Customer Reviews

Linux Phrasebook

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I liked this - a lot.

The goal here is to more thoroughly discuss usage of command line tools. Scott gives examples and discussion of just about everything you are likely to do at the command line.

I have quibbles, yes. Throughout the book I kept thinking "but why didn't you mention this?" or "I would have been sure to add x". But when all is said and done, so what? You can't cover every single thing that everyone might want to mention - or if you did the "book" would fill a room.

The new Linux user will definitely learn a LOT here. Old hands at the Linux command line may find it slightly less valuable, but if you are coming to Linux from other Unixes, this is a handy and concise reference that will make you more aware of the Linux differences.

Scott has done a great job here and deserves applause.

Frankly, the GUIs you'll encounter in Ubuntu, SuSE, etc., are so good that you may not often have any recourse to the command line. When you do, however, this is the book that you want. Yeah, I know, you can buy some fat distro-specific tome for not much more money, but the free documentation provided by *many* linux communities is already good enough. Command line stuff is another matter, especially if you are new at it. Give Granneman's book a chance and make the command line work the way you want it to work. (By the way, I read the "Phrasebook" slowly--just a chapter every other day or so; easy to master in less than a month.)

I could not have found a better compact Linux reference book. O'Reilly's "Linux in a Nutshell" is very comprehensive, but it gives very few examples and you pretty much have to know what you're looking for since it is organized alphabetically. "Linux Phrasebook" is organized by tasks such as "Finding Stuff" and gives practical examples. This book was money well spent!

I am picking up some Linux knowledge having been a database admin on Windows for many years. While concise, this book gives some explanation and context to commands/operations rather than simply acting as a copy of the built in documentation. More verbose than a "pocket guide", it is still quick enough to use as "how do I do this now" guide, rather than a chapter-by-chapter research book. This will likely be the most used book in my experimentations.

What a great little book!!! It is chock full of great information that can be used by novices and experts. I provided it to students of a class I taught and everyone thought it was great. This is the book that remains on the desk on not some corner of the room collecting dust.

I've found this book very helpful. It sits beside my computer at all times. It helps not only with Linux but with Mac OS X as well.

As a person who's first computer (PDP-10) experience was using the command line, I am familiar with the basics. However, if you have never worked via the command line before this book is a great start. Its layout is task oriented, rather than by command name. This allows the reader to quickly find out how to do things rather than just reading what a command does. Each task is accompanied by examples and and detailed explanations. At the same time the author also provides information about what is happening "behind the curtain". A command line veteran will find this book a source of new information as well as an excellent reference guide.

I know what most people are thinking,"why can't I just use the GUI in Linux to do what I want? There is no reason to learn the command line." I here it from my students all the time. Every time I bring up command line in class I hear a groan pass over the classroom.
Most people do not know the power command line gives them in using a computer be it Linux, OS X, or even the hated Windows. This book helps with two of them the Linux and the OS X for the Windows I suggest using Powershell and it will give you the same abilities as the ones built in to Linux but I digress.
This book gives new people and intermediate people the commands to use and how to use them in a easy to follow format with lots of examples that actually work, compared to some books. The book is designed with Ubuntu in mind but worked just fine with my Novell SUSE 10.2.
The book was not dry reading and was somewhat entertaining with some of the examples. It is definitely suggested reading for anyone who wishes to learn Linux because that "GUI" stuff is not always available.

I knew nothing about Linux, when I got this book, so I was reading it along with Linux In 24 hours, and I have to say that this book is just the perfect size for me. If you need a reference book, then you are probably looking for something heavier than this.

I use this book a lot because it has a lot of useful information in a small package. The bonus: It just fits in my back pocket.