[K12OSN] books (off topic maybe)

["Terrell Prudé, Jr."]

Access Systems wrote:

>On Fri, 15 Oct 2004, Martin Woolley wrote:
>
>  
>
>>On Friday 15 Oct 2004 12:51 pm, Mark Gumprecht wrote:
>>    
>>
>>>I, for one, am new to linux and basically have enough knowledge to be
>>>dangerous. I've jumped in by using only linux on my work machine, no
>>>matter how long it takes to figure it out. Are there any really good
>>>books to help out newbies? I have checked out many, but they seem to be
>>>      
>>>
>>A general linux book is a jolly fine investment, the fatter the better.
>>I have The Complete Reference: Linux Fourth Edition by Richard Peterson
>>published by Osborne ISBN 0-07-212940-9, which covers RH7 (amongst others)
>>and includes in it a RH7 CD (only one though).  You could have trouble
>>    
>>
>
>this book is so far over the head of the average newbie as to be more
>confusing than it is worth.  I think I am in the same position and have
>searched high and low, and spent hundreds of dollars on worthless books,
>they are either too basic (linux for dummies) or like the "Complete
>Reference so over the head of the mid line user.
>
>the bookss that have remained on the front of my shelf over the computer
>are
>
>"linux Power Tools" Roderick Smith  publish by Sybex
>
> .  still advanced but the step by step instructions are followable even
>if you don't understand what your doing.
>
>an oldie but still a goodie
>
>"Red Hat Linux, fast and easy"  C & C Witherspoon  pub  by Prima tech
>
>now a good book but it only covers using the K desktop is
>
>"Linux in the Workplace"  Linux Journal Press, pub by No Starch
>
>now for open office org
>
>"OpenOffice.org Resource kit" is the kind of book I would like to see for
>all of linux, it is complete and fairly comprehensive without being over
>your head, but it only covers Open Office
>
>good luck I am still looking for that book for the rest of us too.
>
>Bob
>  
>

I've got one.  It's "UNIX System V Release 4: An Introduction", 
published by Osborne Press.  This is the main book that I used to learn 
GNU/Linux.  It takes you all the way through and shows you why things 
are done certain ways and then how to do them.  Many books just throw 
info at you and expect you to know why you might want or need to know 
that.  This book actually tells you, "This is why you might want to know 
this."  Highly recommended.

For example, the book took me through learning how to use the ancient 
editor "ed".  Why in God's own name would I want to learn ed in 1999?  
The book told me quite plainly that if I learn ed, I'll know the "little 
language" (the book refers to troff/ed/other command sets as "little 
languages") for a lot of other things, like sed, vi, and others.  What I 
learned later was that it would also be my introduction to regular 
expressions...thank goodness I learned that!

--TP