Sugestions on linux books?

[snowmobile74]

hey guys I have been looking around for a good linux book with no sucess.

What I need . . .

Printing guides
Administration info account management etc
user resource


just a note i HATE the "**** For dummies" they are overly simplified and anoying

thanks for the help

 

[advanR]

same question. i hate the ****ing dummies books too. lol. also, are slackwares own 8.1 books any good? i might just buy those.

 

[RoadWarrior]

Sams publishing Linux unleashed books are packed with info. They're like super spendy when current but you can usually find last years issue in those discount computer books racks for like $15-20

Talking about the dummies books, the first half of the chapter is puerile drivel, but skip the first 3 or 4 chapters and start reading a few pages into all the others and I find they cover more ground than some "expert level" texts that are all OS screen pictures and GUI dinking.

regards,

Road Warrior

 

[PolyPill]

I never liked books, I always thought man pages and online howtos are the way to go. Books are usually out dated by the time the reach the shelf and the author rarely knows what they're talking about because they're a writer not a computer person. I often see books that tell you to do something and it doesn't work because they left out a few steps or key parts.

I would think a good book would be one that isn't catering to any one distro and is more of a reference when you get stuck. I believe you will never learn what you need to know by reading one cover to cover.

 

[Richard]

I disagree. Books are invaluable resources. As good as the internet and man pages are; books will never be replaced.

This doesn't mean everything you could ever need to know is contained within some sacred tome.

A good reference will show you things you couldn't possibly have guessed at, or show you an easier way of doing something you already knew. Plus, those "writers" are usually experts in their fields. True, things may not always be complete due to the nature of the fast pace of software development, but like anything - nothing is perfect.

My recommendation is to use ALL sources of information. Whether it is a formal class, man page, online how-to, BOOK, or the guru down the street.

A good online reference...

http://www.icon.co.za/~psheer/book/rute.html.gz

When searching for books, the best method is to go to a large bookstore or library and thumb through the pages.

http://cart.cheapbytes.com/cgi-bin/cart/scan/mp=category/se=204.html?id=WmSCX7jd

Cheapbytes has a nice selection of linux books available.

http://cart.cheapbytes.com/cgi-bin/cart/0660010001.html

A great book. It's small, it's cheap, and the information is laid out in a manner that's conducive for quick reference. Not to mention that even the advanced user will likely learn something.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...f=sr_1_1/103-7566619-9592645?v=glance&s=books

Another useful book. Using the bash shell is something that every gnu/linux user will want/need to become proficient with. As a system administrator it behooves you to learn.

http://www.amazon.com/ Search for Linux.

Another long list of books.

Let me reiterate, if it is at all possible make a trip to the local college library or bookstore.

 

[moorcito]

For the most part I'd have to agree with PolyPill about the books. I'd say that man pages, HOWTOs, FAQs, etc. are the way to go for the most part.

I have been pleased with a number of books though. I've found that any book from O'reilly is pretty good, and for the most part the information is pretty good about being up to date. O'reilly books are about the only books that I'd recommend.

Someone asked about the slackware book. When I first started with slackware long ago I used the book as a reference, but then moved on to man pages, HOWTOs, etc. I don't think you need to buy it though, because I think you can download it for free from them.

A web place I go to for all my documentation needs is the Linux documentation project page.
http://www.tldp.org/

 

[snowmobile74]

well for me books are better they explain how to do something and why and how something works. I feal that by learning how something works I am better suited to use it, trouble shoot it, and optimize it.

bw is there a slackware book? that would be the best one cuz slack doesnt have the helper utilities that other distros have

 

[moorcito]

Here's the link to it:
http://www.slackware.org/book/

I know there is a pdf version of it out there. Here is a link to a pdf version that I found, one among others.
http://gus-br.linuxmag.com.br/livro/Slackware_Linux_Essentials.pdf

I downloaded a pdf version, printed it and then took it to officemax to have them bind it for me. Best $3.00 book I ever "bought". And since the book is licensed under the GPL I could legally do that.

The book is a little old, but it still works. I think it's for slack 7.1, but I've heard rumors that a newer one for 8.1 or maybe newer is in the works.

 

[Titan386]

I can recommend Running Linux, made by O'Reilly. Its not distro specific, but it gives a lot of general information in language a newb can understand. I personally think the best way to learn is a combination of man pages, online resources, and books. There is something about a book that you can't get from the others somehow. Plus its nice not to have to be sitting in front of your computer for once

 

[snowmobile74]

I have this book I didnt think it had the printing info I wanted but someone sugested looking in the index for lpd and it was helpfull but I am still having troubles