Linux Cookbook

norburym (Mary Norbury-Glaser )writes "Carla Schroder's Linux Cookbook (O'Reilly) is an extremely dense volume packed with valuable information. The author writes with precision and detail and with a conversational style that handles the topic with a wry humor making this book a pleasure to read. The Linux Cookbook is command-line based so some familiarity with a Linux system, the inherent power of using the command-line and the dangers of using root are necessary." Read on for the rest of Norbury-Glaser's review. Linux Cookbook author Carla Schroder pages 700 publisher O'Reilly rating 9 reviewer Mary Norbury-Glaser ISBN 0596006403 summary Practical Advice for Linux Users and SysAdmins

The O'Reilly Cookbook series uses a problem/solution/discussion layout to deliver content in a "recipe" format. Schroder provides a thorough compendium of practical solutions to common problems found in the Debian and RPM-based Linux environments. Intended for the beginner to intermediate user, this book also has lots of good nuggets for the advanced Linux systems administrator. The table of contents generously lists each topic covered with enough detail for the reader to quickly pinpoint specific problems of interest.

The book begins with a logical chapter, "Finding Documentation," which naturally covers man (manual) pages: understanding, finding, reading and printing the documentation that has frightened many a newbie. The author includes references to other documentation (CHANGELOGS, RELEASE NOTES, etc.) and even some graphical viewers like Konqueror, Yelp and Pinfo. This chapter provides a nice overview of man pages and clearly explains how to find documentation quickly and efficiently.

Chapter 2 covers "Installing and Managing Software on RPM-Based Systems" and the introduction, "Source-Built Systems: The Olde Way", made me LOL. Schroder describes how "us old-timers" did it in the days before dependency resolvers; with failed makes and long download times. Having experienced my share of "Dependency Hell" and espousing more than once, "In my day....", I can take a cue and not only laugh at the past but appreciate the present. Schroder brings that to bear with her problems and solutions to "RPM Hell". Ahhh, the more things change, the more they stay the same! Schroder addresses issues with RPM (Red Hat Package Manager) basics and Yum (Yellow Dog Updater, Modified).

A natural transition to this chapter is "Installing and Managing Software on Debian-Based Systems" which introduces the package manager/dependency resolver, apt. A particularly nice addition here is a description of how to build a local Debian package repository for sharing out to client systems. This is a bit of how-to that is useful for sysadmins and is a welcome addition to a book of "solutions". Schroder follows this chapter with "Installing Programs from Source Code" which provides an alternative to using package management. Included here: generating a list of files from a source install, installing programs from source code and using CheckInstall to create packages.

Chapter 5, "Discovering Hardware from Outside the Box," illustrates the problem of detecting hardware. Schroder discusses an assortment of solutions: using Ispci, dmesg and reading /proc. Also included is how to view drive partitions and how to calculate drive capacity with fdisk.

Schroder chooses JOE and Vim as topics for her "Editing Text Files" chapter. This isn't intended to be a tutorial on each editor. Rather, the author provides some quick problem/solution scenarios that guide the reader through customizing the two editors to meet their unique preferences and she lists useful commands and offers recommendations on how to use vimtutor and Joe's online help to get up to speed.

Chapter 7 is titled "Starting and Stopping Linux" and begins by explaining runlevels then discusses how to start and stop X, how to change the default runlevel and how to manage Debian's and Red Hat's runlevels. Also included are command-line solutions to manually configure, start and stop services. The latter is particularly useful since many of us find ourselves needing to manually stop or restart a service when testing configuration changes. Another sysadmin tip found here is disabling or limiting access to Ctrl-Alt-Delete. This is a common "first step" to protecting a machine in an secure environment.

"Managing Users and Groups" is the topic of Chapter 8 and covers system accounts vs. human user accounts, finding UIDs and GIDs, modifying accounts (changing the login or UID, moving a home directory), deleting users and disabling accounts, killing user processes, password and disk quota management and using shell scripts to manage batches of users and passwords. Included in this chapter is the author's cautionary statements on using su and sudo to gain temporary root powers while doing system tasks at the command-line.

In the introduction to the next chapter, "Managing Files and Partitions," Schroder provides a well written primer on understanding filesystem fundamentals: Linux file types, file attributes and definitions, filesystem internals (logical block, logical volume, B+trees, etc.), and journaling filesystems. She uses this basis to tackle the common problem of controlling who has access to what file and uses the chmod (change mode) command to change file permissions. She includes batch operations and setting file and directory permissions with chmod. The next set of problems in this chapter deals with using the chown command to change ownership of files and directories and doing batch operations with chown. Other solutions here: setting up a shared directory with setgid and the sticky bit, using umask to set permissions defaults, configuring file system mounts with /etc/fstab, mounting and unmounting filesystems on hard drives (a common issue with dual or triple boot systems), using dmesg to find device names in order to mount them in conjunction with fdisk to show partition numbers on drives, creating and deleting files and directories using mkdir, touch and rm, using fdisk to create Linux disk partitions and creating a filesystem on a new partition. Pretty much everything one would desire to do bound in one chapter!

