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By David Brickner
First Edition
April 2005
Pages: 362
ISBN 10: 0-596-00754-X |
ISBN 13: 9780596007546
(Average of 4 Customer Reviews)
This detailed step-by-step guide provides both home and business users with a hassle-free way to investigate this operating system before they purchase and install a complete Linux distribution. Quickly learn how to use Linux to perform the tasks you do most: surf the web, send and receive email, instant message with friends, write letters, create spreadsheets, and even how to enhance your digital photos.
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Book details
First Edition: April 2005
ISBN: 0-596-00754-X
Pages: 362
Average Customer Reviews: (Based on 4 Reviews)
Featured customer reviews
This book seems good, but the CD stinks., November 29 2005
I bought this book and was really excited to try Linux for the first time. But I've tried the CD on three desktops and two laptops and NOT ONE of them is able to boot this CD and run the Linux distro on it!
The farthest I've gotten is on my oldest computer (P3 550Mhz, GeForce 2 GTS, Creative CD-Rom) on which the boot process seems to get right to the end before crapping out with a "Error while loading shared libraries: libperl.so".
I think my patience is at an end and my money is lost.
- Disappointed
Good Book, July 11 2005
If you are looking for a book that will help make the decision to switch to Linux or stay with Windows, this is the one. It goes through how you would complete common Windows tasks in Linux with easy to follow steps. If you are looking for a book that goes into how Linux needs to be setup or how the underlying tasks to get it installed and configured, this isn't it. I was looking for the latter and was disappointed when it wasn't there. All in all, I came away with a good feeling that Linux has made great strides in making it a main-stream OS.
gets you going, keeps you going with great tips!, June 27 2005
This books comes with a bootable CD. It didn't work on an old
desktop system but it did work on my laptop. I was instantly in a
Mandrake-like Linux environment.
This book is well written. It uses plain English so you don't have
to be a geek to understand it. It's ideal for all levels of
audiences. I'd buy another book by this author. He's good.
The coverage of this book is very thorough. It covers all the Linux
applications the typical casual desktop user would use. If I were to
nitpick I'd ask for more detail on configuring the network
connection and the internet connection which is covered in the
troubleshooting chapter.
I recommend this book to anyone who is considering Linux. I also
recommend this book to any novice to Linux. You don't have to
already be computer savvy. I will continue to use this book even
after I've installed a different version of Linux. It has many
useful tips. If you are on the fence about Linux, this book will
make you a convert.
To Linux or not to Linux - that is the, June 03 2005
Test Driving Linux - from windows to linux in 60 seconds
Author: David Brickner
Publisher: O'REILLY
Price: $24.95 US - $34.95 CAN
The author David Brickner has it right. Linux is ready for prime time and users want to know what can be done with it and how to use it without committing the software to their computer. Covering the KDE desktop environment, bridging the void between the paperweight known as a computer and the delicious treats of the operating system known as Linux, the author strikes an excellent balance between users who just want to use their computer and those that 'always' use their computers. The focus on the KDE desktop is perfect for the first time user of Linux and probably even their first computer, without talking down to the reader. All of the major functions of the most popular desktop applications for KDE (the desktop environment) and personal / small office productivity is covered in practical yet easy to understand language that anyone can follow. He navigates beyond the initial presentation and use screens into the configurations and setups without getting lost or bored. With this book and the enclosed software, or any KDE desktop environment, the reader should not be lost or lacking for things to do with their computer. The ease of use of the KDE desktop it amply demonstrated. The power of Linux is left for future investigation by other authors.
I like the pace. I like the content. I like the navigational photographs. I like the style. If the included software would have loaded on my old Dell laptop without a video issue this could have been a home run. I'm sure it would load on most laptops without a problem. However, this forced using it on my desktop PC which I might add, with no problems. Since the included software is almost integral to test driving Linux, I have to demerit from what would have been a perfect score. Anyone wishing to test drive Linux and the graphical desktop environment known as KDE, this book is the way to go, with David Brickner as a tour guide, IMHO. I give it 4.7 out of 5 Tux bow-ties.
Media reviews
"Test Driving Linux is clearly of value in better introducing the public to the power and promise of Linux. It is undoubtedly one of the most user-friendly tools that could assist Linux advocates in spreading the word, and encouraging computer users to break away from operating systems that are expensive, buggy, and non-secure. As Brickner notes in his preface, when people unfamiliar with Linux give it a test drive, by simply booting off of the CD provided with the book, they just might want to stay with Linux long-term."
--Michael J. Ross, Slashdot.org, June 2005
"I recommend this book to anyone who is considering Linux. I also recommend this book to any novice to Linux. You don't have to already be computer savvy. I will continue to use this book even after I've installed a different version of Linux. It has many useful tips. If you are on the fence about Linux, this book will make you a convert."
