Learning Red Hat Linux

If you are new linux or are thinking of building out a linux box then this is a decent place to start. The basics of unix style administration are explained about as plainly and simply as possible. One short coming of the book is the lengthy discussion of installation which admittedly used to be a harrowing experience 5 or so years ago (seemingly the main argument against the adoption of linux by microserfs), but in the hands of Red Hat has become nearly as painless a process as any windows install and therefore is not that necessary. The only other problem with this book is that the version of Red Hat is 8.0 (3rd edition) i believe and only has some middle variant of the 2.4 kernel (2.4.17 i think), this is not necessarily bad but the 2.6 kernel is out and Red Hat has a new approach to the desktop with its Fedora build. Only buy this if you are completely new to linux and want to learn the basics. The Linux success story is well known: firmly established as an operating system in widespread use, its worldwide installations are still increasing at phenomenal rates. Much of this success has been on the server side, but more and more PC users are turning to Linux on the desktop, as well. For those grounded in Microsoft Windows or older versions of Apple's Macintosh OS, the first look at Unix-style operating system can be daunting. Learning Red Hat Linux provides a clear, no-nonsense introduction to the popular Red Hat distribution of Linux. The third edition of Learning Red Hat Linux will ease into the world of Linux, guiding you through the process of installing and running Red Hat Linux on your PC. Written in a friendly, easy-to-understand style, this book contains all you need to get started, including the complete Red Hat 8.0 distribution on CDs. With new tutorials covering OpenOffice Tools and the desktop, this book is excellent for first-time Linux users who want to install the operating system on a new PC or convert an existing system to Linux. Highlights of the book include: Preparing your system for installing Linux Installing and configuring your Linux system and the two popular desktop environments, GNOME and KDE Linux fundamentals: understanding the basic concepts Using Linux productivity tools like Open Office Configuring and administering a multi-user Linux system Connecting to the Internet Burn CDs and sync a PalmPilot Setting up a networked workstation Setting up Internet services Understand and write shell scripts so you can peek under the hood and extend the power of Linux Since the release of its first edition, Learning Red Had Linux has guided many a PC user into the world of Linux. By the time you've finished this book, you'll have set your computer to create nicely formatted documents, spreadsheets or even graphically appealing presentations, integrated your computer into your local network, set up your e-mail, and even accessed the Internet using the ISP of your choice. You'll need nothing else to get started See: 1. Why Run Linux? -- 2. Preparing To Install Red Hat Linux -- 3. Installing Red Hat Linux -- 4. How Linux Works -- 5. Using The Gnome And Kde Desktops -- 6. Using Linux Applications -- 7. Conquering The Bash Shell -- 8. Installing Software Using The Rpm Package Manager -- 9. Configuring And Administering Linux -- 10. Connecting To The Internet -- 11. Setting Up A Networked Workstation -- 12. Setting Up Internet Services -- 13. Advanced Shell Usage And Shell Scripts -- A. Linux Directory Tree -- B. Principal Linux Files -- C. Managing The Boot Process -- D. Linux Command Quick Reference. Bill Mccarty. A Guide To Red Hat Linux For New Users--cover. Accompanied By 2 Cd-roms Containing Red Hat Linux. Publisher's Ed., Version 8.0. Previous Ed.: 2002. Includes Index. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Learning Red Hat Linux walks the reader through the process of installing, configuring, and using Red Hat Linux 6 and some of its most popular applications. Networking coverage includes essential local area network configuration, plus excellent coverage of Samba setup and the process of establishing a Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) connection to the Internet. The book would be better with some information on setting up a local Domain Name Service (DNS) server to improve Internet connectivity, but what's here is commendable. The author includes basic coverage of the Apache Web server, plus sendmail and File Transfer Protocol (FTP). Bill McCarty provides a thorough but gentle introduction to the popular Red Hat distribution of Linux with new user in mind. This third edition not only covers the installation and configuration of the newest Linux version, but also contains the complete Red Hat 8.0 distribution o