Learning Debian GNU/Linux

There are way too many computer book authors who simply do not know how to write. Bill McCarty is not one of these. He has written an erxcellet book that eplains debian on a very basic level. This is a good book because it delivers exactly what it promises to deliver. It is an introduction to linux and it encourages new users to "have fun" and "be patient." It is outdated, though. For Linux, a good book needs to be more recent that 2000 to be relevant. This book is older than that. The effective birthday of Debian was in 1993. Highly recommended book!

Somewhat old in terms of computer history. It would be useful for history and use on old hardware. The reader looking to install Debian GNU/Linux would be advised to try the latest which is Jessie Version 8.1 at the time of the review. Upgrading from the old version with the Debian mirrors would be problematic with the old version.

I have downloaded and installed several Linux distributions (Red Hat 6.1, Caldera 2.3, etc.) in my search to find one that I like. I am also reading the book, "Running Linux, 3rd ed." which is teaching me the ins and outs of Linux. Debian GNU/Linux works for me because the book leads you step by step through the installation, plus it is setup more like traditional (non-commercial) distributions, which I am reading about in "Running Linux". Together, both books and the included CD, have me up on a simple home LAN where I can print from Windows machines, through my Linux server, and share files too. Not only that, but I understand it!Yes, Linux does require a bit of time on your part to learn some of the Microsoft type things you use to take for granted, but you'll sleep better knowing that pointless lock-ups are a thing of the past.

The only thing wrong with this book is its assumption that Linux = Intel/X86. I bought it without expectation of getting Alpha-usable software on CD but hoped that the book treatment would be more general. The installation sections are definitely x86 only. Fortunately there is more than enough post-install information to make the book worth it to a Linux starter like me once I located the Alpha-specific instructions on the web. And the CD may save an x86 peecee from windows someday.One wish: ALL Linux books should state on the cover or back if the information is limited to one processor type... Debian and Linux are multiplatform.

I have to agree with the Reader from New York. I received the book as part of the boxed set from the VALinux CD distribution. So, at a minimum, the price and material can't be beat!But, in addition to the "xf86config" misnomer, the reader is also told to use the SHIFT-ALT-+ key combination to reduce the size of the virtual desktop. Well, as a newbie to Linux, as well as Debian, I must have looked like a trained monkey hammering away on that key combination, until I thought, "Maybe there was a misprint or misquote." And yes, the CTRL-ALT-+ combination worked just fine. By the way, the monkey was, of course, rewarded immediately with a reduced virtual desktop and a banana.This is just one of several "small" errors in the book; however, to a Debian system newbie, the errors are annoying.Also, the flow throughout the book was choppy, at best. Although the book and its flow start out well, providing sufficient detail to install successfully the Debian system without too many problems, by Chapter 5 the book has lost any useful level of specificity. I understand that once you get into the X Window environment, your choices for a window manager are numerous but sticking with two or three window managers, throughout the remainder of the book, would have been beneficial to the reader.By the book's ending, the flow has jumped around so much that the reader can easily become overwhelmed and confused. Much like the middle of the book, the level of specificity is limited so that you can easily become lost in any LAN, WAN, or web server profile installation. I found myself constantly referring to the Debian "HOW TOs" for additional and more helpful information.Better-presented books are available at the price level associated with this book. Overall, the book was misleading in that its usefulness began promisingly but ended disappointedly. If the level of specificity and flow found in the first four chapters had been carried throughout the remainder of the book, a higher rating would have been given.

I highly recommend the book, especially if you can get the 'boxset' that I got, which comes with a VALinux distribution CD, a small install guide and this book, plus a demo game CD for the price of the book. I installed on an old laptop w/o CD-ROM, which the book assumes the user has. The install section is well written and easy to follow, but assumes that the user is using the CD. The biggest problem that I have is using dselect, the "add new programs" of the Debian distribution, because the CD is assumed again. I haven't even read the XWindows sections yet, which are a full 1/3 of the book. It does have lots of information that I'm sure I will be refering back to for some time now. A newbie book is always a good start and usually a good reference. If you have an old system (even w/o a CD - you can download Debian and make 8 install floppies very easily) get this book and get started with Linux. It really isn't difficult.

no very helpful.

VERY BAD COMPANY TO DEAL WITH THEY ARE CROOKThe book was supplied without the CD, which I informed to them via you as yet no reply.Can I have my money back.Please let me know the outcome.Samir