Beginning SUSE Linux: From Novice to Professional (Paperback)

by Keir Thomas (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
<p><i>Beginning SUSE Linux: From Novice to Professional</i> is designed for the newcomer to Linux. It aims to guide you through numerous practical topics relevant to effective operation of this popular operating system.</p>

<p>The book begins by discussing the background of Linux and open source software, then proceeds to guide you through the SUSE installation process. You'll learn how to use the basic functions, and modify the look and feel according to your tastes. This book is packed with troubleshooting tips, so even the most cautious beginner will feel right at home.</p>

<p>Next, the book covers the daily usage tasks that are enjoyable and interesting to learn. You'll learn how to configure your system to listen to audio CDs and MP3s, burn CDs, watch movies, connect to the Internet, and reproduce common Windows tasks.</p>

<p>In the process, you'll gain an in-depth understanding about the core of Linux. You'll learn how to master the command-line prompt, secure your system, and perform administration tasks like scheduling backups and managing users.</p>

<p>A full version of the SUSE operating system is supplied for free on the included DVD, so you'll have everything you need to get a Linux system up and running.</p>

About the Author
Keir Thomas has been writing about computers for a decade and his work has appeared in many leading computer magazines and websites around the world. He started out as a lab rat, testing and writing about cutting-edge equipment, before moving on to edit several highly successful computer magazines. These include PC Utilities, PC Tools, and Linux User & Developer. Thomas is currently a Technical Group Editor at Live Publishing Ltd, and editor of PC Extreme magazine. In his spare time he plays the tin whistle and goes hiking on the local mountains near his home, although he rarely does both at the same time.

Product Details

• Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: Apress; 1 edition (February 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590594584
• ISBN-13: 978-1590594582
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 8.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #418,085 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Almost too beginning, May 11, 2005

By	Jack D. Herrington "engineer and author" (Silicon Valley, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This book covers the end user portions of SUSE. Installation, basics shell use, and primarily use of the operating system through the graphical user interface. The writing is good. But given the size of the book I think more could have been written about the fundamentals of the operating system, and in particular the use of the shell. The author just breezes over the use of Bash. A lot more could have been said there.

That being said, there are far, far, worse books on Linux. So in a way I'm just being picky. This is a fine book if you are new to Unix operating systems and want to try out SUSE for yourself.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Beginning level book on Suse - one of the best, April 28, 2005

By	Harold McFarland (Florida) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I've spent years working with Linux and think it is one of the best operating systems going but I have spent very little time with the SUSE distribution. This book not only describes the basics of SUSE Linux but also includes a DVD with a complete copy of version 9.1 ready to install. Why should you consider looking at SUSE? If you work in the networking technical support arena then sooner or later you will have to deal with a SUSE system. Since Novell and IBM worked together to purchase the rights to SUSE Linux you can be sure it will appear in many networking environments.

The first part of the book provides the reader with the history of Linux, its benefits, and a description of some of the different distributions of Linux. This is common to all introductory Linux books and can be skipped if you are already knowledgeable about Linux in general.

The second section covers installing Linux and walks the reader through the installation process for the version on the DVD. It is absolutely critical that this section be detailed and thorough. The authors do an excellent job by dividing it up into four sections - pre-installation steps, installing SUSE, solving installation problems, and GUI configuration with SaX2

Part three includes instruction on the very basics of what you need to know in order to work effectively in Linux. The subjects in this section include booting Linux for the first time and logging in, virtual desktops, setting up e-mail and instant messaging, getting your hardware up and running, securing your system with the basic security tools and setting up the Linux firewall, using Linux replacements of Windows programs, managing your files, including accessing Windows files, floppies, CDs and DVDs, and dealing with common problems.

If you want to have a deeper understanding of Linux (beyond the basic user level), part four introduces the Linux shell (the BASH shell in particular) and how it can be used to work with the system from the command line. The authors also discuss the Linux virtual file system and how it works. They conclude with a discussion of how to control processes and jobs. This is one of the really great things about Linux - the ability to change priorities for specific jobs.

Part five covers multimedia and working with MP3s, CDs, viewing movies, and editing images. Of course it also covers playing and ripping MP3 Music, recording audio and burning CDs. It includes the very basics of using GIMP, the powerful image editing software included with Linux.

Part six covers working with Open Office. Open Office is Linux software that does essentially the equivalent tasks as Microsoft Office (it even reads and writes Microsoft Office files). Of, if you prefer, they also cover how to install Microsoft Office in Linux so that it works correctly. The various chapters in this section each take on one aspect of office including using Writer, Calc, Impress (presentation software), and ReKall (database).

Part seven is various operating system administration tasks including installing new software, managing users, optimizing the system, backing up data, scheduling, and remote access. The authors do an excellent job in this area for a beginner book. If you are an administrator of a SUSE system you will want a much more detailed book.

This is a good book that is fun to work with, very well written, and covers the subjects in appropriate detail for a beginner volume. There are better and more thorough books on some of the programs covered in this book (for example, there are complete books dedicated just to OpenOffice) but this book is not intended to be a complete reference on all the Linux programs. Beginning SUSE Linux is a beginning book to get the reader familiar with the operating system and common programs and at this task it does an excellent job. Beginning SUSE Linux is highly recommended and comes with a great operating system and default software.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice book, not really for beginner, September 25, 2005

By	Alex Vox (Winnetka, IL) - See all my reviews

If you really a beginner and never had an opportunity to play around with a command line you find it difficult to read, however this book is valuable if you have passed initial "scared" phase.
Try also Linux and UNIX for a beginner complete training suite, 4DVDs + 2CDs ed.2008
Happy learning!