Ubuntu: Up and Running: A Power User's Desktop Guide [Paperback]

Robin Nixon (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0596804849 | ISBN-13: 978-0596804848 | Publication Date: April 27, 2010 | Edition: 1 Pap/Dvdr

Ubuntu: Up and Running shows you the ins and outs of the open source Ubuntu operating system with a complete hands-on tour. In the book you'll learn how Ubuntu works, how to quickly configure and maintain Ubuntu 10.04, and how to use this unique operating system for networking, business, and home entertainment. Spercifically you will learn how to:

• Choose among three desktop environments: GNOME, KDE, or XFCE
• Connect printers, sound cards, cameras, webcams, and iPhones
• Use the Linux filesystem with either the desktop or the command line
• Access networking functions, such as file and folder sharing and Internet access
• Get an in-depth introduction to the OpenOffice.org business productivity suite
• Use WINE to run Windows programs
• Implement upgrades quickly and easily
• Find out where to get, and how to install, other great software for Linux

This book includes a DVD with the complete Ubuntu system, which you can use either from the disc without installation, or you can install it alongside or in place of Windows or OS X. It also features a number of videos on Ubuntu specially produced by the book's author.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"One of the most informative texts on Ubuntu that I have seen. Exceptionally well produced. For many users it will be all they need. An essential library acquisition." - Major Keary --Linux Users of Victoria, Inc.

"It's refreshing to see that a technical person can produce a well written book on Ubuntu in a language that's interesting and easy to follow. I recommend this book to anyone wanting to dabble in Ubuntu Linux." - Leo D Vilensky --Amazon US

"Very good book for linux newbies, or people who have an incomplete knowledge of the operating system. I feel like I now have a much better understanding of Ubuntu in general... it takes you to the next level." - pannix --O'Reilly Website

"Excellent for those new to Ubuntu." - David Alan Tussey --Amazon US

"This is a great book for an introduction to Ubuntu... a one stop shop for a basic user guide." - C Buhecker --Amazon US

About the Author

Robin Nixon has worked with and written about computers since the early 1980s (his first computer was a Tandy TRS 80 Model 1 with a massive 4KB of RAM!). One of the web sites he developed presented the world's first radio station licensed by the music copyright holders. In order to enable people to continue to surf while listening, Robin also developed the first known pop-up windows.

Robin has worked for many of Britain's main IT magazine publishers where he has held several roles including editorial, promotions, and cover disc editing. He is the author of over 500 magazine articles and eight books on computing, including the top-selling Learning PHP, MySQL and JavaScript.

Product Details

• Paperback: 437 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media; 1 Pap/Dvdr edition (April 27, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0596804849
• ISBN-13: 978-0596804848
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #565,781 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Robin Nixon has been a writer for 30 years, has written in excess of 500 articles for many of the UK's top magazines, and has authored over a dozen books.

Robin started his writing career in the Cheshire homes for disabled people, where he was responsible for setting up computer rooms in a number of residential homes, evaluating and tailoring hardware and software so that disabled people could use the new technology, and writing supporting documentation and articles for a selection of national magazines.

After this Robin's career became a hundred percent writing-oriented when he joined a large magazine publisher, where he held a variety of different editorial positions, before leaving to become a self-employed writer.

With the dawn of the Internet in the 1990s, Robin branched out into developing websites (including the world's first licensed Internet radio station). In order to enable people to continue to surf while listening, Robin also developed the first known pop-up windows.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s Robin and his family moved to the USA a couple of times, once to run a web design company in California, and then again to set up an English Tearoom in Texas. In between times they ran several successful pubs, bed and breakfasts and nightclubs in England.

In recent years Robin has begun to focus more closely on motivation and personal improvement in his writing, while still continuing to produce more in his popular series of books on computing, which have now been translated into several different languages.

Robin lives on the south-east coast of England (where he writes full time), along with his five children and wife Julie (a trained nurse and university lecturer) - between them they also foster three disabled children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great for beginners, but not for the "Power User"., May 23, 2010

By 

David Alan Tussey "Google Advertising Specialist" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ubuntu: Up and Running: A Power User's Desktop Guide (Paperback)

I bought this book because of the subtitle "A Power user's Desktop Guide" and because it is supposed to cover Ubuntu V 10.04. If you use Ubuntu at all, then this book is of limited value to you. It covers the basics, but not much more. If you're brand new to Ubuntu, then by all means purchase this book. It's very useful in learning how to install and setup Ubuntu; clearly written with lots of illustrations.

I have the following issues with this book:

- Doesn't really cover much more than is in the free "Getting Started with Ubuntu 10.04". In fact it seems a bit of a rip-off of that free manual
- It doesn't cover how to install software that is not acquired through the Synaptic Package Manager. This is one of the biggest problems with Ubuntu -- the installation of non-Ubuntu packaged software products, such as the Oracle Clients that only come in RPM distributions.
- Use of command line and discussion of command is very limited. Again, okay for the beginner, but nothing for the power user. Also, although the UNIX command line commands are shown, it's not explained how you might use these for anything useful (except the apt and apt-get commands, which are well done).
- Very limited discussion of Ubuntu 10.04...a lot of "Ver 10.04 was still in Beta as this book when to press". I believe this book should have been delayed a couple of months and focused on V 10.04 more

So as I said...excellent for those new to Ubuntu, but of limited value to anyone who is already using Ubuntu and is upgrading to V 10.04.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Just a OS and Software user guide, June 29, 2010

By 

indefire "indefire" (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ubuntu: Up and Running: A Power User's Desktop Guide (Paperback)

This is a great book for an introduction to ubuntu and some software that runs on Ubuntu. Definitely a one stop shop for a basic user guide. Definitely one of the least technical books I've seen from O'Reilly and would consider it a casual user guide, not a "Power User" guide. None the less contains some very useful info.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Before you throw away that slow computer, May 9, 2011

By 

Moniker - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ubuntu: Up and Running: A Power User's Desktop Guide (Paperback)

Less computers would end up in land fills if people understood how easy it is to install and manipulate Linux. Seriously instead of paying someone $100 dollars to remove that mallvirus from your HP: buy this book, simply take the disk that comes with this book and install it -no matter how messed up your desktop / laptop is; this will bring your computer back from the dead and it will run faster than ever before. When it get's to the part where it asks if you want to over wright current operating system, click yes and kiss Windows goodbye. From there it's as simple or as complicated as you wanna get. Linux is simple enough to understand and you can go to their website and download it for free, but if you want to learn advanced parameter modification for an operating system, this book is a good place to start.