Customer Reviews

The Linux Bible: The Gnu Testament

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This huge tome is best referred to if installing onto a machine which is about the same age ie. 486 era. As this book is basically just a hardcopy of the Sunsite how-tos its useful life was always destined to be short, and the number of sections that are still completely relevant is quite disproportionate to the size of the book. That there are so many new software packages available now that the bible doesn't cover isn't a criticism, just a comment on the rate of progress in the development of Linux. That said, it is still the first book I pick up when setting up a system - even if only to refresh my memory on the workings of Lilo or fdisk! For a new user with new hardware, however, buy an install guide (like the one by Matt Welsh that is the most useful part of the bible) for the basics and look elsewhere for up-to-date information.

I bought this a couple of years ago, and it is now an essential companion, instead of having to hunt out the needed info, and juggle screens to read and follow instructions at the same time, the book stays by the computer. It is my most worn out looking text book, a testament indeed to its value. There is probably nothing in it which cannot be found on the net, and if you were to spend a few years doing it, you could probably compile a similar tome free!

I have this, and the original publication of the Linux Bible. Back in the day, Yggdrasil, being one of the very first actually commerically available Linux distributions, brought with it the publication of several CDROM and DVD archives, as well as this compendium of virtually all amassed information regarding Linux and the FSF's GNU tools.

Even today (2010), and approaching two decades of Linux, this book provides an introspective look on the inner workings and evolution of GNU/Linux, and UNIX in general.

This is fantastic easy reading for the UNIX aficionado who is desirous of recreational reading material as it relates to UNIX theory and problem solving, and I still occasionally fan through this comprehensive volume for hints on ways to do things that provide the perspective of a completely manual era in handcrafting and configuring a UNIX system.

Much of the material in this book is still relevant to this day, and even though much has changed in the way we now collect the knowledge we need in a "How-To" situation, you can actually complete the set up and configuration of system daemons and applications through following the guides in this book.

To sum it all up. The GNU Testament is a timeless classic, and should be afforded a proud and prominent place in every Linux or UNIX guru's library!

When you see the cover of this Bible, you would think twice before picking this up. A chance encounter at my friend's software development center with this Bible of Linuxs' books, takes you into its myraid solutions for the Linux novice as well as the Guru. The accompanying CD has got the finest tutorials which the Linux buff can find only in various niches of the Net. A good collection of HOWTOs and GUIDES: The LILO GUIDE standing out ! I wish I got every NEW Edition brought out by Yggdrasil because it is so very indespensible for a Linux MADDOG...