Chapter 10 is dedicated to "Patching, Customizing and Upgrading Kernels". Many users have avoided modifying their kernel because of fear of "hosing" the system entirely but Schroder shows that it's not that complicated and can be accomplished without fear of losing one's "old" kernel. She addresses upgrading to the latest stable version of the 2.4 kernel, adding new features to the 2.4 kernel, building the 2.6 kernel and removing a kernel patch (we've all needed to do this at one time or another).

The next chapter on CD and DVD recording will be a well thumbed section for many readers. Schroder points out that the "entire field is evolving rapidly, and CD/DVD standards are in a chaotic state." Schroder introduces some fundamental packages (cdrtools and dvd+rw-tools) and straightforward instructions on how to get the most out of CD/DVD. She begins with a fairly comprehensive Glossary of Formats and Standards which provides a good basis for getting a handle on a number of terms and changing technologies. Some problems she tackles here are common: finding the SCSI address for CD and DVD writers, enabling SCSI emulation for IDE/ATAPI CD and DVD writers, making a Linux and Windows readable data CD, copying a CD or DVD, erasing a CD-RW, recording a multisession data CD, creating a bootable CD using mkisofs (a pre-mastering program) and recording data DVD using growisofs (a front end to mkisofs).

"Managing the Bootloader and Multi-Booting" will also be a popular chapter, especially for LILO users who want to migrate to GRUB and newbies who will learn quite a bit about how bootloaders function and how Linux manages partitions. Many Linux users not only have a Windows partition on their system but other Linux distros happily sharing a drive. Schroder gives a nice step-by-step solution to correctly partitioning a drive for multi-booting various Windows OS versions and other Linux distros with bootloader solutions for both LILO and GRUB users.

We've all done it: hosed our system. Can't get past the errors, can't boot. Schroder turns to the best Linux recovery tool there is: Knoppix, a bootable, live CD with Linux drivers and utilities that automatically detect your existing partitions. This chapter covers all the necessary tools you'll need to get your system back up and your data recovered: booting Knoppix; creating a Knoppix boot diskette; saving your Knoppix config on a USB flash stick; creating a persistent, encrypted Knoppix home directory; copying files to another Linux PC; copying files to a Samba share (Windows PC); copying files to a CD-R/RW; installing software from Knoppix, repairing a lost root password; installing Knoppix to a hard disk and virus-scanning Windows PCs with Knoppix.

Chapter 14, "Printing with CUPS," describes the Common Unix Printing System and how to: find drivers; network printers; install printers on a standalone Linux PC; share a printer without using name resolution; share printers on a mixed LAN with Samba; build a dedicated CUPS printer server; restrict printers to select users and troubleshooting. There's more here than a typical home user will need to learn but it's well documented for a sysadmin.

Chapter 15 deals with "Configuring Video and Managing X Windows" and the author provides detail on the X Window System and X.org, terminology, hardware (video adapters) and drivers. She leads the reader through installing new video adapters and making manual settings by editing XF86Config, configuring a multihead display, configuring startx to start the desktop or window manager and changing the login display manager.

Doing backups using rsync and incorporating Mondo Rescue for creating a bootable system restore disk is the topic of Chapter 16. Rsync is an extremely efficient and elegant solution to synchronized backup. Schroder covers local file transfers and synchronization, using ssh with rsync to authenticate login and encrypt the transport of data, building an rsync backup server, automating rsync over ssh backups, customizing filepaths in rsync and installing rsync on Windows clients. Also in this chapter are problems/solutions for creating a bootable system restore disc using Mondo Rescue. Mondo can also be used to clone Linux systems and for a complete system backup.

The next chapter, "Remote Access," concentrates on the SSH protocol: setting up OpenSSH, generating new host keys, authenticating via public keys, using multiple key pairs, using ssh-agent and keychain for passwordless logins. Schroder takes SSH a bit further with a section on tunneling X over SSH and solves the problem of accessing Linux boxes from Windows clients (using PuTTY and Cygwin).

For programmers or groups of users who are collaborating on a single project, version control is a powerful tool that can simplify and maintain both code and documentation trees. In chapter 18, Schroder shows the reader how to build a simple RCS (Revision Control System) repository then how to compare file versions in RCS; manage system config files with RCS, use CVS (Concurrent Versions System) for a single-user local repository; add and delete files from a CVS repository and how to create a shared CVS repository. She then goes into a good amount of detail working with files in CVS as well as building a public repository with Pserver and customizing the CVS environment.

Chapter 19 is dedicated to ntp (network time protocol) which will interest sysadmins. Schroder walks the reader through building a local time server using ntp and ntpdate, connecting the clients, adding access controls to ntp.conf and using iptables rules, setting up multiple local time servers and using ntp keys for authentication.

