Moving to the Linux Business Desktop [Paperback]

Marcel Gagné (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0131421921 | ISBN-13: 978-0131421929 | Publication Date: October 2, 2004

IBM has moved 15,000 desktops to Linux, and they intend to move all 300,000desktops to Linux by the end of 2005. Novell will move its 6,000 desktops toLinux by the end of 2004. They clearly understood something that businessesand governments across the world are coming to know: that Linux desktopsare cheaper, more reliable, and easier to maintain than Windows systems. Andnow that Linux is file-format compatible with Windows, switching is feasiblefor organizations large and small.This book is truly unique. It covers key linux business desktop technologies,including Linux Thin Clients and integrating Linux desktop email clients withMicrosoft Exchange Mail Servers. It provides information that networkadmins new to Linux need to understand before diving in to large desktopdeployments.Core desktop linux technologies covered include: the Linux Terminal ServerProject (LTSP), kiosk-mode desktops, and transactional systems. The bookcontinues with explanations of office automation software on Linux. The casestudies make it all "REAL" by showing HOW businesses and governmentorganizations have successfully made the transition to Linux desktops.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Switch your business to Linux: proven techniques for working IT Professionals

This is the complete technical resource for migrating your business desktops to Linux, administering them efficiently, and using them to drive cost savings throughout your organization. Respected Linux Journal columnist Marcel Gagné walks you step-by-step through planning and managing the transition, getting users up and running, and keeping them happy. Gagné covers hardware, productivity applications, messaging, coexistence with Windows environments, support, and much more. This is also the first book with in-depth coverage of using Linux Terminal Server Project (LTSP) thin clients to dramatically reduce the cost and complexity of computing.

• Deploy Linux with your existing PCs, printers, and IT/network infrastructure
• Centrally manage users and security through Webmin's convenient Web interface
• Deliver reliable email services with Postfix, or integrate Linux mail clients with Microsoft Exchange servers
• Configure Windows file sharing with Samba, and Linux file sharing with NFS
• Secure network communications with Linux firewalls and OpenSSH
• Plan and deploy LTSP thin clients and diskless workstations and the server support for them
• Provide LDAP directory services to all your clients
• Support users by "remote control"—without leaving your desk

From network security to spam reduction, automated backup/restore to collaboration groupware, Gagné offers specific solutions and proven techniques for leveraging the full power of Linux in your business.

Say goodbye to the expense, hassle, and insecurity of Windows desktops! Say hello to business computing the way it's supposed to be—with Linux!

About the Author

Marcel Gagné is best known as the author of the Linux Journal's "Cooking with Linux" series, winner of the Readers' Choice award for favorite column for three straight years. He has written two highly acclaimed Addison-Wesley books: Moving to Linux and Linux System Administration: A User's Guide.

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About the Author

About the Author

 

MARCEL GAGNÉ is best known as the author of the Linux Journal “Cooking with Linux” series, winner of the Readers’ Choice award for favorite column for three straight years. He has written two highly-acclaimed Addison-Wesley books: Moving to Linux, and Linux System Administration: A User’s Guide.

 

 

Product Details

• Paperback: 696 pages
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional (October 2, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0131421921
• ISBN-13: 978-0131421929
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,920,906 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very valuable guide for the business user of Linux, October 13, 2004

By 

R. Lodato "grey geek" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Moving to the Linux Business Desktop (Paperback)

For a number of years now, I've been playing with Linux at my company. Most of the books I've read have been geared either to running Linux as a server, or as a personal workstation. This book fills the gap. Moving to the Linux Business Desktop, by Marcel Gagné, covers what you need to know to successful run Linux as a business workstation.

M. Gagné, a writer for The Linux Journal, does not assume you're going to use one specific distro for Linux. He gives instructions and examples for the most common ones: Fedora (Red Hat), Mandrake, SUSE, Debian, etc. KDE is the primary desktop, but GNOME is covered fairly well, too.

This book is broken up into three major parts: Getting to Know Linux, Administration and Deployment, and The Linux Business Desktop. Each part is packed with information in an easy-to-follow format.

