Customer Reviews

Learning Red Hat Linux, 2nd Edition

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Unless you need Redhat tech support, buying this book to get you started with Linux isn't a bad idea. The author has titled the book "Learning" so if you are not experienced in Unix/Linux then this book will get you started. The fact that the author goes through the trouble of explaining a Redhat install from beginning to end was very useful. Unless you have some odd hardware (i.e. a 3d video card) you should have X runnng as well.

You will immediately want to know more however, and this book will leave you wanting more. That is you will have to purchase another book in the near future. The Unleashed (i.e. Redhat 6.0 Unleashed etc...) are typically pretty good, and they also include a Redhat distribution.

There are some mistakes/misprints however. Using the instructions as given you cannot get Quake2 running for example. Also there is nothing in the book about how to keep your installation up to date...a must for Linux users as the OS is constantly changing.

The one thing though that really irked me was the authors insistence that Gnome was "the most popular desktop environment in the US". Even after updating Gnome on my Linux box with the most recent stable releaes I find Gnome to be unstable and somewhat puzzling. The author spends alot of time talkng about the basics of getting around Gnome, but ignores the other popular desktop for Linux....KDE.Alot of this has to do with an almost religious war within the Linux community regarding what software qualifies as "free software" and what doesn't. The author is obviously a free software zealot and therefore leans towards Gnome. You as a user don't have to worry about this war ...you only have to be concerned about how to use the software on your pc. I think the book is lacking severely becuase it didn't cover KDE as it should have and worse yet, took a slap at KDE. Gnome is unstable. KDE is not. KDE is "free" as far as the user is concerned. In defense of the author though, Gnome is the preferred desktop at Redhat and the book is entitled Learning Redhat Linux, and thats is the desktop you get unless you take other steps on your own.

I am happy to report that I am typing this from KDE using Netscape as my browser. A testament to the fact that I got Linux working, and I used this book to get me started.

My only mistake about buying this book is it wasn't my first one. I really think it does an awesome job of taking you thru most of the questions you'd have as a new user of Red Hat Linux, and explains things fully enough for now. When you're finished with this, getting O'Reilly's Running Linux is definitely a good follow-up purchase. It seems every question i went crazy trying to figure out with all of my advanced books, was right here in Learning Red Hat Linux. If you're new to the game, get this book.

Its great for a user that is new to the wonderful world of open-source operating systems. If until now your experience with operating eyetems has been limited to Windows, then get this book!

The author does a great job of explaining the often-tedious process of installation in plain easy-to-understand english!

This book will get you started and have you running Linux in your machine in no time. Although if you want details and want to go into more depth, a book like Running Linux by the same publication will come in handy.

My recommendation is, this is a good book for a Linux novice or someone starting with Fedora for the first time.
Those with experience, will probably want to pass on this book. Its not likely you'll pick up anything new
(I didn't). (For those unfamiliar with what Red Hat has done with the split out of Fedora; think of
Fedora Core 1 as Red Hat Linux 9.1 or 10; if Red Hat had continued the product line.)

This book focuses on the "NEW" Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Fedora Core 1 Linux user. The book is a relatively
easy read. Bill McCarty writes a clear and well organized book. From a novice's perspective, the author gives
you, what you need to get Fedora installed, running and usable. The author does a good job of pointing
the reader at additional information sources on each topic. The book is short, less than 300 pages.
This is nice compared to some of the other 1,000 page plus Linux novice tomes; which try to be a "how to get
started" book and a "general reference" all at they same time; except they don't do either well. Linux should
be friendly, not scary. First timers shouldn't have to read a Encyclopedia to get started in Linux. I agree
with the author's choice of brevity for his book.

One suggestion to the author, would be to include output examples with the CLI (Command Line Interface) examples.
He does it with the GUIs, so why not with the CLIs???

I bought the book because "Red Hat Enterprise" (RHE) was in the title. I was disappointed in the fact there wasn't
more detail about RHE. In retrospect, anyone doing RHE, is probably an experienced Linux person working for a
company, where RHE is deployed and may even have had formal training on RHE. So why would they need this book?

My bona fides; I've been using been using various flavors of Unix for an embarrassing long time, Red Hat Linux
for 8 yrs (from release RH 3.0.3 to 9) and I have been running Fedora Core for about 5 months now.