The next two chapters cover "Building a Postfix Mail Server" and the related "Managing Spam and Malware". Schroder chooses to pick one mail app for handling email, Postfix, rather than some of the other contenders (Sendmail, Exim or Qmail) and introduces the topic with a glossary of terms. She then helps the reader through a POP3 mail server setup, testing the mail server using telnet and openssl s_client, the basics of sending and receiving mail and installing Cyrus-SASL for SMTP authentication, among other topics. The author doesn't neglect IMAP servers or Squirrelmail and covers issues related to both. Schroder follows this with a comprehensive chapter on adding spam and virus-fighting tools to the Postfix server and includes a basic checklist for the admin who manages a cross-platform environment with Windows clients. She then discusses adding checks to /etc/postfix/main.cf and provides a discussion on UBE (unsolicited bulk email) controls. The chapter continues with creating whitelists for management of wanted addresses, using DNS blackhole lists and setting up Clam Anti-Virus and SpamAssassin.

Schroder takes a simple approach to Apache installation and configuration in Chapter 22: a public web server for a single domain serving up static HTML pages. This is a very basic introduction to Apache and web serving on a Linux box. Her topics include how to start Apache at boot, password protecting individual directories, using robots.txt to control web crawlers, making custom error pages, using favicons and viewing Apache access logs with Webalizer. A bit thin on details in this chapter but adequate to get one up and running.

Sysadmins get another treat with Chapter 23: "File and Printer Sharing, and Domain Authentication with Samba." Schroder begins by building a simple Samba file server on a Windows LAN. She extends that a bit with a Windows/Linux peer-to-peer network then rounds that out with a description of how to add authentication to the Samba server in order to control access to the shares. For admins with a large numbers of users, Schroder helps solve the problem of converting /etc/passwd entries to smbpasswd format and copying them to /etc/samba/smbpasswd using the mksmbpasswd script. She also delves a bit deeper into controlling share access by using ACLs (access control lists). There are always groups of users who need to share files and those users who need a central network directory for their personal files and there are solutions here for creating public shares and home directories. The chapter then moves into building a PDC (primary domain controller) with Samba and connecting various Windows clients (95/98/ME/NT/2000 and XP) to a Samba domain as well as connecting Linux clients both by the command-line and with GUI LAN browsers like smb4k, LinNeighborhood, Konqueror and Nautilus. Password synchronization is briefly covered in one problem before the chapter switches gears to sharing Linux printers with Windows clients and vice versa. Running Windows applications directly on Linux is solved using CrossOver Office and Schroder applies the last section of this chapter to installation and discussion of this tool.

The last chapter of this book is dedicated to "Managing Name Resolution." Schroder offers a discussion of DNS and then provides a glossary of DNS terms before addressing the problems section. The author helps the reader enable name resolution on a LAN with hosts files then shows how to set up a DHCP server to take care of IP addresses. She then discusses configuration of Windows and Linux dhcp clients, adding static hosts to dhcp and running a public DNS server. Schroder looks at installing djbdns (initials of the creator, D. J. Bernstein + dns) as a secure, simple and robust alternative to BIND. Schroder shows how to configure the djbdns tools, tinydns and dnscache before giving a tour through BIND and how to set up a local BIND caching name server, installing both a private and a public BIND DNS server and building a BIND secondary server. The author finishes the book with a section on testing and querying DNS servers using dig and dnstrace.

The appendices offer extended information on how to find Linux documentation, a reference list of online hardware Web and Usenet sites, a list of Microsoft file types and extensions and an init script for CVSD.

O'Reilly is well known for producing high quality books that are beautifully bound and well designed. The layout of this book is simply presented with clear typography with chapter and topic headings easily discernible and command-line sections cleanly delineated. The book opens and stays open to selected pages for ease of use (no "cracking" of bindings allowed or necessary!); most of us like to follow along with a book splayed open next to our keyboard or laptop so it's nice not to have to balance our mug of coffee on one side of the book to prop it open.

The Linux Cookbook by Carla Schroder is extremely easy to navigate and very readable thanks to the author's sensible and practical topic selection, clarity of writing and humor. In providing solutions to common problems, Schroder has also managed to disperse valuable advice along the way. Her common sense approach to Linux systems management and administration shines through. The reader gets the benefit of the author's experience in this clearly written and valuable resource to Linux. A bonus is the author's enthusiasm for her topic. This translates into a pleasurable read. Much of this information is scattered across a large number of Websites but having a single competent resource to have at hand makes this book worth owning.

You can purchase the Linux Cookbook from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.

Comments

So, what does Penguin taste like?

[Anonymous Coward]

I have to ask. I'm not brave enough to by the book and try it myself.

Re:So, what does Penguin taste like?

[Anonymous Coward]

Not very good. They are mostly fat, and their blood is rich in oxygen which turns their meat an unapetizing dark color when cooked. Penguin omelets aren't very good either, at least no better then regular omelets. Oh wait, were you joking?

