Customer Reviews

The Joy of Linux (Miscellaneous)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a bit different from most books about Linux, and other books about the open source movement. You won't learn much about using or administering Linux, but will get a feel for (parts of) the culture of Linux and get introduced to some of the communities in the open source movement.

It's fun to read, although the extended metaphor (think other book named "The Joy of ... A Gourmet Guide to ....") gets a bit tired after a couple of hundred pages.

It's not a balanced book: it concentrates on the common characture "Linux guru" and there are other types of people using Linux now, but does suceed in capturing the fun, excitment and "cool" of Linux.

If you've read many technical books you've probably gotten used to the rather dry monotone sounding books that walk you through fifteen different dialogs, or a long series of command lines that make you wonder how you're supposed to remember how to do that again when the book isn't in front of you... you'll appreciate the lighthearted approach to the history of Linux and the outlook on where it's going.

The cartoons aren't bad either.

Enough trolling. The first few reviewers must be irc regulars, maybe even Slack users (don't flame, I use Slack myself, but I do have people skills and I do answer questions that I know the answer to, rather than shelling out the all-to-common RTFM).

The book is rather funny. Some of the anecdotal stuff is amusing. It has been said before, but it's worth mentioning again: THIS IS NOT A HOW-TO/GUIDE/TUTORIAL. It's entertainment, and (I believe) best read after you've had at least a few months experience with Linux.

There is one thing that I do have to gripe about, and it's a big one (there was a hint at it earlier). The spelling/grammar/editing in this book is absolutely atrocious. The editor at Muska & Lipman Publishing ought to be shot. If you can get past that, it's an entertaining read.

Here is a book that the author has patterened somewhat after the book entitled, "The Joy of Sex."
It is a definite reader that gives insight into who made who. The last time I read a computer novel of
this magnitude was entitled, "The Mac Bathroom Reader" that delved into the many emails between
Microsoft and Apple.

This book is very enjoyable to read. The web site is down which is a bitter disappointment. The authors
have a writing style very close to Toni Morrison's style, a nice touch in a computer world.

"The Joy of Linux" will have a different feel for the reader depending on their relationship to the "OpenSource", Linux or Unix communities and whether or not they are believers or yet to be infected with the JOY. If one does not know anything about: the Free Software Foundation; the OpenSource initiative; who Linus Torvald is; some distinction between the Unix and Linux communities, then you are a "Newbie" and this book will help you understand the arena you are preparing to launch yourself into.

This is a book I wish I had read before I made my first post to a list server where people (some were kind and helpful) shredded my requests for help; apparently, because I broke some unknowable protocol. At that point, I didn't know what a FAQ (frequently asked question) was or how to find one. If you find this book early enough in your explorations, it may save you from some embarrassing "flame" responses to your inquiries. If you don't know what a "flame" is, find a friend who does or search the internet.

When you make it to the last chapter, "The Linux Sutra: Resources", if you find nothing to increase your knowledge or whet your appetite, then you must be a Nerd, Geek, or Guru. In which case, I hope you enjoyed it as entertainment and perhaps agree that this book is worth passing on to someone who does not yet understand the Linux Community/Movement.

The Joy one can experience in seeing how Linux works no matter what a person's experience level is when they start their journey is limited only by ones tenacity and determination. This text is a good starting point.

However, I should point out this text is NOT: a tutorial; installation guide; or, extended reference manual.

The authors make a point of some differences in closed-source (MicroSoft and other companies that protect and hide their code from users) and open-source (Linux and the GNU(GNU's not Unix) Project of the Free Software Foundation, and others which allow the user to examine and alter the source). They further show an understanding that using closed-source may be necessary or desirable for many people, but that should not hinder ones use of, or JOY in experiencing, the open-source products and community.

Find the JOY.

Here is a book that the author has patterened somewhat after the book entitled, "The Joy of Sex."
It is a definite reader that gives insight into who made who. The last time I read a computer novel of
this magnitude was entitled, "The Mac Bathroom Reader" that delved into the many emails between
Microsoft and Apple.

This book is very enjoyable to read. The web site is down which is a bitter disappointment. The authors
have a writing style very close to Toni Morrison's style, a nice touch in a computer world.

As a newbie to the Linux world (and a sociologist by training), I'm interested in getting my hands on pretty much anything having to do with (a) how/where to use Linux and (b) the Linux community/culture. This book offers a little of both in a very easy-to-read package.

Maybe it's because I've been reading too many of the dry technical manuals that another reviewer alluded to, but I was initially a bit put off by the writing style (what is this business about Spanish Anarcho-Syndicalist collectives?). I got through the introduction and put the book down for a day. Finally, curiosity got the better of me, I got used to the writing style, and I read the rest of it over the weekend -- I'm glad I did!

Mostly, Hall and Proffitt talk about the open source movement, where Linux is being used (and where it's headed), and provide a light-hearted guide to the politics and economics of Linux. For a couple of chapters in the middle they try to explain Windows-users' discomfort with the transition to Linux (what do you mean we have to mount a disk? recompile a kernel?). Parts of these chapters devolve into a slightly washed-out how-to, which I found mildly distracting. They did, however, illustrate the fears that Windows-users face when trying to migrate to Linux and how they're largely unjustified.

The list of resources for further reading is excellent for Linux newbies (like me!) who want to find out more about this fascinating operating system and its culture. Overall, The Joy of Linux provides a good introduction to open source, where Linux has been, where Linux might be headed, and what the Linux community is like. Highly recommended for newbies, not so much for Linux veterans.

This is not a book that will show you how to use Linux. Ergo, it is useless... Instead, it is a book about the culture that Linux created <PERIOD> I found that substance is lacking and that the information it offers is nothing that you can gather and experience by surfing the web.

Oh! The authors were just trying to be funny? Sorry, the book just wasn't... Instead, it just seems a bunch of crammed material with no continuity from chapter to chapter and no purpose. I am afraid that cartoons and highlighted quotes from the book do not help to make the book funnier...

I don't recommend reading this book if you are trying to use and learn Linux. Instead, read the Red Hat Linux 7.2 Bible (If that's your distribution...) and you will learn relevant information for using Linux. To get in touch with what the "Linux culture" is about just surf the web. Really, I found that by visiting linux related webpages, after doing a search with yahoo or any other engine, and joining the Local User Group for Linux in your area is more than enough.