Rating: 
Summary: A good book for newbies to start with.
Review: As I was going to my grand mother's home with a friend of mine, preparing myself to pass one week without having much to do (Yes, I am one of those geeks), my friend given me this book to overcome the tedium I was about to face. I've read most of this book continuously in 3 days, I've skipped all the parts of the book concerning X-windows development as I don't use it and I sure will not going to use it unless demanded. I found the book very interesting; the author has a very involving writing style. The book covers mostly C programming and has some chapter(s) on Java and shell scripting. There was sub-chapters which weren't needed and chapters which were needed and weren't there. For example, the book explains you how to use ioctl and set flags equal to those done by chattr(1), but it's only one example on the ioctl interface, I was actually interested in this set of ioctl but, it seemed to me needless to be covered as an example of ioctl()s. On the other hand, I found a lot of explanations lacking on the sockets part of the book. For example, I don't remember reading about the poll() interface, which is far better than select() system call explained in chapter. 11. There was also one chapter completely devoted on writing documentation and the general licenses which I found off-topic for a programming book, but nevertheless interesting to read. The introduction to the GNU tools are a must read, and I recommend this book for anyone starting a career or with just plain interest in programming for this operating system. I must say that when I've read the book, I knew a great part of what I was about to read and that I wasn't completely clueless to what I was reading. (Sorry for any incoherencies in my review, English ISN'T my native language).
Rating: 
Summary: CD-ROM now included
Review: I am one of the coauthors. You should already be familiar with programming in the C language (or one of the other languages which relies on the same APIs); if not, pick up a language tutorial as well.The latest copies I saw in a local store did include the CD-ROM. Even if you get an older copy which does not include the CD-ROM, an archive with all of the files is availible for download by visiting my site (URL on page xxi of the book). Also, contrary to an erroneous report, links to my coauthors' sites have always been included on my site. A typical Linux distribution includes a complete programming environment. This book provides information on how to use the tools and APIs which are included in that environment; many of the languages, tools, and APIs have had entire books (or even multivolume sets) dedicated to them. Documentation for these languages, tools, and APIs is also availible online on your Linux system and/or the Internet once you know what you are looking for (you should after reading this book). My coauthors have dedicated about 200 pages to the various options availible for user interface programming but a complete tutorial and/or reference for even one of the GUI programming API's would merit a book of its own (and, indeed, these books are availible). If you intend to write a complex GUI and don't want to rely on the online documentation, you may want to purchase a book dedicated to proviging programming information specific to your chosen GUI API; the information in this book should help you select a particular GUI API and even write a simple GUI application.
Rating:
Summary: Good work by Wall et al.
Review: I can see why someone might take one star away from this othewise five-star book (like I've done)because the source code is online instead on on a CD, but the one star reviews are ludicrous. The information here is great and you won't find it in one place anywhere else. The source is on the Sams website and appears to be complete. I can tell already that I will use this book frequently. Don't pass it up.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent reference
Review: I can't praise this book enough . It's definatley the best programming related book that I've bought . The authors feature many topics like GUI construction , shell scripting , ncurses , memory management , security issues ... even touching on 3d graphics with Mesa . If you're interested in finding out what can be done with *NIX systems from the shell to windowing environments then you'd be well advised to check this out . My only criticisms are the authors have spread themselves a little thin over a lot of topics and there are references to the CD which doesn't accompany the book ( but is available online ) .In a nutshell the book delves into various programming ideas and construction of bare bones applications you can extend yourself , the learning curve is excellent and it's well paced.
Rating: 
Summary: Agree with AK from Moscow
Review: I completely agree with AK from Moscow regarding this book. Now I have only the 1st edition, but unless *major* changes were made, I would expect similar results. If you are completely new to programming or completely new to programming in GNU/Linux, or if you are interested in writing somewhat trivial programs for only yourself, then this book may be of help. I would not recommend it for experienced programmers. As AK said, Linux Application Development by Johnson and Troan is significantly better. The WROX book is also better. Both of these books are much more well written than Linux Unleashed, by which I mean independent of the material. Stronger editing should have been applied here. It does cover a lot of topics, but so does my dictionary.
Rating: 
Summary: Typical Rush-to-Publish Hack Book -
Review: I recently ordered this book and I find it near worthless without the CD Roms that the book continually refers to. To learn programming you need a programming environment and tools. The book's very structure is predicated on this principle of learning by doing and using the tools that are referenced on a set of CDs that must have been originally concieved as being with the book. The authors thought they would be there. Too bad the publisher and editors got cheap!
Rating:
Summary: It is really nice.. It is not just a bunch of written FAQs
Review: I was looking for this kind of book for a long time. It really covers most of topics that you want to know. tips and notes are really helpful. If you want to begin development at Linux, in my opion, you should really take a look at this book.
Rating:
Summary: Not bad....WHERE'S THE CD_ROM
Review: Interesting book but constant references to a non-existent CDROM are annoying
Rating:
Summary: Good solid introduction to Linux Programming
Review: It is rather sad to see a good book like this one get beaten-up because of the "non existant" CD ROM that the author refers in the text. As mentioned in other reviews, the code can be DOWNLOADED! The writing is lucid and easy for newbies to grasp. The author takes you from a "novice" level to an intermediate+ level with good coverage of topics like System programming and IPC. I must admit though, I havent read the other books suggested by the other reviewers - so am not in a position to compare them. But this book suit me fine, and I didnt have to go to look elsewhere. Definately a MUST BUY!
Rating:
Summary: Good solid introduction to Linux Programming
Review: It is rather sad to see a good book like this one get beaten-up because of the "non existant" CD ROM that the author refers in the text. As mentioned in other reviews, the code can be DOWNLOADED! The writing is lucid and easy for newbies to grasp. The author takes you from a "novice" level to an intermediate+ level with good coverage of topics like System programming and IPC. I must admit though, I havent read the other books suggested by the other reviewers - so am not in a position to compare them. But this book suit me fine, and I didnt have to go to look elsewhere. Definately a MUST BUY!
| 