Re:So, what does Penguin taste like?

[Tackhead]

> I have to ask. I'm not brave enough to by the book and try it myself.

From the article: "some familiarity with a Linux system, the inherent power of using the command-line and the dangers of using root are necessary."

In otherwords, you can go to cookingforengineers.com, but you have to use Lynx to find out that although it sounds tasty, using ginseng in your stir-fry will completely overpower the delicate flavor of penguin.

Re:So, what does Penguin taste like?

[pg110404]

I have to ask. I'm not brave enough to by the book and try it myself.

You don't need to buy the book to try the penguin. You need to buy the book to try the book, although I'm sure the penguin tastes a lot better than the book.

On the bright side, if you did try the book for yourself, you'd get more fibre in your diet. It's extremely dense so it's probably a lot more filling as well than penguin.

Re:So, what does Penguin taste like?

[corngrower]

I was expecting a recipe for Penguin a l'orange.

Re:So, what does Penguin taste like?

[koreaman]

heh...

I read that as "cookingforeigners.com"

Re:So, what does Penguin taste like?

[Hogwash McFly]

Are you brave enough to 'by' that famous book called a dictionary? :-)

Re:So, what does Penguin taste like?

[HermanAB]

Penguin would likely taste very fishy. Eating penguin would be about as appetising as eating a seagul. I haven't eaten a penguin, but a jackass penguin has bitten me on my hand - fschking painful - they are carnivours after all.

Re:So, what does Penguin taste like?

[vsprintf]

Not very good. They are mostly fat, and their blood is rich in oxygen which turns their meat an unapetizing dark color when cooked.

What does the color have to do with taste? *Sniff* Harrh, methinks I smell more troll than toasty penguin here. You were the guy clubbing the baby seal last week, weren't you?

Re:So, what does Penguin taste like?

[woah]

Judging by the rescent success of a certain little OS, I think Apple are the ones to ask.

Re:So, what does Penguin taste like?

[vsprintf]

Penguin would likely taste very fishy.

Geez. Everybody knows that penguin tastes like chicken.

Re:So, what does Penguin taste like?

[El_Servas]

I once read in a magazine, about an experiment with food and perception.
Subjects were told to eat food with unusual colors, like blue chicken and a lot of crazy combinations. The food were prepared not by chefs, but by regular good-cooking people, and still, several of the subjects who weren't reluctant to actually eat the meals, throwed up later.

So, assuming that was true, I guess color has something to do with taste after all... except for blind people.. i guess... whatever...

So! until next week...

Re:So, what does Penguin taste like?

[HermanAB]

Ugh - those things are just obese seaguls. Horrible birds - only cute on TV...

Re:So, what does Penguin taste like?

[vsprintf]

It was an old joke, like every exotic animal, snakes, eagles, turtles, etc., is reputed to taste like chicken. As an aside, I can testify that cooked rattlesnake actually does taste a lot like chicken. Catching and cleaning them, however, is more trouble than it's worth. :)

Re:So, what does Penguin taste like?

[HermanAB]

If penguins tasted good, then they would have been extinct by now, since they are easy to catch. The Dodo probably tasted good...

Re:So, what does Penguin taste like?

[TykeClone]

Chicken.

That's what happens when the matrix isn't sure how to replicate the taste of the food - it defaults to chicken.

Re:So, what does Penguin taste like?

[superpulpsicle]

Well if penguins became extinct, linux is screwed. Let's change mascot before it's too late. I recommend we use the "Devil" to represent Linux. Everyone agrees with the devil, everyone fights over god/gods.

Re:So, what does Penguin taste like?

[AussieVamp2]

so you can get an exotic gene-spliced vegetable and have it taste like chicken? handy!

Re:So, what does Penguin taste like?

[moranar]

Mmmm... forbidden book (drools)

Re:So, what does Penguin taste like?

[kshotswell]

Tastes Like Root with splash of var and etc

Re:So, what does Penguin taste like?

[Anonymous Coward]

Penguin is rather like duck. Aquatic landlubber creatures tend to be a bit lardy(me matey). Oh you were joking! Sorry.

Did you know, penguins huddle together in bad storms and rotate who has to stand at the edges.

-- Chairman of ------
----PENGUINS ARE ANIMALS, NOT ICONS!!!---

Re:So, what does Penguin taste like?

[vsprintf]

I think the BSD folks would be a little torqued about that.

Re:So, what does Penguin taste like?

[bergeron76]

I disagree, I think Penguin is exquisite. I do agree that it takes a little bit of work to get down to the good meat; but once you've tasted it, you'll never settle for anything else. Due to it's rarity in the marketplace, analysts have determined that Penguin will soon become the most dominant delicacy.

there is no danger in using root!!

[tripie]

there is no danger in using root, or that is what the article from yesterday says anyway

Re:there is no danger in using root!!

