Running Linux, Second Edition

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Running Linux, Second Edition

Reviewed by Donald Bryson

Book cover (9K)

By Matt Welsh and Lar Kaufman
553 pages. 5 pages of contents; Appendix; 17 pages of index
ISBN 1-56592-151-8, paperback $29.95

Available at a discount from Amazon.com on this page

Technical Level: computing -- experienced, subject -- newbie to experienced
Information: concepts: good; practice: excellent
Readability: textbook: spectacular; reference: good
Summary: A survey of installing, maintaining, and using the Linux operating system for the beginning to intermediate user.

Publisher:
O'Reilly and Associates, Inc.
101 Morris Street, Sebastopol, CA. 95472

Review

Running Linux explains everything you need to understand, install, and start using the Linux operating system.
--Back cover of Running Linux

The first Unix system that I installed didn't have X, TCP/IP, Emacs, a C language compiler, or even a text processing system, but it came with over 3,000 pages of cryptic documentation crammed into a confusing array of books. Linux has X, TCP/IP, Emacs, gcc, and groff. Runnin g Linux is less than 700 pages. There must be microfilm hidden somewhere in the book.

Obviously, the banter on the back cover is marketing hyperbole. Running Linux doesn't tell a novice that PN and PS are the printer actuator/de-actuator in a termcap entry, that backspace is mapped to delete in Linux, or that control-S/control-Q manually send XON/XOFF from a terminal to the host system. It's not the ultimate reference book for Linux.

It is, however, the best introduction to the Linux operating system on the market. That is especially true for three particular groups: the gurus of a different flavor of *NIX that want to know the unique oddities of Linux, the MS-DOS/Windows/Mac user that needs a non-threatening introduction to Linux, and the manager that needs an overview of the capabilities of the system. The *NIX savant will appreciate the sharp focus on the differences between other flavors of *NIX and Linux. Running Linux gives the MS-DOS user enough information to ge t a system up and running (barring any uncommon problems) without giving them too much information. Telling a novice all the information they might need over the course of their *NIX journey would scare-off all but the masochist.

The authors understood the book wasn't an exhaustive reference. The first chapter states, ``There are a million things we would love to show you how to do with Linux. Unfortunately, in order to cover them all this book would be the size of the unabridged Oxford English Dictionary. Instead, we've tried to include the most salient and interesting aspects to the system and show you how to find out more.'' They achieved their goal.

Synopsis

While Running Linux certainly isn't a complete *NIX documentation set, it does mirror most *NIX documentation sets in miniature. Most *NIX documentation sets include guides for the installer, user, system administrator, and programmer.

The first three chapters mirror an installation guide. The autho rs outline the basic hardware requirements for running Linux. They give step-by-step instructions for installing and configuring the operating system and provide basic trouble shooting hints for the more common problems. For the unlucky souls that experience the rare problems, there is a section on where to find out more. The installation chapters, while not exhaustive, are the most complete chapters in the book.

A user guide is mirrored by chapters 4, 9, 10, and 11, which cover basic Unix concepts and commands. The reader who is new to Unix will want to read more on Unix concepts to supplement the material here. These chapters also cover useful tools like text editors, text processors, and emulating that little known OS from Redmond :-)

Chapters five through eight mirror the system administrator guide to give you the basics of making user accounts, doing backups, building new kernels, managing file systems and swap space. It also has an informative section on applying patches to the ker nel. Upgrading Linux is completely different from upgrading a commercial operating system that does not come with source code.

The programmer guide, mirrored by chapters 12 and 13, is the weakest section of the book. It tries to look too closely while covering too much ground. C, Tcl, Tk, bash, and Perl are explained along with make, gcc, rcs, and gdb in all of 77 pages with examples. It would have been better to survey the Linux development options and to underscore the differences between Linux and the other *NIX development environments.

The remaining chapters mirror the networking guide, covering TCP/IP, UUCP, and the Internet. The basics of networking are covered, but you will still need more information to actually do anything substantial.