Linux is an operating system, based on Unix that has become a viable desktop system for many users, especially those involved with system and network administration. Red Hat Linux has remained a leading choice of Linux distributions for years, owning more than 80% of the U.S. Linux market.This book covers all the most important topics for the reader who wants to get Red Hat Linux up and running and to become productive with the operating system as quickly as possible. The books covers topics such as installing, setting up, and negotiating the new desktop environment, and much more.
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From the Back Cover
Linux is an operating system, based on Unix that has become a viable desktop system for many users, especially those involved with system and network administration. Red Hat Linux has remained a leading choice of Linux distributions for years, owning more than 80 percent of the U.S. Linux market.
This book covers all the most important topics for the reader who wants to get Red Hat Linux up and running and to become productive with the operating system as quickly as possible. The books covers topics such as installing, setting up, and negotiating the new desktop environment, and also includes:
* An explanation of what is happening behind the scenes--the reader learns how the system works as well as what to do, in simple, layman's language.
* Special attention to new features of the latest Red Hat release, especially tools that make tasks that used to be difficult easier.
* Instruction on troubleshooting practices and debugging tools.
* A comprehensive list of all major places to get Linux support and answers.
About the Author
Aron Hsiao is a computing entrepreneur and freelance network consultant with a background in Unix-like operating systems stretching back to the mid 80s. He has spent time both as an independent contractor and as a proprietor, working in computer hardware and software retail, real-time software development, network deployment, Internet development, and Internet marketing. He is the author of The Concise Guide to Xfree86 for Linux.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A great reference for a slightly outdate OS,
By
This review is from: Sams Teach Yourself Red Hat Linux 9 in 24 Hours (Paperback)
This book was published in 2003, but it still has a lot of relevant information for people using (or wanting to use) Red Hat Linux 9. Red Hat has since come out with the Fedora Core project, but I still have Red Hat Linux 9 on my older and less powerful laptop - and it works just fine for me. Although this book is aimed at the beginner, I found it both enjoyable and informative. So even though I have been using Red Hat Linux for over three years, I found myself learning many new and useful concepts.
The Good: 1) It covers basic tasks very well. For example - the installation. It gives you enough detail and information to allow you to make educated choices about what you want to install. When I installed my first Linux distro several years ago, I found it very difficult and confusing. This book would have been very useful for me! 2) The wide scope of this book covers several useful topics and applications. Some of the topics include: installing Red Hat Linux 9, using the Linux console, working without a mouse, networking without graphics, working with files on the desktop, using OpenOffice.org, customizing your desktop, web browsing and email, managing processes, security and system administration. If you read through and apply this book you will know quite a bit about using a Linux computer... maybe even more than you know about Windows! 3) It teaches both the command line and the GUI. Using DOS on a Windows computer seems very quaint and retro, but using the command line on Linux is essential to harnessing its power - not to mention that it is often quicker and more convenient. I was very glad to see that this book doesn't skimp on learning the console. It also does a good and thorough job explaining how to use the desktop (GUI). It is the best of both worlds. The Bad: 1) Not enough detail in some areas. Like a textbook, it only introduces several topics that could (and should) be explored in greater depth. For example - using vi and emacs. The book spends all of a few pages each on these very useful, important and big applications. It is left up to you to find more information - without any help as to where to look. A "for more information see..." section in each chapter would have been incredibly helpful. 2) Some editing problems. Honestly, nearly every book I read has some editing problems - this one is no exception. One very annoying problem is how the book makes several references to Red Hat Linux 8. 8?? This is a frequent occurrence, and made me wonder if anyone checked the script before it was submitted to press? Luckily, it only says 8 - the content still refers to 9. Also, there are several areas where the figures and pictures are on the wrong page, or in the wrong topic. For example - the vi screen is shown in the emacs section - whoops! 3) Nothing about Linux history, GNU or Open Source software. I found this to be the most frustrating and blatantly overlooked part of the book. There is nothing. It would have been nice and helpful if the book had included at least a brief overview of these concepts - as well as some information about Linux distros and how Red Hat relates to them. Overall: If you are like me and you find Sam's line of "Teach yourself ... in 24 hours" books to be useful, then you will most likely enjoy and learn from this book. Yes, it has some problems (what book doesn't?) but that isn't enough to detract from the overall usefulness of this book. If you want to get into Red Hat Linux 9, or you are still using it - this book is a great reference to have handy.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nice Starting Point for Linux Newcommers,
By
This review is from: Sams Teach Yourself Red Hat Linux 9 in 24 Hours (Paperback)
One of the big problems getting started with Linux is actually getting your hands on the software. Sure you can spend half a lifetime downloading the stuff, but why bother? This book (like many others, to be sure) includes the 2-CD "Publisher's Edition" of Red Hat Linux v9. (The full version is 3 CD's and includes a lot of other add-on packages, but believe me, all the essential stuff is here, along with plenty of other goodies to keep you busy for quite a while!).The book itself is broken down into 24 chapters, representing one hour of study for each chapter. You may be able to *read* it in an hour, but to really understand it will take many more hours of self-study. Ideally, you'll read the chapter, then go back and review it while you're at you machine. Each chapter does a reasonably good job of presenting the material. The book starts with the installation process, most of which is automated, so you get up and running pretty quickly. It then moves through basic text-console operations (using help, configuring the network, the help system and basic scripting). By Chapter 10 we're into the GUI (basic desktop configuration, using some of the built-in productivity programs and system tools, etc). By Chapter 17, we're getting into the 2nd level stuff (advanced configuration, security, job scheduling), with the last few chapters dedicated to very specific functions (Installing Software, Network File Services, Web and FTP Servers, and Troubleshooting). Each chapter concludes with a concise summary, a short Q&A section, then a brief Quiz (hey SAMS! Why not move the quiz answers to the back of the book in the next edition?) Hsiao's writing style is comfortable and easy to read. He keeps it simple, without too much jargon, and presents the material clearly. Occasional typos and even a few inaccurate pictures (Figure 2.10 is a shot of the "Network Configuration" screen, when it's supposed to be about Disk Partitioning!) might be frustrating for some, but the diligent reader should be able to work through them without getting lost. I especailly liked the later chapters where much of the same material is covered twice: once for GUI users and again for command-line jockies (the preferred method if you're installing a server as opposed to a desktop machine). If you're already comfortable with command line operating systems (DOS, NetWare, etc), you'll probably have an easier time moving to Linux that those who grew up in the Windows world. But in either case, this book will do a good job of easing you gently into it, giving you enough know-how to get the basics done, and empowering you to explore deeper. If you're already familiar with Linux, this book probably won't tell you much you don't already know. But for the rest of us, its a very good intro into this exciting and powerful alternative to Windows.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
What a Deal!!,
By "deltafront" (Silverdale, WA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Sams Teach Yourself Red Hat Linux 9 in 24 Hours (Paperback)
At [a little money], one gets a fully operational OS and a manual on how to use it effectively. While there are siginificant differences between Red Hat 8 and 9 (differences which the book overlooks), the 24 hour teaching format does enough to help one get the essentials of this OS. I would definitely recommend getting this book and the accompanying CDs to any Linux newbie.
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