[JasontheMason]

Hey, maybe that guy cooked his! I've heard that some roots are ok if you cook them but poisonous if you don't.

JtM

This is the book...

[0x461FAB0BD7D2]

This is the book which answers the eternal question: "Yes, I know. RTFM. But which one?"

Great Review....

[Palal]

Need I say more? Well, I will. I wish that more reviews were like this, and not just on /.! I will definately read this!

Re:Great Review....

[Threni]

> Need I say more?

Yes, given that that wasn't a book review.

> Well, I will. I wish that more reviews were like this, and not
> just on /.!

Well you're in luck! Simply walk into your local book shop or library, pick up a book and read the table of contents. Some books explain more about what is in each chapter than others, but that's what makes reading the table of contents sections of books so unpredictable and exciting!

> I will definately read this!

Yes!

Re:Great Review....

[dphapsu]

Amazon.com lets you read the table of contents, index, back cover, and sample chapters for many books. Almost as much fun as browsing at the local Barnes & Noble store (well, not quite).

Cheaper at Amazon.com

[TripMaster Monkey]

B&N price (member price): $32.36

Amazon.com price: $29.67

Re:Cheaper at Amazon.com

[blackmonday]

$25.50 at the almighty bookpool.

Re:Cheaper at Amazon.com

[TripMaster Monkey]

I just purchased it used for $14.97.

Re:Cheaper at Amazon.com

[Anonymous Coward]

You are probably the most prolific poster here these days and every single post you make is purely karma whoring.

Re:Cheaper at Amazon.com

[Anonymous Coward]

lol you are the biggest karma whore ever. Does it give you an immense amount of pleasure looking at all those 5 informatives?

Re:Cheaper at Amazon.com

[zaphod123]

$22.48 at Nerdbooks. http://www.nerdbooks.com/item.php?id=0596006403

Re:Cheaper at Amazon.com

[joggle]

Thanks for saving me a few bucks. I forgot about bookpool.

Re:Cheaper at Amazon.com

[Anonymous Coward]

hey come on now , my profilic karma whoring deserves a mention too .
Seriously though one mans karma whore is another usefull information , just because you realise something does not mean everyone does.

The incredible FidelCatsro

Re:Cheaper at Amazon.com

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, but where did you get it?

Uh oh

[ET_Fleshy]

The Linux Cookbook is command-line based so some familiarity with a Linux system, the inherent power of using the command-line and the dangers of using root are necessary.

Hopefully this guy doesn't get a copy of the book!

Re:Uh oh

[Anonymous Coward]

Actualy for the love of god lets hope he does get a hold of it.

Buy it

[Virtual Karma]

buy

Title has prior art

[Jens_UK]

Michael Stutz's Linux Cookbook first appeared in 2001, at least according to Amazon. (2nd version available in 2004.)

Re:Title has prior art

[Deanalator]

I was wondering about that. I saw that there was a review for the linux cookbook on my news ticker and became confused. Ive had my linux cookbook (Stutz) for years, and Ive learned a ton from it. Why is it that multiple books are able to have the same name, when you can get sued if you have a website that even rhymes with a company name?

Re:Title has prior art

[mattyrobinson69]

ianal, iirc: a company name is protected by trademark, if the url is made up from the trademarked name (microsoft.com) and your website is called (microsopht.com), you are infringing on microsofts trademark.

if you write a book called Microsoft's Business Practices, the name of the book is not (usually) your company name and is just a short description of the book.

again, ianalbupsootvo (i am not a lawyer but i probably saw one on television once)

Re:Title has prior art

[Anonymous Coward]

The book you are referring to is "The Linux Cookbook". Carla's book is "Linux Cookbook". There are other reasons it was named that, not really by choice, but this isn't the place to talk about that.

Did Someone say cookbook?!

[Anonymous Coward]

Guajillo Salsa

Ingredients

* 3 guajillo chiles, roasted and rehydrated
* 1 tsp. garlic
* 1/4 tsp. cumin
* 1/2 tsp. oregano
* 1/2 tsp. salt
* 4 very ripe tomatoes
* 1 Tbsp. cider vinegar

Instructions
Remove the stems and seeds from the guajillo chiles, and broil them for a few minutes. Do not allow them to burn. Rehydrate the chiles in hot water for 15 minutes. Puree with remaining ingredients. Place in refrigerator for 15 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Remove salsa and stir once more. Serve with tortilla chips.

Re:Did Someone say cookbook?!

[Anonymous Coward]

did you not login? why not?
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=118594&cid=100 15894

Re:Did Someone say cookbook?!

[Anonymous Coward]

Glad to see someone remembers me ;)

Re:Did Someone say cookbook?!

[moranar]

But... where's the penguin? You didn't add the penguin!

Re:Did Someone say cookbook?!

[Anonymous Coward]

3y3 th1nk 51h45hd0t 5uc55 d1ck

LOL

[Anonymous Coward]

I just got it for free on BT. Thanks Bram!

