Ubuntu Linux Bible [Paperback]

William von Hagen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 3, 2007 | ISBN-10: 0470038993 | ISBN-13: 978-0470038994

Everything you need to know—and then some!

It's the fastest-growing, coolest Linux distribution out there, and now you can join the excitement with this information-packed guide. Want to edit graphics? Create a spreadsheet? Manage groups? Set up an NFS server? You'll learn it all and more with the expert guidance, tips, and techniques in this first-ever soup-to-nuts book on Ubuntu. From the basics for newcomers to enterprise management for system administrators, it's what you need to succeed with Ubuntu.

• Master the fundamentals for desktop and networks
• Send e-mail, share files, edit text, and print
• Download music, watch DVDs, and play games
• Use Ubuntu on laptops, go wireless, or synch it with your PDA
• Set up Web, mail, print, DNS, DHCP, and other servers
• Manage groups and secure your network

What's on the CD-ROM?

Test-drive Ubuntu on your computer without changing a thing using the bootable Ubuntu Desktop Live CD included with this book. If you decide to install it permanently, a simple, easy-to-use installer is provided. Also on the CD, you'll find:

• Popular open-source software for Microsoft(r) Windows(r), such as AbiWord, Firefox(r), GIMP, and more
• An easy-to-use application that simplifies installing these programs on your Microsoft Windows system

System Requirements: Please see the "About the CD-ROM Appendix" for details and complete system requirements.

Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Everything you need to know—and then some!

It's the fastest-growing, coolest Linux distribution out there, and now you can join the excitement with this information-packed guide. Want to edit graphics? Create a spreadsheet? Manage groups? Set up an NFS server? You'll learn it all and more with the expert guidance, tips, and techniques in this first-ever soup-to-nuts book on Ubuntu. From the basics for newcomers to enterprise management for system administrators, it's what you need to succeed with Ubuntu.

• Master the fundamentals for desktop and networks
• Send e-mail, share files, edit text, and print
• Download music, watch DVDs, and play games
• Use Ubuntu on laptops, go wireless, or synch it with your PDA
• Set up Web, mail, print, DNS, DHCP, and other servers
• Manage groups and secure your network

What's on the CD-ROM?

Test-drive Ubuntu on your computer without changing a thing using the bootable Ubuntu Desktop Live CD included with this book. If you decide to install it permanently, a simple, easy-to-use installer is provided. Also on the CD, you'll find:

• Popular open-source software for Microsoft® Windows®, such as AbiWord, Firefox®, GIMP, and more
• An easy-to-use application that simplifies installing these programs on your Microsoft Windows system

System Requirements: Please see the "About the CD-ROM Appendix" for details and complete system requirements.

About the Author

William von Hagen (Bill) has been a Unix system administrator for over twenty years, and a Linux fanatic since the early 1990s. He has worked as a Linux product manager, systems programmer, system administrator, writer, application developer, drummer, and content manager. Bill has written or co-written books on such topics as Linux Server Hacks, Linux Filesystems, SUSE Linux, Red Hat Linux, GCC, SGML, Mac OS X, and Hacking the TiVo. He has also written numerous articles on Linux, embedded computing, Mac OS X, Unix, and various Open Source topics. An avid computer collector specializing in workstations, he owns more than 200 computer systems but is not compulsive at all. You can reach him at [e-mail].

Product Details

• Paperback: 936 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (January 3, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470038993
• ISBN-13: 978-0470038994
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 1.9 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #309,561 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ubuntu is for everybody, February 21, 2007

By 

G. Tairov - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ubuntu Linux Bible (Paperback)

Like many other "Bible" publications, "Ubuntu Linux Bible" is an extensive study material and is a good addition to any Linux reference book collection. William von Hagen did a good job of dissecting the information into manageable chunks. The book is written in clear terms and reads easy. As any other Linux book, the intro covers a bit of Linux history. The installation of the OS is covered well. You will learn how to install Ubuntu on a special-purpose system or as a generic desktop. Ubuntu is a Gnome based distribution, so KDE is not presented here. You will learn how to use Linux command-line tools; some bash commands are included. Additionally, the author covered quite a few GUI applications such as: Evolution, office apps and a myriad of others, so your switch from Windows world will be rather painless. Subjects covered also include: multimedia, games, consumer electronics, file sharing, software development, and some systems administrator tasks. You will learn how to add/delete/maintain users and user groups and manage permissions. As far as full-blown systems administration goes, this is probably not your best book -- simply because each topic takes many books by itself. Don't expect to learn DNS or Samba in one chapter. Just be realistic... Setting up servers and administering them is covered in this "Bible" as well. I give the book five stars for it versatility. If you are looking for a specific Linux reference book covering a very specific subject, this is not a book for you. Newcomers are welcome!

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ubuntu for desktop use, January 30, 2007

By 

Richard E. Graves (Seattle WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ubuntu Linux Bible (Paperback)

This might be the best Linux "bible" book ever. The book is great from the perspective of those who want ubuntu for desktop use. Its coverage of ubuntu for server use is brief. It also does not cover kubuntu or xubuntu (but it does cover some KDE applications that beat everything offered under GNOME, like k3b for burning DVD's and CD's). The book is well written, includes some geek humor, and does NOT include any inadvertent references to "ubuntu core". This is an excellent book for someone who wants to get the most out of ubuntu on the desktop -- with ubuntu and this book, Vista is obsolete already!

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not a bad place to start, May 21, 2008

By 

C. Chartier (Bellevue, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ubuntu Linux Bible (Paperback)

I'm a computer professional who is new to Linux. As Ubuntu seems to be what everybody raves about these days, I decided to take the plunge and bought this book as my guide.

It's not a bad book by any means, but it certainly has room for improvement as well. I see a mistake that a lot of technical type books make. The author takes very simple topics and explains them to the level of a 4-year old who doesn't speak the language can understand (things like how to click the mouse). However, when it comes to more technical topics he seems to brush over them very quickly with much less explanation.

The author spent more time explaining how to use a graphical file explorer (like windows explorer) than explaining hard drive partitions and mounting them.

So the book is a good place to start, but I doubt it will be suitable for a true reference to refer back to when I'm facing more difficult tasks.