and/or free software idea,I like the community spirit and philosophy, so to me it's just a mega extension of the shareware concept, just whole complete packages with the OS. It's "free" so you can jump around, try this or that,do some sampling, then to me it makes sense to settle in with what you like and start throwing some coins at the distro and your favorite apps of choice.
I still plan on trying OSX, but it's not a priority with me now like it was before, it'll happen whenever I luck into real cheap used hardware that will run it, until then, I like this stuff a lot. I do sincerely wish apple would release classic OS source to the world for *free*. What are they going to do with it now, sit on it? I bet there would be enough coders to keep interest up in it if it was possible. It would be a nice gesture, I doubt it would take all that much interest away from OSX so it wouldn't hurt them much, and really would be appreciated. I've found it's very difficult to get across to ex-windows users, well really I mean anyone who wasn't a dedicated classic user, how much classic people really liked what they had with classic, despite a few faults.
Owned by the "for Dummies" people (whoever they're calling themselves these days). It's on the front of all their books. Knowing how lawsuit-happy they are (I used to write for them), they WILL sue over this title, for sure.
Gotta be careful with all the sharks in the water.
Oh how many books are out there in the shops only describing how you partition your hard disk, put the CD in your drive, start up, install, books saying what /dev/hda5 and su are. Well, dear Authors: We do have enough of these books, and every installation guide coming with a distribution will give about the same answers.
The real problem that the user is going to have after having Linux for a couple of weeks is getting all those jobs running that you don't use every day. Running a window manager, a browser and an office suite is not too hard on any present distribution -- even Debian. But how to configure a real desktop environment? I've got a printer, a scanner and sound in my system, and when hardware detection fails, I have to read lots of documentation on sane, cups and alsa which The Rest Of Us dislike to read. Oh, and what about my CD-Writer, my DVD and DivX Movies? Games running with an NVidia driver and wine? How to use the GIMP, find unix versions for realplayer, quicktime and flash, why does my computer do nothing when I use the scroll wheel of my mouse?
These are the questions which a new user only can reply after reading tons of FAQs or getting on several dozens of people's nerves on IRC etc.. This book doesn't answer these questions either, it just goes on with the configuration of a server. Cool, but don't we want to get Linux on the desktops? Is there no book for these users or have I not yet found it?
" Laziness mostly. Plus I've never done it before, and I don't want to suggest something or try to impliment it on someone else's stuff when I've not done it myself before."
Suggestion: If your machine has a USB port, and you have (or know anyone who has and would be willing to lend to you) an external CD burner, that's a pretty painless way to try it out.
I don't know what distro you're using or what apps you have installed on the linux machine you mention, but I find that gnometoaster does a good job, and it finds and recognizes my (old, cheap, no-good, oh-well-it-works*) USB-connected HP CD-RW drive.
timothy
* Personal peeve: since HP makes a lot of Mac compatible products, I foolishly bought this drive a few years ago assuming there would be a Mac OS driver, so I could use it in the event I bought an iBook as well. Wrong. No Mac OS support at all. So "it works" but for me only with Linux.
jrnl: http://tinyurl.com/c2l8yr / foes: http://tinyurl.com/ckjno5
Linux is easier than you think. Here's a chapter on "FTP", which is what the computer people use to "download" Linux. Downloading is where you get things from the internet. Once you have the CD, the auto-installer does the rest. Good luck!
Now, what good is that going to do me? The assumption is always that if the user doesn't know Linux, s/he doesn't know how to use a computer. On the other hand, if s/he does know how to use a computer, s/he must understand all the obscure commands and concepts behind Linux.
-1, OFFTOPIC
Who gives a damn about metamoderation, subscribers and your lame ass experiences..
I hope the modderators don't mod this as a troll, as anything not 110% pro-Linux is in their hate-zone.
I am so tired of people posting this. While it may have been true in the past, it is certainly not true now. Lots of things that are pro-Linux/pro-GNU get modded down and lots of things that are not pro-Linux/pro-GNU get modded up. Your post serves as a fine example.
I don't make the rules. I just make fun of them.
LUGS are great, if you have one and it isn't run by a doofus. Plus some areas simply don't have any.
I've gone onto numerous linux news groups and in the first few lines of my post have told whomever would help that I used the man, read the manual, even googled the useage and found no help and then went on to talk about what the problem is and STILL got "RTFM" and useless things like "man samba."
It have been my experience that those who want to sincerely help are being drowned out by the yahoos. It's a signal-to-noise ratio problem. I've even gone so far as to email the coder who wrote the program and at least 80% of the time receive no reply. Yup, that fosters belief in the OSS movement. NOT.
Linux has a problem, and this is it. It can't be fixed by me, it has to be fixed by those few in the right places. Linux will never evolve without that.
About a month or so ago, the mods removed the general/off-topic forum and began banning users who complained. This pissed off a lot of the long-time members (myself included), so we jumped ship to LinuxQuestions.org . JustLinux now is nothing more than a group of 20 post newbies helping other 20 post newbies. No decent help to be had there at all.
The only reason I keep my Windows partition is so I can mount it like the bitch that it is.
Is Linux hard to use?
It is if you're doing it right.
...is Mark Minasi's "Linux for Windows Administrators, 2nd Ed." from Sybex. There's a sample chapter on the Sybex site to give you an idea what it's all about. It's targeted at people who are competent and knowledgeable in the NT/2k realm, but looking to apply that knowledge to Linux.
(Gives me something useful to learn while I'm waiting to be employed again...)
Why does a user need to know how to install software, when they can and should ask their sysadmin to do that?
The best book I could locate, only had about 40% of the material geared toward functions that did not require root access. That's a lot of pages to through away. :-) I'll even have to remove the CDs that are included with the book, just to prevent them from accidently reloading Linux.
The user in question, is still working on mouse-eye coordination. I definately do not want them to have root access.
Any suggestions of Linux books for this person?
...this is what Linux needs.
Currently, I don't use Linux for any purpose other than my NAT machine at home. Why? Because it's just too hard for the ordinary 'Joe' to figure out. I've seen plenty of books on how to administrate Linux, or how to master one aspect or another, but I really feel that if Linux is ever going to break into the limelight as a premiere OS, then it needs to be usable by everyone, not just the technically super-inclined. This book is a step in the right direction.
If this book can make even one person more technically savvy in the use of an alternate OS, then it's accomplished its goal. Let's just hope that it catches the eye of more than one person.
UNIX: Find it, fsck it, forget it.
Now, don't get me wrong, I feel an OS should get out of the way of doing tasks, but realize that an OS is a tool that needs to be learned, by book, by trial and error -- whatever, people learn different ways. But I don't feel that learning the OS should become a task in and of itself, it should be able to display things that make sense and are efficient -- something I think Mandrake does very well (I can't speak for other distros).
This is my digital signature. 10011011001
Dude, you need to get out more.
There's a huge swath of the population that has a general emotional sensitivity, and faces a drumbeat of harrassment and doubt about intellectual ability.
They're called "females", and you might like to get to know one sometime.
I bought this house and you know I'm boss
Ain't no h'aint gonna run me off
There is a multi-player freecell, and it is cross-platform too! NetCell
Did you mount a military-grade, variable-focus MASER on an unlicensed artificial intelligence?