Re:LOL

[Anonymous Coward]

Link?

Cheaper still on bookpool

[raitchison]

$25.50 /shill

The one thing I noticed in this review is

[Rosco P. Coltrane]

the book sounds fairly technical from what the reviewer says, which means:

1 - A chick wrote a tech book on Linux
2 - Another chick reviews it, and even reminisces on the "old days" and "how we did back then"

Which means that Linux is becoming sexy enough an OS to leave the circle of pimple-faced geeks and other smelly RMS-like characters. Which is good news...

Re:The one thing I noticed in this review is

[Anonymous Coward]

I guess it is time to move on to OpenBSD then...

Re:The one thing I noticed in this review is

[Anonymous Coward]

Which means that Linux is becoming sexy enough an OS to leave the circle of pimple-faced geeks and other smelly RMS-like characters.

You've neglected the possibility that both women are smelly, pimple-faced geeks.

(I know your comment was made in jest, but if I were a woman, I'd be pretty fed up of having my sex pointed out every time I did something.)

Re:The one thing I noticed in this review is

[CheeseTroll]

"pimple-faced geeks" doesn't necessarily exclude girls, y'know. Not sure about "RMS-like characters," nor do I really want to think about it.

Re:The one thing I noticed in this review is

[LanceTaylor]

They could still be pimple-faced geeks. Being female doesn't preclude you from getting pimples or from being a geek. :-)

knowing most /. eating habits.........

[Anonymous Coward]

the only usefull commands from a linux cookbook would be:

man macaroni-and-cheese
man hot-pocket
man cup-o-noodle
and
man phone-number-for-pizza-hut

Re:knowing most /. eating habits.........

[Rosco P. Coltrane]

No no no, there's MUCH BETTER under Linux: the Pizza Party utility.

Re:knowing most /. eating habits.........

[Anonymous Coward]

What's really scary is you just completely described what I ate today, in fact the pizza is on its way.

Re:knowing most /. eating habits.........

[Anonymous Coward]

why was he using his tool from a windows box? seriously.....

Re:knowing most /. eating habits.........

[nigham]

what about
man woman?

q) So, what does Penguin taste like? a)...

[Maow]

A) Frozen Chicken

But I'm a vegetarian, you insensitive beowolf cluster of clods!

I am tempted to mod that troll...

[jpardey]

...because you called RMS "smelly."

Re:I am tempted to mod that troll...

[pg110404]

...because you called RMS "smelly."

Actually it was unclear if he called RMS himself "smelly" or if he was referring to RMS like people "smelly".

Either way that could not be a good thing.

Free

[wormeyman]

I got this book for free at frys a few weeks back, free as in $30 with a $30 rebate i need to send in soon.

Re:Free

[__aafutm5472]

Yeah, I got a free copy at Fry's, too. Those guys at the doors don't run very fast.

Re:Free

[zippthorne]

What about taxes? do you get a rebate cheque from the state as well?

hmm.. Rebates may be a scam, but the chief beneficiary may be the state!

I'll get it Free!

[Anonymous Coward]

Where?

Your office, just as soon as you walk down the hall for coffee!!!

One of the advantages of Linux

[Anonymous Coward]

No matter what distro you use, the command line is always available. I've had to deal with several distros and I've found the command line tools very portable. Maybe this is the reason that we can have lots of distros without worrying about Balkanization.

Re:One of the advantages of Linux

[hey!]

No matter what distro you use, the command line is always available.

Hey, that's true of NT too!

Re:One of the advantages of Linux

[Nutria]

Hey, that's true of NT too!

Yeeeeees, but how many people use the Command Prompt window to do most/all of their serious admin work?

Re:One of the advantages of Linux

[frank_adrian314159]

Hey, that's true of NT too!

Which distro is that? Some offshoot of Lindo^H^Hspire?

Re:One of the advantages of Linux

[kernel_dan]

Hey, that's true of NT too!

geNToo

Re:One of the advantages of Linux

[slashdevnull]

No, that's not true of NT. In NT, you need to login to the graphical environment before you can get to the command line (unless you're running in non-graphical Safe Mode). In Linux, I can ctrl-alt-F1 out of GDM or a running X session, directly to the command line. There are times that this is desirable.

Re:One of the advantages of Linux

[PJBonoVox]

You're my hero. You really are.

A linux cookbook?

[pg110404]

I'd rather wait for the movie to come out.

Have to aggree

[coolmadsi]

O'Reilly is well known for producing high quality books that are beautifully bound and well designed. The layout of this book is simply presented with clear typography with chapter and topic headings easily discernible and command-line sections cleanly delineated.

In my experience, O'Reilly books are really good, have relevent and interesting content and are well laid out and easy to use. After my exams im hoping to get a book on Linux, I have a handheld one at the moment by the same publisher but this one does look really good for more then just a desktop reference.

