Linuxcare: Book Review: Running Linux, Third Edition

[ Thanks to Matthew Cunningham for this link. ]

"Running Linux-the promised scope takes away the breath. Surely a book of this sort must be very tough to write. How broad should the coverage be? Should it cover PowerPC, Alpha and other non-Intel ports of Linux? How deep should it go? Should it discuss elisp programming because that's how EMACS macros are written?"

"Fortunately, the authors of the Third Edition of this seminal text get it right. Running Linux provides just the right amount of information to be useful without getting bogged down in the details. In fact, Running Linux is a book that novices should read from cover to cover. Intermediate users should thoroughly peruse it, reading those chapters that are new to them and skimming the rest. Further, Running Linux, Third Edition is not a reference, nor a shovelware rehash of man pages, HOWTOs, and FAQs. One glance at the table of contents reveals that considerable attention went into its topical organization."

"The introduction is a bit long. It covers the history and features of Linux and includes comparisons to other operating systems and discussions on the GPL and other Linux copyrights and licenses. Intermediate Linux users who have been keeping up on the trade press hype parade will probably be a bit bored by the list of features. The introduction may also be a bit of a yawn for users of other forms of UNIX and even to users of NT."

Complete Book Review

Related Stories:

• Linuxcare: Interview: Talking With Matt Welsh(Sep 13, 1999)
• LinuxPR: "Linux Will Continue to Grow" say Running Linux, Third Edition, Authors(Aug 31, 1999)
• LWN: Some thoughts on the Linux Documentation Project(Aug 25, 1999)
• Dangers of Microsoft Technology by Matt Welsh(Dec 17, 1998)