Synopses & Reviews
Throughout the past ten years, Linux has grown from a hacker's toy to a fully mature operating system. Linux ranks as a professional strength platform for email, web, and file servers. It's low cost (often free) and ability to run efficiently on low-end hardware make it especially attractive to the budget minded user. This book is targeted at new Linux users who have Windows experience. Unlike Windows and Macintosh systems, one rarely buys a computer with Linux pre-installed. This being the case, it's difficult (if it's even possible) to simply call up the tech support line and walk through a problem. That is where PC Magazine Linux Solutions comes in handy. It covers common problems encountered while installing, running, and administering Linux machines, and it offers solutions to those problems. This book covers solutions-oriented topics on an as-needed basis so that the reader has the background to understand what he or she is doing when confronted with an unfamiliar task.
Topics covered include:
Determining Which Distribution is Right for You?
Choosing Installation Packages
Partitioning Your Hard Drive
The 'root' User Explained
Dual Boot Installations
Logging In for the First Time
Linux as a Web Server
Integrating Linux and Windows with SAMBA
Linux as a File Server
GNOME
KDE
Customizing Your Environment
Basic Admin
Users, Groups and Permissions
Backing Up Data
Installing and Removing Software
Doing the Windows SAMBA
Using the World Wide Web
Using Email Appendix A. What’ s on the CD
Synopsis
So you've decided to find out about Linux.Who better to fill you in than PC Magazine?
If you can imagine something you'd like your computer to do, you can probably do it with versatile, economical, powerful Linux. Here's how to tap that power, from installation to Linux desktop environments to getting things done. The accompanying CD-ROM gives you everything you need to get started, and with the dual boot option, you don't even have to give up the familiar comfort of Windows in order to try it out. What are you waiting for?
If Linux is free, why is it sold?
What's open source? Is Linux the same as Unix? What do abbreviations like GNU, GNOME, and KDE mean? Why are there so many versions of one operating system? Isn't Linux just for hackers and geeks? Find the answers here!
A few of the things you'll learn
- The differences in the various Linux distributions and which is right for you
- How to install Linux, even if you've never installed an operating system
- All about the GNOME and KDE desktops
- How the unique Linux terminal works
- Ways to back up data, add and remove software, and manage your Internet connection
- Secrets of security for Linux systems
- The scoop on servers—Apache, Postfix, and Squid
About the Author
Joe Merlino is a freelance author and consultant in Boston. He has been running Linux since 1997 and writing about it since 1999. His books include
Mastering Unix,
Introduction to Unix,
Red Hat Linux 9 Visual QuickPro Guide, and others.
William (Bill) von Hagen has been a Unix system administrator for over 20 years and a Linux fanatic since the early 1990s. He has worked as a systems programmer, system administrator, writer, application developer, programmer, drummer, and content manager. Bill has written books on such topics as Linux server hacks, Linux file systems, SUSE Linux, Red Hat Linux, GCC, SGML, Mac OS X, and hacking the TiVo. He has also written numerous articles on Linux, embedded computing, Unix, and open source topics. An avid computer collector specializing in workstations, he owns more than 200 computer systems. You can reach him at [email protected].
Jaldhar Vyas is a 34-year-old Hindu priest and consultant specializing in Perl and Linux who lives in Jersey City, New Jersey with his wife Jyoti, daughter Shailaja, and son Nilagriva. Jaldhar has used Linux for ten years and has been one of the volunteer maintainers of the Debian GNU/Linux distribution for eight years.
Eric Foster-Johnson is a veteran software developer and the author or coauthor of over 18 books on programming, operating systems, and open source software.
Kenneth Hess has been using Linux and has been a member of the Linux Consultant’s List since 1995. He began the Linux Users Group in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1996. Ken has authored several articles using Linux in unique ways and is currently working on two different books featuring crossplatform solutions that include Linux. His experience over the past 20 years has included every version of DOS since 2.0, every version of Windows, the major distributions of Linux, most versions of the Apple and Mac OS and just about every flavor of Unix used in the Data Center Linux (DCL). Ken also founded and ran his own computer consulting and support firm for eight years. He now devotes his time to his family, technical writing, his day job, and his art. Ken can be reached via his website at www.kenhess.com.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments.
Introduction.
Part I: Before Installation.
Chapter 1: Why Use Linux?
Chapter 2: Which Distribution Is Right for You?
Chapter 3: Preparing for Installation.
Part II: During Installation.
Chapter 4: Getting Linux and Starting to Install.
Chapter 5: Partitioning Your Hard Drive.
Chapter 6: Using Accounts.
Chapter 7: Setting Network Information.
Chapter 8: Dual-Boot Installation.
Part III: Running Linux.
Chapter 9: Desktop Solutions.
Chapter 10: Customizing GNOME and KDE.
Chapter 11: Using the Terminal.
Chapter 12: Internet Solutions in Linux.
Part IV: Basic Administration.
Chapter 13: User and File Management Solutions.
Chapter 14: Backing Up Data.
Chapter 15: Software Management Solutions.
Chapter 16: Installing and Removing Hardware.
Chapter 17: Automation and Timed Execution.
Chapter 18: File Sharing Solutions.
Chapter 19: Adjusting Your Internet Settings.
Chapter 20: Linux Security Solutions.
Part V: Server Solutions.
Chapter 21: Web Server Solutions.
Chapter 22: Mail Server Solutions .
Chapter 23: Proxy Server Solutions.
Index.
End-User License Agreement.