Re:Have to aggree

[pg110404]

im hoping to get a book on Linux, I have a handheld one at the moment

?????????
Aren't all books handheld ones?

Re:Have to aggree

[coolmadsi]

I mean in the sence I can hold it in one hand with ease and read, couldnt think of another name for this type of book.

I don't get it

[abigor]

This isn't a book review. It's a long-winded table of contents. Were there other recipes that should have been included? Did the reviewer think of any weird edge cases that should have been explored? Etc., etc.

Regurgitated table of contents + a few vague, trite paragraphs discussing the binding = Slashdot "book review"

Re:I don't get it

[TheAwfulTruth]

True, it didn't even seem to actually be a "Cookbook" at all. At least as far as the review/TOC went.

It looks more like a "How to use Linux" book than anything else.

A "Linux Cookbook" would have chapters more like "How to setup Linux as a: Dedicated firewall, HTTP Proxey, DNS server, HTTP Server, Database server, graphics workstation, PVR" etc and leave out things like "How to upgrade the kernel" completely.

Re:I don't get it

[syousef]

Really? I thought a Linux Cookbook would have recipes like "how to make pizza while your kernel compiles", and "spag bol - it ain't lasagne but its quick".

Re:I don't get it

[shadowbearer]

So does anyone have any experience with a good, modern, and comprehensive linux book like that? I have a little money to burn right now and could really use a all-in-one similar to The Complete Reference to HTML... and distro specific notes would be very, very nice (yeah, I know what a pain the ass that is, I have notebooks labeled RH, Deb, Gen, Tom, etc ;-)

I love what I find online, but I'd love a book to break the spine of so I could lay it beside me in bed while I'm working on the laptop. Plus I seem to learn quicker if I have to type things in rather than the easy route of copy&paste ;)

SB

Re:I don't get it

[Anonymous Coward]

Agreed, the title is not terribly accurate.

However, writing a 'how to use/administer Linux' is a heavy challenge. So, hats off to 'em for what looks like a good effort. The more of this, the better.

The cookbook series...

[agristin]

I have the Cisco Cookbook and I like it.

It doesn't give you domain knowledge like some of O'Reilly's other books (I'm looking at you BIND and DNS). What the Oreilly cookbooks generally give you is a nice task or goal based instruction set with some explanation.

It is a little like a how-to for problems or tasks.

There are 43 (according to the search on Oreilly.com) books in the series:

http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-a=sp1000a5a9& sp -f=ISO-8859-1&search=Go&sp-t=cat_search&sp-q=cookb ook&sp-k=Books&sp-i=1

I'd like to get a copy of the linux one to peruse.

-A

Teaching myself

[macintoshguy]

This book seems like it would (or would have) help[ed] a lot. I installed Vector Linux 3 (a slackware-based distro modded for older PCs) on a 155 MHz P1 beast /w 32 MB of RAM less than a month ago. That was a pain to get working, as my old and obsolete ATAPI CD-ROM drive does not have the capability to boot from a CD. And the fun is it only recognizes serial port mice (Microsoft Mouse 1 ; PS/2 compatible, lol). Also, I am one of the jerks who hasn't bothered to create my own non-root account. I simply keep forgetting to. Plus there is the thrill of putting my laptop at risk! ::devilish grin::

i just bought this!

[biker44442004]

i just went to fry's electronics a week ago to buy this. bought it for $25, and got a rebate for $25. ahh, life is good... still have to pay the damn sales tax...

Re:i just bought this!

[pintpusher]

So this guy paid $30 with a $30 rebate.... hmmm... I think you got screwed 'cause he got $30 back... oh wait, he paid more tax....ummm....

Too damn confusing...

Re:i just bought this!

[biker44442004]

could be a different frys, no idea how far the chain stretches, franchises etc, anyways we are quite off topic mod's bring it on

Nertz!

[Stanistani]

...and here I thought I would find the receipe for that old standby: Peanut Butter and Bacon Banana Muffins with Crushed Cheetos Topping...
...with a small cup of Mountain Dew as a dipping sauce...

Can you smell..

[Nifrith]

.. what Carla Schroder's cooking?

Highly recommended

[koreaman]

Although some slashdotters probably know everything in here already, I highly recommend it. I own it, and it's absolutely fantastic.

Re:Highly recommended

[Anonymous Coward]

Girls love it when you can say you know every recipe in a 700 page cookbook - and mean it.

we are you know

[FidelCatsro]

Im a big GNU fanatic and i must admit i could do with a shower .. busy working ,actualy don't have time for one right now , i compare the stench level directly with the ammount of work i put in ;)

more about the author

[__aanonl8035]

A picture and a short bio from O'Reilly...
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/au/1909
A series of articles she wrote...
http://www.serverwatch.com/tutorials/article.php/3 496046

She actually sounds like the kind of person I like to work with. Someone who learned things hands on.

Re:more about the author

[Anonymous Coward]

That's not your mother, it's a man baby!