This book covers the basics of linux. It will help the beginner setup their system and get the basic applications and server software running. I would recommend this book only to the person who is new to linux AND generally take more time grasping computer concepts. Although the book went into many different topics of linux, none of them were really in depth enough to give the reader a understanding of what was going on(kind of a do this and this will result book). Which is ok unless you have any problems. then you will find yourself stuck and searching through other countless documentations.

Easy to read and digest. Explains RedHat Linux in a manner which will satisfy the complete beginner and the intermediate user. Especially good if you're oinly computing experience is as a MSWindows user although its' content is such that you don't have to approach it from this background. One of the most well written computer books I have read.

Great Starter book! Was up and running in Linux in no time. Found the book clear and informative, and screenshots were quite nice to have been included. Once you whip through this book, you'll want a more indepth book quickly. However, great book to start you down the path of revolution.

For people who are starting to look at Linux as a potential desktop system "Learning Red Hat Enterprise Linux & Fedora" will get you onto the right track right from the beginning. These particular distributions are intended for the workstation market and so have many productivity related tools and fewer of the server tools. I particularly appreciated that it does not assume the reader is a high level technician but starts with all the basics and theory behind Linux including things like hard disk organization, hard disk track, sectors, cylinders, etc. Bill McCarthy does an excellent job of explaining what is going on.

The author walks you through the installation and configuration using the graphical interface (by far the only appropriate interface for the non-technical person trying to install Linux by their self). This section includes configuring networking and user accounts, organizing data, the default directory tree, file permissions, and using the X system. It also includes a good description of devices and how they are used in Linux, something you really need to understand to setup Linux correctly.

The two most common graphic user interfaces (GNOME and KDE) are examined in detail including common applications that come with Red Hat Enterprise and Fedora. These applications include OpenOffice, Evolution - an email client and personal scheduler, a PDA tool, and a CD writer.

For the more serious administrator he discusses the Bash shell (the default command interpreter), installing new software using the RPM package manager, and network services like Samba (to share files with Windows systems), Apache (web server), Secure Shell (for secure connections), and firewall configuration.

The authors also include a complete copy of Fedora on CD so you can actually install the operating system and configure it while you learn. "Learning Red Hat Enterprise Linux & Fedora" is highly recommended for anyone looking to make Linux their desktop operating system.

Of all the companies that arose to make a business around linux, Red Hat is perhaps the most successful, at least in the US. Many people wanting to install linux on their machines, or those buying machines with linux pre-installed, often encounter Red Hat's version. Accordingly, this book is in its 4th edition, updated in part because linux keeps expanding its functionality. But another change from previous editions is due to Red Hat replacing Red Hat Linux with an Enterprise and Professional versions. Plus, a group of volunteers, independent of, but supported by, Red Hat, split off a version called Fedora. The reason for Red Hat's actions seems to be a search for higher margins. Anyway, McCarty describes both the Enterprise and Fedora. As he explains, currently there is in fact little difference. Mostly due to the recent divergence.

If you are currently using an earlier Red Hat Linux, and feel quite comfortable with it, then you might want to just glance at this book to decide if you find enough need to upgrade now.

But if you have never used linux, of any ilk, then perhaps this book might be more useful. If you are going to migrate, you might as well do so to as recent a stable version as possible. McCarty presupposes no prior knowledge of linux or unix on your part. He explains clearly the salient features. The numerous screen captures are well chosen, in support of the text.

But you should be aware that McCarty does assume some prior acquaintance with computers. Most commonly Microsoft or Apple. In keeping with the O'Reilly tradition, the book does not start from scratch.

O'Reilly and Bill McCarty have done it again - they've gone ahead and created an awesome intro Linux book. In the same vein as Running Linux by Matt Welsh (the bible), this is a really good book for anyone who wants to get into Linux.

I have been a Linux user since 1991 back when no one really knew about Linux and the Kernel was still at 0.99. I cut my teeth on SLS and Slackware releases of Linux before moving to RedHat and the O'Reilly books have been just incredible. In fact, I still have the first edition of Running Linux by Matt Welsh that I bought in 1995. Having said all that, I just bought this book for the free copy of Red Hat 7.2 included in it. But I still spent a couple of hours going through the book and I am thoroughly impressed with the treatment each subjects gets in this book. Starting with the installation to configuring and installing X, GNOME to setting up networking, this book is a complete resource for anyone starting up with Linux.