Product Description

If you've ever wondered whether the Linux penguin knew something you should know, here's where to find out. This plain-English guide walks you through installing Linux, using the desktop and tools like OpenOffice.org, securing your system, and more. You even get to check out seven different Linux flavors and pick the one you like best.

Discover how to:

• Prepare your computer and install Linux.
• Choose and set up software.
• Connect to the Internet.
• Explore Skype® phone service.
• Use the GNOME and KDE desktops.
• Work with multimedia tools.

Includes a DVD with the full Fedora Core and Knoppix distributions plus ISO images of the other distributions.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #643800 in Books
• Published on: 2006-05-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 422 pages

From the Back Cover
Use the DVD to sample Linux without installing

Pick a flavor and see what this stable, economical operating system can do!

If you've ever wondered whether the Linux penguin knew something you should know, here's where to find out. This plain-English guide walks you through installing Linux, using the desktop and tools like OpenOffice.org, securing your system, and more. You even get to check out seven different Linux flavors and pick the one you like best.

Discover how to

• Prepare your computer and install Linux
• Choose and set up software
• Connect to the Internet
• Explore Skype® phone service
• Use the GNOME and KDE desktops
• Work with multimedia tools

About the Author
Dee-Ann LeBlanc, RHCE (Red Hat Certified Engineer), is a writer, course developer, journalist, and trainer who specializes in Linux. While these various professions may sound scattered, they in fact reinforce one another by allowing her to see what people are doing with Linux in the real world and where they need help. She is the Linux Games editor for the Linux Journal, the Desktop editor for LinuxToday.com, and is the author of numerous books on Linux and other computer topics. Dee-Ann has also been a regular contributor to Computer Power User magazine for two years, writing this publication’s Linux content.
When Dee-Ann isn’t teaching, developing course materials, writing technical nonfiction or fantasy fiction, interviewing interesting people, chatting about Linux online or at conferences, or trying in one way or another to save the world, she hikes with her dogs and experiments on her husband Rob with new recipes. See the latest that Dee-Ann’s up to and join her readers’ mailing list at www.Dee-AnnLeBlanc.com and http://dee-ann.blog-city.com/. Contact Dee-Ann at dee@renaissoft.com.

Customer Reviews

7 Distributions, including Ubuntu
I know, I know! I should have at least tried Linux by now. But I hadn't. Then I found this book. Among all of the books on Linux at the book store, this one said, here's seven different distributions of Linux that you can install. Furthermore, in Chapter 4 it had 35 pages describing the different distributions. Why, for instance, would I want to install Xandros, Mandriva or SuSE instead of the Fedora (Red Hat) core. (Although I did find it a little strange that Debian wasn't discussed. But with 300+ distributions to choose from you have to cut it off somewhere.)

Although this is a 'For Dummies' book, it isn't for the complete 'Dummy.' You should have some idea about setting your BIOS to boot from DVD, some idea about what particians are (or use an old PC and dedicate it to Linux - recommended) and so on.

Finally this book is primarily concerned with the operating system itself. Linux comes with tons of applications programs. If you want to learn about Open Office or other packages, that's a different book. But in learning about the operating system, not bad at all.

I will never get this time back
This book is terrible and makes no sense. Yes it is written in plain english and is easy to understand, but it tells you very little actually about linux. It spends time evangelizing about open systems, it spends time telling you about how to install linux from 7 different distributions. Ok the discussions of the 7 distributions were valuable for 1 chapter, maybe 2, but that was enough. It doesn't help you learn linux to have the instructions with 7 different nuances. Just say that there are these different distributions and why, then just work with the commonalities of Linux. Of the 400 pages of this book, maybe 100 were valuable.

helpful book
This book has been a great reference for me, I didn't know anything about Linux before and now I am much better at it.