--Stephanie Smith, Amazon.com review, July 2005
"David Brickner has a great idea, and it's all included in his new book Test Driving Linux. The book comes with a CD which, after inserting into your CD-drive, brings up the Linux operating system. Your Windows OS, your software, your data files--nothing here will be changed. When you've finished testing Linux, you remove the CD, then reboot your computer as usual. Like the aftermath of a vacation in the Greek Islands, you may not be so happy with the lackluster Windows Operating System when you return to the grey everyday... Try Linux: you'll like it. And with David Brickner's Test Driving Linux on the front seat beside you, you'll be guided by an expert navigator as you enjoy the ride."
--Michael Pastore, BookLovers Review, July 2005
"As a Web developer and parent of teenage children, I'm adept at removing viruses and spyware from Windows machines, but I am getting fed up with doing so. It must be much worse for those who don't know their way around a computer. What better motivation to migrate to Linux than an operating system that is virtually virus-free? ...All the important computing tasks have been covered in this book--at least as far as your teenager is concerned. But in order to do their homework they'll also need a word processor. This distribution of Linux comes with the OpenOffice suite of products, and its word processing capabilities are every bit as sophisticated as Microsoft Word--with the added bonus that you can save documents in Word format, allowing for file sharing with Windows... All in all this is a well written book that does a good job of reviewing the major applications that most users regularly require. It is easily understood by non-geeks and, with the accompanying live CD, you can see exactly what you're getting beforehand."
--Peter Lavin, GlobeandMail.com, June 2005
"The CD-ROM accompanying Test Driving Linux is for 'Move,' a customized version of Mandrake that boots directly from the CD (think: Knoppix). It works. I tested it on my wife's DELL laptop, our only non-Linux machine. It took more time to start up Windows than to boot Move... Test Driving Linux has no section on editors, nor does it mention shell scripts. (It relies on OpenOffice Writer to supply editorial functions.) I found Brickner's book well-written. It doesn't mislead, and it supplies everything that a true Linux newbie might need."
--Peter H. Salus, Unix Review, June 2005
"A true test drive, this book includes a Linux Live CD that can be placed into your computer and booted directly to Linux without affecting your current operating system. As a result you can test drive Linux without any concerns about your current system integrity. Test Driving Linux is an excellent book for the novice Linux user or anyone who wants to try the Operating System without committing to it right away.
--Diane Donovan, Midwest Book Review, July 2005
"This book--besides presenting an excellent introduction to Linux--makes a great argument for leaving behind the world of Windows for something better."
--Todd Hawley, Amazon.com review, June 2005
"This book can be a good first stepping stone into the world of Linux without the worry about potentially corrupting one's hard drive due to installation issues... I recommend this book to anybody wanting to delve into the world of Linux without having to worry about installation issues."
--NIck Bulitka, Amazon.com Review, June 2005
"I've mentioned a few times before the various "live CD" versions of Linux that are self-contained on a single CD-ROM. Test Driving Linux by David Brickner comes with one of those--a version of the Mandrake Move live CD--and, over the course of its 300-plus pages, introduces you to every nook and cranny of the system, including the command line. So if you want to get your feet wet without touching your existing setup in any way, here's a fine chance."
--Matthew Newton, PCWorld.com, May 2005
"The book comes with a disk containing the 'Mandrake' version of Linux and it works right off the disk, without being installed on the hard drive. The interface looks much like Windows itself. The disk comes with 'Open Office,' containing lots of programs, including a web browser, media player and word processor, which Joy immediately used to write a letter, print it out and save it to a thumb drive. This is a quick and easy way to try out Linux."
--Bob and Joy Schwabach, On Computers, May 2005
"This CD contains a KDE-style desktop Linux environment that can be booted from the CD without touching anything on the hard drive. It means you can test drive a Linux desktop environment without having to reformat your hard drive or destroy anything you're currently working on. Great news for the curious who want to understand what all the talk is about. The author also stays focused on *just* the Linux desktop environment... He stays on task and makes sure the book will appeal to the person who doesn't want to become an OS guru, but just wants to get work done using the type of tools they are already familiar with in the Windows environment... Very non-intimidating style of writing, and I'd feel comfortable recommending it to nearly anyone wanting to check out Linux."
--Thomas "Duffbert" Duff, Duffbert's Random Musings, May 2005
"This is what it's going to take to get people to move to Linux. Like a lot of others, I have known that I should start to learn Linux. The reliability, the cost (FREE is a very good price), the speed; everything points to moving to Linux... Here's a Linux that's set up to run from the CD-ROM drive. It won't touch your hard drive in any way... put in the disk, start the system, answer a few questions simple enough for even me to answer, and there was a windows-like desktop... The book leads you through a Linux test drive by starting out quite simple. First you go web browsing... I looked at the StarOffice suite of products some years ago, BOY has that progressed. The OpenOffice.org people have done a supurb job. ..The last part of the book is on moving from this CD-only installation to a real installation. Mr. Brickner has the best discussion I've seen on which distribution to use. This is all that I possibly could have asked out of a book like this."
--John Matlock, Books-On-Line, May 2005
"If you are looking for a book that will help make the decision to switch to Linux or stay with Windows, this is the one. It goes through how you would complete common Windows tasks in Linux with easy to follow steps."
--Hazel Zamperini, Amazon.com review, July 2005
