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Ubuntu Hacks Tips & Tools for Exploring, Using, and Tuning Linux

By Kyle Rankin, Jonathan Oxer, Bill Childers
June 2006
Pages: 447
Series: Hacks
ISBN 10: 0-596-52720-9 | ISBN 13: 9780596527204
(Average of 6 Customer Reviews)

Book description

Like all books in the "Hacks" series, Ubuntu Hacks includes 100 quick tips and tricks for all users of all technical levels. Beginners will appreciate the installation advice and tips on getting the most out of the free applications packaged with the Ubuntu Linux distribution, while intermediate and advanced readers will learn the ins-and-outs of power management, wireless roaming, 3D video acceleration, server configuration, and much more.
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Browse within this book

Cover | Table of Contents | Index | Sample Hacks | Colophon

Book details

First Edition: June 2006
Series: Hacks
ISBN: 0-596-52720-9
Pages: 447
Average Customer Reviews: (Based on 6 Reviews)

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Featured customer reviews

Ubuntu hacks = Linux hacks,  April 08 2007
Submitted by deserthowler   [Respond | View]

A few months ago I wrote a detailed review of Ubuntu Hacks for the Tucson Computer Society. At this time, I thought there were several interesting tips and I rated the potential use of this book very highly. The tips I tried well written and worked ... a good combination!!

Since this time, I switched from Kubuntu to Ubuntu. I also began using Debian Etch seriously. I find the book very useful for both Ubuntu and Debian.

Most hacks applied to Linux in general so, besides becoming a Ubuntu reference, it is a general Linux reference. One thing I find helpful is the author's use and explanation of apt-get and the fact that, besides showing the command, he shows the on-screen results of the command.

From installation through downloading and installing packages from source through adding repositories, everything I've tried works. There isn't much more I can say about the book than that.

I like the author's style very much.


Ubuntu Hacks,  February 02 2007
Submitted by Alan German   [Respond | View]

Ubuntu Hacks
A book review by Alan German
Ottawa PC Users' Group (http://opcug.ca)

The sub-title of this book is "Tips & Tools for Exploring, Using, and Tuning Linux" which turns out to be appropriate on a number of fronts. Some of the initial "hacks", notably Hack #1 – Test-Drive Ubuntu and Hack #5 – Install Ubuntu, aren't hacks at all, but rather are straightforward instructions on getting started with (i.e. exploring and using) Ubuntu Linux. But, despite that minor quibble, the book does contain lots of good information and advice for Ubuntu users, and really does have some interesting hacks.

As with all the books in the "Hacks" series from O'Reilly, there are just too many individual items between the end covers - 100 hacks in all - to be able to do justice to them in a short review article. Consequently, I will have to settle for providing an outline of the available material, and reserve my detailed comments for a few favourite tips and techniques.

The book consists of ten chapters, commencing, as noted above, with tips on getting started with Ubuntu; moving rapidly to tweaking the desktop, using multi-media applications, configuring laptops and input/output devices; through package management, security issues and administrative functions; to the intricacies of running virtual machines and configuring a variety of Linux-based servers.

Even users with some prior familiarity with Ubuntu shouldn’t discount the initial series of hacks for "getting started". These include instructions on how to customize the Ubuntu Live CD (Hack #4), moving Windows data and settings to Ubuntu (Hack #7), and installing Ubuntu on an external USB drive (Hack #10).

Hack #19 – Search Your Computer looks interesting as it describes the use of a utility program called Beagle to index and search (a la Google Desktop) files, E-mail messages, and so forth for specified items of interest. The program is said to be a huge improvement on the Find File command in the Nautilus file manager and so should be a worthwhile addition to the base Ubuntu system. Similarly, the CUPS-PDF utility (Hack #26) provides the very useful feature of being able to create a PDF file from any application with a print command.

Should you need to rip tracks from an audio CD, you might find Grip (Hack #32) to be a useful tool. Did you know that you can burn CD's and DVD's using Nautilus? If not, check out Hack #33. Need to extend the time that you can run your laptop on battery power? Hack #40 will tell you how to throttle back the speed of your CPU, dim your display, and slow down your hard drive’s rotation speed, all to save power. There are also lots of tips on wireless networking, keyboards, mice and touchpads, and even how to hook up multiple displays.

