47 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Linux Beginners Are Well Served by this Book, August 28, 2008
This review is from: Beginning Ubuntu Linux (Books for Professionals by Professionals) (Paperback)
I've owned and used the first two editions of "Beginning Ubuntu Linux". Third Edition. All three are thick books that contain considerable useful information. All you need to quickly get up and running with Ubuntu. Along with the "Linux Bible", it is the best introduction & transition tool into the Linux world.
No book is perfect. Both books contain some wordy sections but readers will come with different experiences and knowledge areas. So, I am reluctant to say which pages should be deleted. I came to "Ubuntu Linux" from years of experience with Windows 3.1 to XP and a solid knowledge of PC hardware & external components. There are about 100 pages I didn't need but I suspect there are other people who need some, part of, or all of those 100 pages.
I find the background information invaluable, even though I already knew much of it.
Here and there I obtained information and explanations that enhanced my already extensive understanding of PC hardware and what Operating Systems do.
The author does an excellent job of explaining the important differences between Windows and Linux. He begins with a discussion of the important differences between Windows and Linux file structures, which significantly speeds readers understanding of how to use Linux. Simply telling us that Linux treats everything as a file, including external components, hard drives, digital cameras, printers, etc., saves the beginner a lot of headache.
I highly recommend "Beginning Ubuntu" for new comers to Linux and for those who have some knowledge and experience. If you are completely new to Linux, I recommend you also consider buying "Linux Bible" as well.
If you jump into using Linux having first consulted both books, you are extremely likely to stick with Linux long enough to learn why so many people love Linux and would never consider moving back to Windows. Countless people, fed up with Windows, try Linux and very quickly return to Windows because they could not find a "C" prompt. The basic early section of "Beginning" will insure you are not one of these people.
I seriously doubt you will toss out Ubunbu Linux & Linux in general if you have "Beginning Ubuntu Linux". Instead, you will preservere long enough to learn the beauties of Linux computing..
Especially delightful is the built in security, the absence of huge security programs that rob ram memory and processor resources (slow down you PC) and waste your time keeping you from doing things you wish to do, absence of a goofy Registry that is responsible for most Windows crashes (another big time waster and expense).
Gone will be time wasting hard drive defrag sessions, as Linux design doesn't promote constant file fragmentation.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Ubuntu Newbie, November 2, 2008
This review is from: Beginning Ubuntu Linux (Books for Professionals by Professionals) (Paperback)
I was looking for a reference book that I could read without having to spend hours at the computer surfing the Web. Linux has progressed to the point where minimal command line interaction is necessary and installation has now become an easy task. I've been a PC user since the late 70's and have primarily learned by reading books and manuals. This book was exactly what I was looking for as a starting point for learning to use Ubuntu. I found it a plus that the book contains a DVD with all the Ubuntu distributions which saved me time from having to download them. All in all I would rate this book a good read/reference.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
limitations, March 16, 2009
This review is from: Beginning Ubuntu Linux (Books for Professionals by Professionals) (Paperback)
The manual was semi-useful. There is a characteristic that would be buyers need to understand. Ubuntu is a moving target by being constantly being improved/upgraded. This makes a manual on a specific version have a limited value. The version of Ubuntu provided with the manual is out dated. The manual is useful for some basic details. It doesn't seem to make much distinction between different versions of Ubuntu. It's subtitle is over-blown to the point of being misleading, it certainly won't take a person upto a professional level. It also does not address basic differences between out of the box programs and the umteen variations that can be put together in the process of customizing your own installation of Ubuntu. If it is used as a somewhat sideways introduction to the possibilities of open source programming and some basics, it works reasonably well.
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