Customer Reviews

LINUX: Rute User's Tutorial and Exposition (Book Only)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've read (not just scanned) about 15 Linux reference books of varying depth and direction. Rute is the best. If you can have only one or simply can't live knowing you don't have the definitive guide then you must grab a copy of RUTE. Check out the TOC and Preface for an idea of why I'm so enthused. Briefly, let me just say that topics covered (many and well) are each treated with respect (at least a paragraph of text, not just usage summaries that parrot the man pages) and obviously were learned in the field, not from other books. There are other reasons, but I leave them for you to discover. ENJOY.

The only reason I gave this book three stars is that most of this info regards GNU/Linux systems that are running a 2.2 kernel. The book points out in its text that the 2.4 kernel is upcoming. As I write this, the 2.4 kernel has been around for years now, and the 2.6 kernel (non-testing) is on its way. Likewise, some non-kernel material is also *completely outdated* (sound card configuration and NFS spring to mind). This book doesn't even mention kudzu, which is the bread & butter of RedHat, Knoppix, Mandrake, etc. Another way to put this: if kudzu can't autoconfigure your ISA hardware, this book may help.

However, the material in this book which is still relevent is worthwhile. If the author releases an updated edition, I'd be very tempted to buy it.

This is a wonderfully written book, as many reviewers have said. The author has a gift for clear explanation and writes in a lucid style which is far too rare in IT books.

But beware! The coverage of topics is quite uneven: be sure that it covers the material that you need.

For example, the coverage of mail is a little on how SMTP, POP and IMAP work, and 17 pages covering configuration of exim and a little on sendmail, and combatting spam, It doesn't give enough detail to begin to set up or maintain a mail server. Contrast this with 40 pages on the Linux File System standard.

I read this manual from the net like a year ago, It was the first time that I felt confortable to throw away MS systems, I'm so happy to see it again and updated.
It teachs you to do thing the hard and the easy way, so you never get lost again.

Paul is a great system operator and a great teacher.

Don't waste your time hunting for other books, this is the REAL Bible, and could stand the test of time because there are facts in it which will never change with new versions of Linux Distributions.
I recommend you take a look at the online edition ....
Happy Computing ;)

I have stacks of Linux books at home/work, but nothing is as thorough, complete, or accurate. I have a lot of Linux experience, but there are lots of useful scripts, tips, and suggestions in this book. Worth it's weight in Silicon! This book has become my favorite Linux book ever.

This entire book can be found online:
[...]

Despite that I have a copy so that I can read it without a device.

Based on my exploration of a handful of Linux titles, this book seems better than most because it presents not only some practical ideas/tools/techniques, but also theoretical ones.

Check it out on the we and decide for yourself.

Theis title was chosen as the textbook for an introductory class on Linux. After several weeks the class concluded it was not a good choice for an introductory text. Although the book contains a wealth of information the book lacks any ordered teaching structure which a student can build on.

Great book, but the CD-ROM didn't come with it for some reason... slightly disapointed but will be able to read the html version online if I really need to.

The best Linux book, period.