Rating: 
Summary: Barely concealed contempt for Linux.
Review: Smug, condescending, and patronizing to an absolutely insulting degree. Insipidity raised to an artform. Read "Running Linux, 4th Edition" once and you'll be rewarded with ten times the information you'll cull from this tome. A must to avoid.
Rating: 
Summary: A must have!
Review: The first edition of this book was on my wishlist for some time, so when I found out that Mark wrote second edition I preordered the book the same day. One reason for that is because of the author itself (I read his fourth edition of Mastering Windows 2000 Server and I was really impressed by both the technical level and comprehensiveness of the book - believe me, this man really knows how to explain complex topics in plain English with real life examples), the second reason is the fact that there is no good alternative on the market - I couldn't find any other book of this kind. Linux books tends to be targeted either to already experienced users of Linux/Unix or to total newbies without any networking/OS background whatsoever. I have several years of Windows NT experience on my back so I don't want to re-learn some basic topics that are common to all network operating systems. I was looking for a quick headstart approach to transfer some of my knowledge from NT environment to Linux. Now, that I read the second edition of the book I'm really sorry that I waited so long, if I bought the first edition it would probably saved me some hair ;-).
Here is why this book should be on every bookshelf of Windows/Linux administrators;
At first I was a little skeptic to buy a book about Linux from one of the leading authors on Windows technology, even if I knew that writing style will be superb and that book is co-authored by Linux expert Dan York. I was expecting "GUI approach" to explain basic Linux administration. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that book is all about using command line to administer Linux. This is REALLY GOOD news ! (And don't worry there is excellent chapter on setting up X environment, one of the best that I read so far.)
One strength of the book is also that when appropriate author explains or compare command or feature in familiar lingo for us NT admins, like the sentence "..To set what we'd call in the NT world the Everyone/Full Control permission for speech.txt, you would type chmod 777 speech.txt".
In my reviews I usually honor some chapters more than the others, this time I can't pickup my favorite chapter, in all 10 chapters I learned something new. They're all up to the task to introduce you to the topic and give you a headstart, for example, now I know that server in the X world is not a 'server' and the client is really not a 'client' ;-) or I also learned how the system of starting/stopping daemons work on Linux, how file permissions work on Linux and what are the limitations compared to NT, how to setup my own DHCP, DNS, FTP, Web and mail server, how to setup NFS, NIS and SAMBA, or to compile my own kernel and many more.
Considering the size of the book (less than 500 pages) I think it's one of the finest material that you can find on the topic, especially if you're NT admin starting to explore the wonders of Linux. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Seriously out-of-date the day it was published...
Review: This book is as seriously over-rated as is the rest of Minasi's all-too-numerous titles. You would be far better off spending your time and money on "Running Linux, 4th Edition" or "Linux In A Nutshell", both printed by O'Reilly. Minasi writes as if he were being paid by the word and consequently you have to wade through reams and reams of useless verbiage and endless prattling. There are better books out there and at this point, Minasi is coasting on his reputation and doing the reader as serious disservice.
Rating:
Summary: An Indispensable Reference
Review: This book is just what the doctor ordered! It's packed with concise, real-world examples on how to configure and administer Linux boxes. The best part is that it doesn't bury the reader with the "information overload" that comes from exploring esoteric features. It's to-the-point and informative. If you want more details, grab an O'Reilly book. If you want to learn Linux from a practical IT standpoint, this is the book you need.
Rating: 
Summary: A good starting point
Review: This book really helped me along, it's setup with lot's of examples and gives you a no nonsence view on the pro's and con's of Linux. The only beef I had was that it was completly centered around Red Hat. This I found a bit annoying, other than that it's a good buy.
Rating:
Summary: Best of Class!
Review: This books is different than anything else on the shelf.First Minasi doesn't spend 2 chapters discussing the history of linux. Second, this is full of concise, accurate information and examples. Third, this book does presume you are a guru, or an idiot but EXACTLY what the title says a "Windows Administrator(s)". Fourth, Minasi's wit had me laughing aloud several times. This is a FUN read. I have read (cover to cover) this book 3 times; my other books I reference. I used this book and a few others to learn enough about linux to land a linux engineers job (from an MCSE System Admin) and grab a 29.5% pay hike. A great ROI. Paid for itself in about an hour!
Rating:
Summary: Best of Class!
Review: This books is different than anything else on the shelf. First Minasi doesn't spend 2 chapters discussing the history of linux. Second, this is full of concise, accurate information and examples. Third, this book does presume you are a guru, or an idiot but EXACTLY what the title says a "Windows Administrator(s)". Fourth, Minasi's wit had me laughing aloud several times. This is a FUN read. I have read (cover to cover) this book 3 times; my other books I reference. I used this book and a few others to learn enough about linux to land a linux engineers job (from an MCSE System Admin) and grab a 29.5% pay hike. A great ROI. Paid for itself in about an hour!
Rating:
Summary: A MUST if you're switching to Linux
Review: This is perhaps the best book that I have ever read for learning to adminster Linux Servers. It assumes that you already have at least basic Windows admin skills and explains by comparison most of the time so that you have a base on which to build. Another awesome book for NT Admins is "Linux for Windows Addicts: a 12-Step Program for the Habitual Windows User". Both are great for people like me who work in a mixed Windows/Linux environment.
Rating:
Summary: A MUST if you're switching to Linux
Review: This is perhaps the best book that I have ever read for learning to adminster Linux Servers. It assumes that you already have at least basic Windows admin skills and explains by comparison most of the time so that you have a base on which to build. Another awesome book for NT Admins is "Linux for Windows Addicts: a 12-Step Program for the Habitual Windows User". Both are great for people like me who work in a mixed Windows/Linux environment.
Rating:
Summary: The book I was waiting for...
Review: This is the book I needed and wanted! I didn't need a book for dummies, neither did I really want to know the details of recompiling the Linux kernel. If you are an experienced Windows user and are interested in learning Linux, this is the book for you. And, you don't have to be a Windows Administrator to understand and benefit from it. Part of the reason this book is so great is that it is task oriented. It takes those things you need to do with a computer every day and translates those tasks to Linux. Everything from formatting a DOS disk to burning a CD to connecting to a Windows network with SAMBA. Worth every penny I spent -- even if I am being reimbursed by my company!
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