Chapter 6 covers the gamut of software installation using package managers and should be extremely useful for new Ubuntu users. If, like me, your modus operandi is to read instructions, help files, and manuals as a last resort, it may take a while before you discover the extensive world of applications software outside of the Ubuntu CD. So, take my advice - do yourself a favour, sit down and read this section of the book. All of the neat applications described so far, and a whole raft of other software products, are available through the judicious use of a package manager. You will learn how to use apt-get on the command line or, more likely, how to download and install applications through the use of the Synaptic (under Gnome) or Adept (under KDE) graphical package managers. Another useful tip (Hack #60) shows how to add software repositories, such as universe, to the list accessed by your preferred package manager.

One remarkable (to me) tip is buried as part of Hack #54 - Manage packages from the command line. While I am content to use the graphical interface provided by Synaptic for package management, the subject tip involves creating shortcuts for Linux commands by adding lines (i.e. individual commands) to ~/.bashrc. Now, the latter is not described any further, but the form of the commands listed (alias agi='sudo apt-get install') suggests that this is a means of storing a short text string that will be interpreted as the specified command. So, now all I need is a long command string that I will use frequently in a Terminal window.

Information on a number of security issues is available, including the use of sudo to run commands as root, modifying user permissions, the use of Firewall Builder to define firewall functionality, file encryption utilities to keep data secure, and ClamAV to fight viruses (in files shared with Windows of course!) Some useful administrative functions covered by the book include editing configuration files, mounting filesystems (e.g. disk partitions), and synchronizing files between two folders and/or devices using the Unison utility program.

My favourite technique in the whole book is Hack #45 - Make videos of your tech-support questions. This involves the use of a utility called Istanbul to record a series of actions, and their results, as a video file. The suggestion is that a new user (your "Uncle Gussy") could send such a video to a more experienced Ubuntu user (his nephew!) who would then troubleshoot a problem remotely and provide the correct operating procedure.

The final two chapters of the book are perhaps the most esoteric. Chapter 9 - Visualization and Emulation - provides tips on running Windows' applications under WINE. I wasn't sure why anyone would want to do this. It seems to me that there is an equivalent, more than adequate, open-source program for just about any Windows' software one cares to name. However, the book's author suggests that the main use may be to run Windows-based games on Linux boxes, which I suppose makes sense.

Actually, there is one tip that makes the whole book really worthwhile to me personally. Hack #88 - Play Windows Games includes a section titled "Run Blasts from the Past" and details how to run DOS programs using the DOSBox utility. I happen to have a custom database program that runs under DOS, an application that I use frequently, and find that it works flawlessly under DOSBox's shell.

The visualization section of the book will also help you to run Ubuntu inside Windows (hard to believe one can do so!) and to setup virtual machines. The final chapter - Small Office/Home Office Server - provides lots of advice on setting up Ubuntu-based file servers, web servers, mail servers, proxy servers, DHCP servers, and domain name servers - some of which I never knew existed!

So, don't get put off by the seemingly simplistic nature of the first few "hacks" on getting started with Ubuntu. The book has great tips and techniques that should appeal to just about every Ubuntu Linux user, whatever their level of knowledge and expertise with this operating system and its applications.

Bottom Line

Ubuntu Hacks - Tips & Tools for Exploring, Using, and Tuning Linux
Jonathan Oxer, Kyle Rankin and Bill Childers
First Edition June 2006
ISBN-10 0-596-52720-9
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/ubuntuhks/

About the reviewer:
Alan German is a member of the Board of Directors of the Ottawa PC User's Group, based in the capital of the Great White North. To read more of his personal trials and tribulations (mainly with conflicts between Windows and Linux), and a few successes with various flavours of Linux, including Ubuntu, see the series of articles "Exploring Linux" at:
http://www.opcug.ca/public/soft_rev.htm



Nice Book,  October 25 2006
Submitted by R73   [Respond | View]

I purchased this book as a rough-cuts version, and have been with it through the final release. Ubuntu Hacks is complete with some great information on how to give Windows the boot with a more than suitable alternative. The book is geared more toward desktop users than would-be server admins. The final chapter does walk one through setting up Samba as a BDC for a small network.

