Rating: 
Summary: Read Federal Reseve policy is more fun than this.
Review: I picked up this book thinking that somehow it would show how good open source is only to find it's pretty bad.The book itself doesn't even read like a book but more like a magazine article that's 210 pages too long. For example 95% of the book is Linus writing it. The other 5% is just comments while writing it by David. Also after reading the end (the book can be skimmed and read in under 3 hours) Linus tells much more about himself then he thinks he does. It's obvious that he does have a left wing stance that could be leftover from his father being a communist.Prochoice, anti gun ownership etc. But getting to Linux itself he thinks more of just because it's free it means it's good. I've tried Caldera and Suse Linux and neither one worked. They partioned the hard drive and one did install but later was not found. He can claim it can take over Windows (I'll give it windows NT for the time being) but unless it's made easier and with a better GUI then it won't get as far as he wants. People do not want to go back to the days of command lines again. Also now that P2P makes everything free what's the point of even having more than one software company on Linux? If applications can be downloaded for free how are Linux companies going to make money? There's nothing wrong with having things for free but down the line when the bills need to be paid you have to charge something. The main problem I see is for home users. If their comptuer comes with an OS why would someone want to switch only to find that not all of their current apps will work? Look at what happened the the great late BeOS... I'm still looking forward to using a newer version of Linux in the future (probably red hat)
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting Linux biography
Review: Just for Fun is a book that chronicles Linus's life and the birth of Linux. Along the way, it presents a fascinating look at the forces that led to the creation of Linux, the controversies, the proponents, and the opponents. For those who want to understand the unlikely hero who created a freely available open source operating system, this book is enlightening, inspiring, and informative. My only criticisms about the book are due primarily to Dave Diamond's contributions, which thankfully, are minimal. Dave pretty much interjects his own italicized dialog with Linus, in a car, in a sauna, which detracts from the otherwise amazing story, but probably highlights the making of the book. Luckily 90 percent of the book was written by Linus; Linus comes across as he is known to be-- direct, honest, and to the point.
Rating:
Summary: fun, a good quick read.
Review: Especially laughed at the part where Apple approached him about using Linux as the base for MAC OS X and he laughed them off.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining, light read
Review: Just For Fun isn't about to win any writing awards (boy, I really hope I don't have to eat crow for saying that), but it provides a quick, enjoyable story. The book is a conversational look at the creation of Linux and Linus' life. It begins with the origins of Linux and plenty of dwelling on Linus' lack of a social life (too much, actually). From there, Linus chronicles the surge in the popularity of Linux and the changes it caused in his life. Nothing particularly "revolutionary" is covered, but it is an interesting story nonetheless. Linus comes across just as you would expect, somewhat arrogant and very direct. He says exactly what is on his mind and doesn't make any excuses. Yep, Linus is the same person he has been since the beginning. :) On the downside, the book has several chapters of commentary by David Diamond that essentially document the "making of" this book. They are probably there to add some color, but I don't think they add anything.
Rating:
Summary: A disappointing hacked-together jumble of words.
Review: Linus' "theory of life" attempts to frame this book. I am a bit surprised that "Just For Fun" contains several grammatical errors which are typical of second-language English speakers; particularly since Linus teamed up with an American journalist, David Diamond, to write the book. Some people might be more forgiving of the poorly organized words in this book, but I am a bit disappointed. It is a good thing that the Linux kernel went through more reviews than his book, "Just For Fun". I found the computer-loving geek at the beginning of the book a bit likable. The book seems to follow Linus from his beginning as a holed-up in the bedroom geek to a purest who didn't want to comercialize Linux by working for a Linux related company to a money-lusting American capitalist. I'm going to donate my book to our library; it isn't worthy of my library shelf. By the way, Linus' theory of life is incredibly obvious and boring as seen through the eyes of an object oriented programmer. Please be warned that you will find the book's text somewhat insulting if you take your religion seriously and if you are a devoted Linus Torvalds fan.
Rating:
Summary: Never mind the geeks -- Diamond's sections are fine
Review: .... Diamond's sections are a refreshing counterpoint to the sometimes tedious ruminations of the tunnel-visioned technologist. The approach is bold, imaginative, and risky, and wouldn't have been nearly as interesting if they had been written by a techie. Not every section works, but that's what happens when you take chances in nonfiction. Bravo to Diamond, and to Torvalds for working with him.
Rating: 
Summary: Linus is god and this is his bible!
Review: This book is really great. It's full of funny stories about Linus life, and has a complete history of the early days of Linux. It's even better for me, being both scandinavian and nerdish. A very inspiring book about Linus, Linux and open source. And I mean, who can't love a guy that opens a speech with "I am your god."?
Rating:
Summary: Interesting story, but poor structure
Review: The Linus Torvalds story is definitely an impressive one, and it is quite interesting to see the story of Linux from his point of view. It's also inspirational for people getting started in the computer field, particularly programmers. However, the book is bogged down by David Diamonds' "journalist hanging with Linus" interjections. Yes, he observes things about Linus that Linus himself doesn't reveal, but the way that these short chapters are randomly scattered about the book are distracting and at some points amateurish -- it seems like a mid-level reporter trying to adopt the edgy, first-person style of a ego-driven British journalist or some kind of journalist superstar, which he is not. Still, the parts narrated by Linus are a good read, and I would say they are a must-see for anyone interested in the open source or Linux communities.
Rating:
Summary: Light-hearted Writing
Review: While not the best book on Linux history, this is a very fun, geeky read. I enjoyed the book and learned about the basic history of Linux. If you want a detailed, researched history, find another book (Rebel Code).
Rating:
Summary: Slow start - Great Book
Review: I was a little skeptical that I'd like this book in the beginning. I was a little taken back with "I was raised in a laundry basket and we had a lot of snow in Finland". I thought, I don't give one, whatever, about this... But in hindsight, the personal side of Linus was what I ended up enjoying the most about the book. We are the same age (ok, that is about the only accomplishment we have in common), and it was kind of fun relating to his experiences with the Vic20 (all of the rich kids could afford the commodore 64, with a DISK DRIVE!), as well as his balance of a healthy ego with self-effacing humor. Flat out - I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The co-author added value, but seemed to get carried away with showing how witty he was (i.e. - he kept relaying some verbal exchanges with Linus where he had some cool, witty response, and the purpose of telling it often seemed to be to demonstrate how well he connected with Linus). Ok, maybe I'm just being a pain now because I feel obliged to complain about something - otherwise I'd feel that you'd think my 5 star rating was a plant. The OS zealots already bought this book, but if you're just into computers, you'll like it. Well done.
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