Favorite Linux References?
Posts: 275
Hi All,
So that I (and maybe others) can use the forum as efficiently as possible, I'm wondering which good Linux reference books the "senior" users of the forum would recommend.
To clarify, let me share some thoughts on this I've been exchanging with Jon DuQuesne via e-mail (forgive the length and goofy formatting):
"One reason for my trip to the bookstore was to find a good Linux reference. I
want basic descriptions of the file system and command-line language and
functions. Did you know there are like at least three Ubuntu books out? Then
there are generic Linux books, any of which would be fine since the commands
are basically the same and most of the books cover surface differences
between major distributions. But they all range at the $40 level. Kind of
pricey for "free" software. (There's one smaller little handbook listing
commands only. Kind of a handy reference.)
"I'll keep looking. I suppose I want something like the Windows reference
books, which you can either browse in or get specific information from.
"As an example situation: I have lots of things I want to do, but I don't want
to pester everyone for explanations. I want to get Wine to recognize .exe
files on my flash drive. I have an external cd/dvd drive/burner that I want
to use through the USB port. I want to convert installation dvd's into cd's
(a recent issue of Linux Format explains how).
"This is just general stuff that everyone else does all the time. But you need
to know how to put the right commands in the right places. Like telling Wine
where to look for the .exe, or making sure the USB device mounts. In short, I
want to do stuff without having to pester people in the forum all the time.
Every now and then is, of course, wonderful and enlightening. But *all* the
time is an abuse of the system.
"So surely the wizards of the forum learned their stuff from somewhere. There
must be really useful reference books. I'll check to see if Gagne's is the
stuff. I wonder what the forum users recommend...?"
Any advice?
--Malanrich
Thanks for the starters
Posts: 275
I expected a response like "It doesn't matter. Just grab one and learn the commands!"
On the other hand, I checked the _Linux for Dummies_, which seemed both thorough and aimed at, well, dummies (but in a good sense). It could have been different: it might have been thorough but aimed at the expert. Or you can find brief guides aimed at the beginner who will get scared off from something the size of a phone book (Barnes and Noble has its own series, a "slim" intro to Linux).
I *think* I want a phone book-sized reference: nice and full, but aimed at the beginner (or one who knows computers from a Windows perspective).
I'd like to hear cautionary advice, like "Don't get the short book because you'll quickly outgrow it and have to buy the bigger one soon anyway..." Or, "get the short one; it's all you need since most of your knowledge will come on-line anyway."
I know learning experiences are highly idiosyncratic, but any guidance helps. Thanks, Baldy, for getting me rolling.
--Malanrich
Hey Mark
Posts: 5513
If you are interested in "reference" type books, I would also recommend _Linux in a Nutshell_ (one of the O'Reilly books.
The only problem is, that I have not found any decent books that go into GUI-type instuctions (other than KDE's own on-line documentation). Both KDE, GNOME and the other GUIs have not garnered enough "fashion" to develop many bound books.
Anyone out there know of some good GUI books?
Jon
best one i've had
Posts: 4864
was actually the bound suse guide bought with a copy of suse pro
I seem to have 7 general linux books; then others on samba, python, sql, most of which are making good bookends, but not valuable to get stuff into my head.
The Rute Tute, which you get on-line, is good
and so is the Debian GNU/Linux: Guide to Installation and Usage from Project Gutenberg.
Check related post on
Posts: 275
Check related post on command-line resources:
http://www.mepis.org/node/11073
drlizau: You pros of the Forum have now accumulated the piles of bookends and doorstops we freshmen might not have to wade through if we know where to go for the best info.
Maybe I'm proposing a slight shift in concept, a *little* in the direction of teaching how to fish in addition to feeding newbies for a day. Gosh, maybe that's what the aquarium was all about in the first place. (!!!!!?)
--Malanrich
Books
Posts: 125
I have several: Linux for Dummies, Robin Miller's Point and Click Linux, Marcel Gagne's Kiss the Blue Screen of Death Goodbye, and O'Reilly's Linux Desktop Hacks. Enjoyed the last one the most 
And for non-reference books, I would like to suggest the insightful and hilarious, "Just for Fun", an autobiography of Linus Torvalds.
-STYNGERSMASH-
"Share the world."
Books
Posts: 275
The only thing I've read by Linus Torvalds is his preface to _The Hacker Ethic_, where he talks about the three qualities that make hackers tick: survival, social life, and entertainment. Probably ancient history by now...
Any clarification about what a particular book was good *for* would help (i.e., general overview of Linux...specific, hands-on procedures...any observations like that would help a lot).
Thanks again for taking the time.
--Malanrich
More on the Books
Posts: 125
The books by Robin Miller (which promotes MEPIS) and Marcel Gagne (which promotes Knoppix) are excellent for Windows users who want to shift to Linux painlessly. Gagne has an advanced edition (the Linux Business Desktop) for intermediate users.
Linux for Dummies is not the best reference book out there, but it's a convenient guide for intermediate users. The best reference book out there is O'Reilly's Linux in a Nutshell, which I plan to buy soon.
Linux Desktop Hacks, on the other hand, provides concise "projects" for tweaking your installation. It's written in a distro-neutral way.
