Computers-N-Internet.com

comment by Bindi
Posted on October 25, 2009 at 6:48 pm

This book-CD kit is probably one of the most terrible deals you get when you’re looking for a starter kit. 1. The software is out of date. 2. PQ’s PartitionMagic CE sometimes errors out during the partitioning process. 3. The book is more of an enemy than a teacher. The installation preparation on Chapter 1 regarding Windows 9x states that the Caldera Linux program group will be installed when you insert the CD. Actually, you have to select the first option once the Caldera menu comes up. Next the book says you can partition you primary drive to 300 MB, 500 MB, or 1.0 GB. Actually, you can only select 300, 1.0 GB or the maximum free disk space – 100 MB. This is, to say the least, VERY CONFUSING! Chapter 3 mentions the XFree86 configuration. It says to hit CtrlAltF2 to go from KDE to console to edit the configuration. It never tells you how to get back–nowhere in the book. And “startx” or “kde” does not work. You have to “shutdown -r 0″ and relogin. My KDE has scrolling screen. Nowhere does the book shows how to turn this feature off. As for sound goes, you’ll have to swim in a shark-infested water with your bare self if you have PnP card. Time and again, the book spits out a topic but never gets into it. It just ask you to read such and such, in this and that, directory (not file but directory). One of the HOWTOs states that you need to recompile the kernel. Nowhere in the book mention this process. [BTW, there is no such file as /usr/src/linux, and "make xconfig" or "make menuconfig" or "make config" just doesn't work.] Ok, if the source rpm aren’t automatically installed, you’ll have to install it if you need to recompile. rpm command does work. But kpackage and lisa does not work like what the book says. lisa doesn’t work at all (Caldera’s bug?) Just about every topic in every chapter is missing something. It’s not a tutorial. It’s not a guide. It looks like separate pieces of scrapped newspaper from different days fastened together by sticky rice. It omits so many basic yet important topic. Instead of teaching, it seems to assume that all you want is that outdated CD! This book should be titled “Frustrating Yourself for 24 Hours or More with COL and BB.” Hey, the current title is hideously correct: You’ll have to teach yourself by taking classes or get another book–because this kit doesn’t do that.

comment by Zahar
Posted on October 25, 2009 at 10:54 pm

I actually have a copy of the first edition, but the material is basically the same. The first edition doesn’t include the CD-ROM.

I am surprised to many people trash this book. I didn’t read any reviews before I bought it (now I read reviews unless I know the authors work), but flipped through a few dozens pages before I bought it. I found it pretty helpful.

My background is DOS. I know DOS inside out and backwards, and even with that, Linux is still fairly confusing. More commands, less forgiving command line, MANY more configuration files, and so forth.

The only negative thing I can say about his book is he tries to stuff too much into a 24 hour book. I wasn’t overly impressed with the chapter on connecting to the internet. I don’t feel that has a place in a book this short. If you want to learn how to use a new operating system and get it online, install Windows and use an ISP with a plug in CD to set it up for you. There is much you need to know before connecting to the internet.

Aside from that, I actually thought it was helpful. If you have NO DOS experience, it will be harder to learn, and the syntax is pretty much the same, but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn it. It’s hard to say how long it will take you to pick it up, as everyone learns at a different pace.

When I got my copy, I hadn’t used Linux in about 2 years. I briefly used Slackware (never again), but I only remembered a few commands. Once I had this book, I was starting to remember what I had learned before.

Remember, this book is NOT a comprehensive reference. Just how could you write a reference book to be completed in 24 hours??

I guess I should say that if you are contemplating buying this book, but have seen all the negative reviews, find a copy and just thumb through it. Personally, I thought it was helpful. It’s not the Black Book of Linux, but for the price and content, it does pretty good. Definitely for beginners only.

If you need something to give you a foundation to build from, this book might be what your looking for. If you are after more complex topics such as DNS, hooking up hosts, DSL, GNOME, network protocols, and the like, this isn’t your book. That’s because those aren’t introductory topics. Just like you wouldn’t expect to find OpenGL programming in a “learn C in 21 days” book.

Form your own opinion. Since when do other readers decide what you will and will not buy?