Rating: 
Summary: Good for "Newbies"
Review: I liked the book. The author does take you from basic PC 101 thru Linux.I am an IT pro, and wanted to get a feel for Linux before all of our users started using it. I knew nothing about it, but with the help of this book loaded and configured Linux on a spare pc. I feel prepared thanks to Ricart's book.
Rating: 
Summary: A great book and a great CD for the Newbie
Review: If you don't know anything about Linux this is the book to buy. Most Linux writers can't resist the urge to dump on the less knowledable computer user, to snub you with snide comments,"read the fine manual." The ulitmate Linux cult put down. But Manuel Ricart doesn't do that! In fact, Manuel leads you through the valley of the shadow of the command line to lay you down in the still waters of the KDE desktop, the best place for Windows 3.x and 9x user to start in Linux. Plus, at under $20 for software and user guides this is the best buy I've found. Don't torture yourself, start with Mr Ricart's able guidance and Caldera's easy to install software.
Rating: 
Summary: Information for beginners only
Review: If you know nothing about Linux, little about computers and want info on the caldera distribution then this book is an okay starter. But it will not give you enough details to be the source you rely on when running/installing Linux. Not quite three months after purchasing, my copy of the Idiot's Guide looks brand new while my O'Reilly Linux books are painfully dog-eared.
Rating: 
Summary: For absolute Linux beginners or Caldera OpenLinux users.
Review: If your after a beginners guide to Linux for anything other than Caldera OpenLinux don't buy this book. But if you want a copy of OpenLinux and star office this book is quite good value and gives good coverage of installing with very good instructions for setting up and configuring the software/system.Good for a beginner who knows nothing about Linux or unix and wants to be taken thru step by step installing and setting up Caldera Openlinux or someone who wants an easier to use distribution than most of the others. Also a good book to use for persuading your boss to switch to Linux as nearly anyone should be able to follow the instuctions in this book and get their intel based pc up and running linux. In all is well writen easy to read book which explains all the topics raised in a way most beginners should understand.
Rating:
Summary: Very useful and effective, recommended without reservation
Review: Looking for less expensive and better alternatives to the current market leaders in operating systems, I decided to test Linux but wanted to know what I was doing. Meanwhile I have 6 books on Linux, 3 in English and 3 in German. This is definitely the best introductory book to Linux in English I have seen. It is very well organized and clear as well as nicely printed. Even for someone with no prior knowledge of Unix, this book works. It has everything one needs to smoothly migrate to and use Linux, which I have meanwhile done. Thanks to the author, publisher and Amazon! My only suggestions would be to update the bundled Linux version to kernel 2.2. and discuss some of the major software suites available for Linux.
Rating:
Summary: Great Linux book for beginners
Review: May I congratulate the author on an excellent book. I bought the book 4 days ago. I haven't had so much fun/enjoyment with a book and its acccompanying CD before. The X Windows KDE graphical interace and the explanations are both excellent. A great beginners book and very good value for money. It is possible to sit down at your PC and have a Linux system with a Windows graphical interface in a few hours. The author's explanations are concise and the book's graphics are most helpful. The book covers both Linux in a Graphical Environment and working at the command line. A great introduction for a computer user looking for an alternative to Microsoft Windows or looking to find out about Linux.
Rating:
Summary: Common sense is required for all things...
Review: Ok, If you are a windoze user and you want to upgrade to Linux, START here. Buy a copy of Red Hat 6.2, this book, and a more advanced book, like Learning Red Hat Visually (Includes a copy of Red Hat 6.2). Read the idiots guide so you can start to4 move around and THEN use the Visual book that will show you screen shots of what you need to do for more advanced use. When you've mastered the visual book, get a book on hard core programming. You will not find one book for newbies and old pro's. Stop looking for one. I started with the Visual book, big mistake. I got stuck and droped it for a few months. Do things in order and be patient. You won't learn how to edit your x11 files overnight, but if you can't seem to get your screen out of 648x480 at 60Hz eventually you will need to look there...Today, however, learn what PDW and LS really do before you start playing.
Rating:
Summary: not as good as hoped it to be
Review: the book is good but for computer beginners without even knowing how to use Windows. the author asumes every thing will go find & don't give any extra tips for troubleshooting. he din't even explain how to get the sound cards,printers and some other basic hardware working.does he think every one knows how to do it?i have a sound blaster and a HP printer and i can't get it working. does anyone think a person will choose an O/S that he can't get things working in his PC???
Rating:
Summary: Kinda easy to understand
Review: the book was great, but there was a couple of things that could have been clearer like it should tell you how to install it better, in chapter 1 it starts like you already have it installed, I finally figured out it tells how to install it in the very back of the book, then it also dont go into real good detail on how to run it w/ windows. but other than that it's a great book.
Rating: 
Summary: From the author of the CIG to Linux
Review: This book is an excellent introduction to Linux from various angles. It quickly gets you up to speed using a graphical user interface (KDE - the 'K Desktop Environment), and then shows you how to work under UNIX using a command shell. It also covers the ever necessary system administration topics that you need to know to keep your system running happy. And of course, it includes a CD with all the software you need to get started along with a complete step-by-step installation section, as well as information on how to configure and connect your Linux running PC to the Internet. Included in the CD is Caldera's OpenLinux 1.3 and StarOffice 4.0. Even if you already know how to use Linux, this book is a great bargain just for the software included in the CD, and who knows, you may even learn a thing or two about Linux while you are at it. To provide me with feedback, please write to linux_book@yahoo.com. I will read all/any comments/suggestions that you send to me. However, please realize that it is impossible for me to provide you with Linux technical support. Try the book, I am sure you'll like it. Sincerely, Alberto
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