Part One (Getting to Know Linux) covers the essentials of installing Linux and customizing your desktop. As I remarked earlier, Marcel covers multiple distros. He includes instructions on how to install using Mandrake, Fedora Core 1, and SUSE, as well as providing information on setting up a dual-boot environment.

The second part (Administration and Deployment) assists in setting up a fully functional business environment. In Chapter 7 (Installing New Applications), Marcel covers the various installation programs available across the distros. In addition, he gives a clearly written explanation of how to build from source that dispels any anxiety a newbie to Linux might have.

The next chapter covers the device support in Linux. He then goes on to explain about network and Internet connections. Unfortunately, there is one major piece of errata in this area of the book. During his explanation of the difference between Class A, B, and C IP addresses, the information for class A was inadvertantly switched with the class C info. The errata is corrected on his website (www.marcelgagne.com) and in future editions of the book.

Later chapters dig into the topics of Backup and Restore, printing, email, web servers, file sharing, thin clients and desktop remote control. He even includes a chapter on installing and configuring LDAP (something rarely written about).

The third and final part of the book covers the usual business applications. Email is addressed first, followed by desktop organizers. The web-browsing chapter focuses on KDE's Konquerer and Mozilla. Significant coverage is given in the next three chapters to OpenOffice and its basic applications Writer, Calc, and Impress. For drawing, digital cameras and USB scanners are covered, with The GIMP as the preferred image editor. Discussions of instant messaging (Kopete and GAIM ) and video conferencing (GnomeMeeting) round out this marvelous book.

The book includes a branded copy of Knoppix, the CD-bootable Linux. This lets you play around with the various aspects of Linux before committing yourself to an actual installation.

All in all, this is a valuable book, covering most of the areas a business user wants to address. Notably lacking was coverage on how to try to run Windows applications under Linux. Even though VMWare, Win4Lin, and Wine were mentioned briefly, I would have liked to have read some examples of running a Windows application using them.

Moving to the Linux Business Desktop by Marcel Gagné, recently released by Addison-Wesley, contains a wealth of valuable information for anyone contemplating using Linux as a business desktop. I give this book a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For experienced Microsoft users or sysadmins, October 8, 2004

By 

W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Moving to the Linux Business Desktop (Paperback)

Is this the start of a trend? Will the penguin now carry a briefcase? Gagne's book is a strong outreach towards existing Microsoft users. In a confident tone, he suggests why you should migrate to linux and its coterie of open source applications.

Gagne assumes you are familiar with the Microsoft operating systems, but are clueless in linux. So he starts from scratch with the latter. Explaining the ease of installation and use. As much as possible, he gives an explanation of a linux application, like the Konqueror browser and file manager, as simply as possible. And there are constant comparisons to various Microsoft applications, to help you relate to your background.

Even with all this, the book is clearly aimed at a fairly technically adept Microsoft user, or a Microsoft sysadmin. For a more typical Microsoft user, this book is far too complicated. Most users don't want to get into some of the details he describes, irrespective of any operating system preferences. So keep your background in mind, if you are looking at this book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mandrake Linux & small business needs, March 24, 2005

By 

Arthur Gunn "A Linux enthusiast" (New Brunswick Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Moving to the Linux Business Desktop (Paperback)

My Linux bookshelf includes half a dozen books as references. As a person exploring Linux by myself, it is invaluable to have several good references.

However, Marcel Gagne book serves a dual purpose: A valuable reference and a very engaging read. In many ways it is like an adventure story in its presentation and easily read but educational at the same time.

Sure, I have had a computer interest for decades, but Linux and specifically Mandrake Linux, had reawakened that yearning to know more and to go beyond windows into open source software. This book is most useful for those who are interested in Mandrake Linux and the KDE desktop. This happened to be my exact choice so there is no feeling of having to translate the advice to another distribution or desktop. I avoid books that focus on other distributions and you might avoid this book for similar reasons. This book would still be useful but not with the 5 star rating I am willing to give.

The experience and understanding the author brings is second only to his ability to instill the desire to learn more. If he brings another title to print, I will be one of the first to consider its purchase.

In conclusion, I recommend the book for beginner and intermediate persons who are struggleing with Linux on their own and need an experienced advisor (book).