And as regards Linus' three qualities of hackers, that's actually his Three Laws of Life, which he elaborates in "Just for Fun." In Linus' view, everything in life (eg, war, sex, technology) have similar evolutionary stages: first, that it's there merely for survival; then it becomes a tool for socialization; and, lastly it becomes mainly entertainment. It's certainly is a wacky way of looking at things
-STYNGERSMASH-
"Share the world."
my favorites: O'Reilly's -
Posts: 7
my favorites:
O'Reilly's - Linux In A Nutshell
Linux Desk Reference - Scott Hawkins
Linux Install and Configuration: Little Black Book - Dee Ann Lebland
i like this site for buying books - buy USED - most are new but outdated & applicable to Linux
Mine are pretty
Posts: 1634
Mine are pretty simple:
http://enterprise.kde.org/
http://docs.kde.org
http://www.kde.org/areas/sysadmin/
http://doc.trolltech.com/3.3/index.html
http://doc.trolltech.com/4.0/index.html
Anything under:
http://developer.kde.org/documentation/
http://www.tldp.org/
and the lkml.
Home of the Point-N-Click Help Files
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
Linux references
Posts: 66
I have learned more from the O'Reilly series of HACKS books than anywhere else. The desktop book is great and if you are looking for server info, the two server books are terrific.
I learned things I didn't know just browsing through them.
Thorndike
Learned by doing?
Posts: 275
EnigmaOne,
Does your list suggest you learned mainly from online sources and, by inference, learned more by doing than "reading up" in print publications? Just a clarification...
There's something like a consensus that O'Reilly's _Nutshell_ book has been the go-to reference.
Thanks everyone for the excellent feedback.
--Malanrich
With 5 kids, running around
Posts: 1634
With 5 kids, running around the house, we have found that our budget suffers less if I stay out of the book stores, for the time being.
I've spent more time with the online references and man pages than I have with print pubs.
The same information is available; hovever, one has to wade through a bit more to find the answers that I'm looking for. I'd like to think that I learn more along the way, because I have a pretty good recall of the things that I wasn't looking for, as answers, at the time; at a later time, when I actually need that information.
Home of the Point-N-Click Help Files
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
A Mepis book?
Posts: 275
What I'd really like to see is a Mepis-centric intro to Linux. That would be the sweetest thing and wouldn't step on Roblimo's toes at all, since his book is not really teaching Linux. And it's about time for an updated Mepis reference.
As EnigmaOne points out, you can get tons of information on line. But I need actual pages to annotate and to stay put. You never know whether you'll be able to find a webpage again.
--Malanrich
I can highly recommend the
Posts: 1634
I can highly recommend the Star Micronics LS-5TT laser printer for the purpose of printing-out things like man pages and other PostScript files.
Going since my Epson LX-80 gave up the ghost in 1992, and still going strong.
Home of the Point-N-Click Help Files
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
Printing documentation
Posts: 275
An Epson lx80??
Okay, I'll briefly hijack my own thread by revealing (only here in private) my dirty little secret: my primary printer remains my Epson l1000. When various other printers (bubble jets, etc.) have clogged, broken, or otherwise impoverished me with ink cartridge refills, the Epson prints beautiful documents reliably with ribbons that are cheap and still available. It was the first printer I ever bought (sometime in the late 80's). It just keeps working. I have a brand-new Lexmark that sits in a box in storage.
The sad part is, I can't use it much with Mepis. It's only with Windows that I get good results. Apparently Mepis needs a more updated printer to get best results. So if I print out Mepis docs, it will have to be over on my Windows partition. Not a big deal, since I actually don't print as much anymore.
--Malanrich
Search results
Posts: 275
Hi gang,
I checked out some of the recommended titles. Results are:
Hoooooooeeeeeee! The _Linux in a Nutshell_ is way beyond me. Thorough, yes, and no doubt very accurate. But very little on "Here's why you need to know this..."
This last element seems to be what you get in _Linux for Dummies_ (along with more detailed information than you get in the Penguin (I think) series of general overviews to both Ubuntu and Linux. Also more detailed is _Linux in a Windows World_, but still not as much as in _Dummies_.
The thing is, _Dummies_ didn't rate very high in the opinions expressed here. I'm wondering why....
I won't make a bigger deal out of this. On the other hand, if we start getting the Mepis Documentation updated, it might be nice to have a short list of recommended resources for beginners. As drlizau has said, we need all kinds of resources for all kinds of users.
--Malanrich
Good Points Mark
Posts: 5513
Thanks for the good points Mark.
As I mentioned to Mark in an off-line email, one other book that I recommended is Marcel Gagne's _Linux System Administration_. It is intended to "administer" multiple systems, but if you are playing with Linux then you are the "administrator" of your own box. I like his writing style and he gives some good advice. It's a slightly higher level than "Dummies", but I'm sure we've all found that more books are better.
(Now where did I put that spare bookcase...)
Jon
There are a lot of books
Posts: 153
There are a lot of books Linux for dummies is fast reference book that I think everyone has or has had. The linux Bible is another that has all the cli info anyone will ever need. Those I suggest for starters
Linux User #266786
http://www.thebarrel.net