Linux Desk Reference (2nd Edition)

Rating:
Summary: My Hopes Fulfilled - and More
Review: First and most spectacular, the U.S. Mule had delivered the Linux Desk Reference that I have been eagerly awaiting, with high hopes - and low expectations. Opened it. WOW! It exceeds my wildest hopes. It is exactly what I have been looking for, wanted, and need. Even I, the newest of Linux Newbies, can understand it easily. It is written in ENGLISH. 545 extremely well organized and indexed pages, chock full and overflowing with information. Its quality and availability compare favorably with Commodore's Commodore Basic Manual of fond memory. The information includes definitions of terms and appropriate examples of their use. It includes a definition of the -R switch - but no warning! I now know what a grep is - and could even use one as needed! This is a really MUST HAVE book for any Linuxer, from the newest Newbie to the 'way advanced Superuser who may not have memorized every last term with its switches, options, variants, and usages. Scott Hawkins saves us the trouble.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Help for Linux Commands
Review: I bought this book because I had recently (finally!!) managed to install Linux on my laptop. I was a complete Linux newbie and kept running into hints and mentions here and there about this or that Linux command but never any explanation of how to use them! The book is an excellent systematic, brief presentation of these commands. You DON'T have to be a programmer to benefit from this book!! Now, many months later, I can say that I still frequently consult the book. It opens up the great versatility of Linux for those of us who are not programmers but want more from their Linux computing experience. If you're a newbie, buy the book!

Rating:
Summary: Looking forward to the next edition
Review: I like the book, the layout, the typeface, the structure, the organisation, the extensive index and especially the command lists inside the front and back covers.

So why only four stars?

The book actually contains a lot of mistakes and although generally very good there are areas where there are obvious errors which have not been corrected.

In some sections the logical flow of the material is broken and we seem to fall from one command into the middle of another. As bedtime reading this made it very hard work. As a reference manual it has already helped me sort out some problems.

Rating:
Summary: Great reference!
Review: If you are familiar with command line entry (say DOS) but are illiterate in "Linux speak", this book is for you. It has everything!

Rating:
Summary: Whoa!
Review: Just got this book today, and already has come in useful in solving two problems I had with command line switches. It's pretty good so far.

Rating:
Summary: What you get with the Linux Desk Reference
Review: My goal in writing this book was simply to create a reference work which people can get a lot of use out of. Over the years I've amassed quite a collection of Unix and Linux reference works, and I've tried to incorporate the best features from each.

First and foremost, the book is a command reference. It covers the most common and useful Linux commands and their associated options. Each and every command is accompanied by at least one example.

The commands are grouped by concept. That is, there's a chapter for the commands relating to filesystems, another one for configuring and invoking daemons, etc, etc. The main benefit here is that if you know there must be a command which does a particular thing (for example, change the priority of a running process) but not what the command is called, you can limit your search to the appropriate chapter (in the example above, you would find your answer in the chapter on processes) rather than being forced to perform a sequential search of the entire book.

Each chapter starts with a brief tutorial on the terms and concepts referred to in the command descriptions. For example, the NIS chapter header tells what NIS is used for, explains the difference between a master and slave server, and outlines the steps for setting up the service. Whenever appropriate, the header contains a brief description of the relevant configuration files.

My feeling is that a good index can make or break a tech book. With that in mind, this book has three distinct indexes: command only (front cover), the traditional command-concept-and-term (back section), and command-with-description (one set per chapter).

Finally, as a display of sincerity, I've included my actual e-mail address in the book. If you don't like something about the book, let me know and I'll fix it.

Rating:
Summary: A good paper review
Review: The Linux Desk Reference is just what the name implies: a good reference book for Linux commands. The book is broken down in sections like Documentation, Files, Users, etc. and commands that relate to these tasks are grouped together.

The author does an excellent job in giving an overview at the beginning of each section. For example, in the Process section, the author discusses what processes are, where they can run (foreground vs background), their priority levels, etc. This overview, albeit short, puts the commands in context, making it easier for the reader to determine how they can be useful in day-to-day operations.

Each command is presented with a short description in plain English, followed by the various "switches" that can be added to enhance functionality or perform specific actions. In that sense, each entry is like a little MAN page, although it is easier to read, which is the main reason I purchased this book.

There are some examples of commands but I would have liked more of these, hence my 4 stars rating. Personally, I recommend this book for people who are starting to to feel comfortable with Linux but still do not know many of the available commands.

Rating:
Summary: A good paper review
Review: The Linux Desk Reference is just what the name implies: a good reference book for Linux commands. The book is broken down in sections like Documentation, Files, Users, etc. and commands that relate to these tasks are grouped together.

The author does an excellent job in giving an overview at the beginning of each section. For example, in the Process section, the author discusses what processes are, where they can run (foreground vs background), their priority levels, etc. This overview, albeit short, puts the commands in context, making it easier for the reader to determine how they can be useful in day-to-day operations.

Each command is presented with a short description in plain English, followed by the various "switches" that can be added to enhance functionality or perform specific actions. In that sense, each entry is like a little MAN page, although it is easier to read, which is the main reason I purchased this book.

There are some examples of commands but I would have liked more of these, hence my 4 stars rating. Personally, I recommend this book for people who are starting to to feel comfortable with Linux but still do not know many of the available commands.

Rating:
Summary: It's Sammich!
Review: This is the best Linux reference book I've ever seen! There are examples for every command and you can actually find what you're looking for without having to muck through a lot of stuff you don't need.

It's simple and concise without being boring. I can only hope that other reference book authors will take a lesson from these guys!

Rating:
Summary: Just what I needed!
Review: This is the best Linux reference book I've used. Every single command is organized by task, so even if I don't know its name, but I know what I want to do, I can find it. Tons of examples make it easy to learn new commands and the author actually makes it interesting! Highly recommended over the run-of-the-mill Nutshell book.