Re:more about the author

[MichaelH]

Carla's great. She's a regular on my site as well: EnterpriseNetworkingPlanet.com. She's currently at the top of the page with the start of her series on winbind.

If it's that good, it's on my shopping list!

[TERdON]

If she really manages to squeeze that all in (I would have guessed you would have needed much more - that's quite many topics for 700 pages - and with the quality the review is talking about!) it's on my shopping list. Especially as it only costs about 40 ...

Joe Tutorial?

[Anonymous Coward]

Admittedly emacs is a big topic to cover, but Joe??? Who uses this???

Re:Joe Tutorial?

[HermanAB]

I use joe on some bl00dy RH7.2 servers which don't have anything else. Not exactly my favourite editor, but not my favourite most hated editor either - that one would be vi...

Nervous?

[Anonymous Coward]

Residing in the US?

Needless ORA repitition

[Anonymous Coward]

I can name about a dozen ORA books that provide an explanation of DNS as part of the book's contents. Why not just write this once and repurpose the canonical text?

ORA keeps rewriting the same book with slight variations...while they have huge geek-cred they are also needlessly churning out dead trees.

Hold the feaky phone!

[Anonymous Coward]

If this doesn't wilt your willy, who may actually be RMS.

Portland Area Computer Bits Columnist?

[rastin]

If I am not mistaken Carla writes the monthly Linux column in Portland, Oregon's Computer Bits mag. Its usually filled with interesting info, local user group meets and local hardware price guides. But her column is the main reason I pick it up on a regular basis. I hope the book is just like her regular material.

Re:Portland Area Computer Bits Columnist?

[llywrch]

She is, indeed, the same Carla. Used to live near Portland, but moved away from the big city about the same time Linus moved here.

I don't think the two events are connected, though.

Geoff

It's a COOKBOOK!!!!!

[cant_get_a_good_nick]

Sorry, random Twilight Zone reference that I just needed to get out of my system.

Re:It's a COOKBOOK!!!!!

[youngerpants]

Heh, "How to Server Penguin"

Like others, I was less than satisfied...

[hkb]

Like others, I was less than satisfied with this review. Well actually, I can't state that objectively, as I stopped when the reviewer used "LOL".

read the book?

[hennar]

maybe read the book, it's more then fairly technical, it's a damn good book.

I don't think the author would give you the time of the day, even if you where the last person on earth :)

Linux is not sexy, it's interesting, it's technical. Why the hell would people want something that's sexy?

I hate to dissapoint you, but I've learned more from Carla and other women then I've learned from all my male colegues & friends.
for what it's worth, read the book you might learn something :)

Re:read the book?

[Anonymous Coward]

I hate to dissapoint you, but I've learned more from Carla and other women then I've learned from all my male colegues & friends.

Apparently, they didn't teach you how to spell.

The command-line uses always uses root?

[AndroidCat]

I never got that memo!

Certainly the cookbook uses the command-line, and some of the examples might require root, but there's no required link between the two.

Even cheaper at Nerdbooks.com

[sipmeister]

Check out Nerdbooks.com, they have all O'Reilly titles at 50% off.

The Linux Cookbook is $22.48 there. Linux Cookbook

I had a good experience with them. Superfast shipping and immediate tracking, and the CEO even called :-).

Re:Even cheaper at Nerdbooks.com

[DaveHenley]

We - nerdbooks.com - ran out of stock a few moments ago (4/20/2005) of this book. We are re-ordering today and will have another case of the Linux Cookbook in roughly four working days.

The inventory shown on our site is in real-time.

Thanks

Dave Henley
Customer Advocate
dave@nerdbooks.com
972.470.9600 (main)

Reader beware

[ortholattice]

OK, this isn't about bookpool (thanks for the link) but about the very first thing I read in the PDF excerpt on bookpool. In "4.3 Generating a List of Files from a Source Install for Easy Uninstalls" she shows how to get a list of files that were added by a program installation. But this is not sufficient; you must also find any files (especially configs in /etc) that were modified by the program installation. If a modified config causes one of the deleted programs to be called, e.g. during boot-up, that can lead to big headaches when your startup script dies as a result. This is especially true with programs that don't have an uninstall; since the uninstall process wasn't even thought about, there may be other unknown (bad) programming practices hidden in it too. That she doesn't mention this (or is even aware of it?) gives me an uneasy feeling.

Re:Pot kettle/belly

[Anonymous Coward]

Why don't you post your own pic so we can compare hers to your fat, old, ugly self.

the books dedication

[biker44442004]

the book is written by a gal named carla. she was helped by girls over at linuxchix. then, the books dedication is to a gal named "dawn marie, who i love very much", to paraphrase. this new pope of ours may not approve...

Re:the books dedication

[lofi-rev]

Well, sadly it appears that carla's partner passed away recently and people closer to their home than the pope don't approve either.

Re:Pot kettle/belly

[Anonymous Coward]

Ah, come on. That's a perfectly average woman.