The only hang-up I found was in a section regarding installing software from source code. Generic instructions provided, do not cover the common errors that occur during this operation.

Great text! Highly recommended...

Read all reviews

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Media reviews
"Put in a nutshell, this book is a collection of around 100 tips and tricks which the authors choose to call hacks, which explain how to accomplish various tasks in Ubuntu Linux. The so called hacks range from down right ordinary to the other end of the spectrum of doing specialised things...More over, each and every tip in this book has been tested by the authors on the latest version of Ubuntu (Dapper Drake) and is guaranteed to work. In writing this book, it is clear that the authors have put in a lot of hard work in covering all facets of configuring this popular Linux distribution which makes this book a worth while buy. "
-- Ravi Kumar, Slashdot.org


"...this is another lovely addition to the successful 'Hacks' series. Like the others, 'Ubuntu Hacks' consists of a series of pointers on how to perform useful and usually non-trivial tasks ranging from beginner level through to expert. As you would expect novice users can get more from the book than experienced users, but there is still likely to be plenty to interest people of any skill level...Overall it is a great book, particularly for those of beginner to intermediate level. You can learn Ubuntu by accident, or you can get a real head start using this book."
-- David O'Meara, JavaRanch.com


"If you run Ubuntu, go buy a copy of Ubuntu Hacks right now... In ten minutes, I learned at least ten new things, including how to fix several problems that had been bugging me since I started using Ubuntu. This is one book I plan to read cover-to-cover."
-- Robert Bruce Thompson, Daynotes Journal


"This book not only provides thorough instructions for the Linux novice, but also provides in depth configuration options for the seasoned user...I give this book my best rating: 5 out of 5 for in-depth descriptions, examples, screenshots, and a general abundance of highly useful information. "
-- Ernest de Leon, Amazon.com


"...the advice is still rock-solid and educational, as well as useful. This book serves nicely as a serious guide to many of Ubuntu's less obvious nooks and crannies."
-- Matthew Newton, PC World


"This book does not dive deep into the Linux operating system, but does cover a lot of the things that make it unique...if you are curious about Linux, or want to try something new, this book is a good read."
-- Kale Feelhaver, MacCompanion


"At last a book that shows you how to perform specific useful tasks with a Linux operating system where it is easy to find what you are looking for...While this book doesn't tell you how to do everything that you are likely to want to do with your compter, it does cover a broad cross selection of different tasks that will help you to go a good way toward setting up a computer system that does not require Windows."
-- Stephen Chapman, Fellgall.com


"...covers the popular Ubuntu Linux, providing a one-stop source of common knowledge essential to any developing Linux-based applications."
-- Diane Donovan, California Bookwatch


"Ubuntu HACKS is a good book for beginning to intermediate users, the only level I can comment on with my present skills. The hacks range from simple to very complex but all seem doable by a patient and careful user...It will help do interesting things with Ubuntu and make use of some of Ubuntu’s available power. As my skills with Ubuntu grow, this book will be used often. It is a good addition to my growing Linux library."
-- Earl Violet, Tuscan Computer Society


"A valuable addition to Ubuntu literature, Ubuntu Hacks shows how to do some fancy things with what has become the most popular Linux distro for desktop users...this collection of hacks is quite astounding in the breadth of topics that are included and the depth of technical discussions. "
-- Major Keary, Book News


"Overall, this book tells you how to tweak Linux from start to finish, and how to keep everything in ship-shape...I can certainly recommend it for anyone looking to use Linux as their mainstream operating system, or even the geek just wanted to play around and get their hands dirty with another operating system."
-- John Pastor, Connect


"This book is for you. Obviously, if you are reading this review, you probably wanted to know how to make Ubuntu do very specific things and wondered if this book would deliver. Right on the cover is the promise of 'Tips & Tools for Exploring, Using, and Tuning Linux' and let me tell you, it delivers...If you use Ubuntu at work, this book pays for itself with just one tip. If you use Ubuntu at home, it might pay for itself after a few tips. Either way, it’s a great book to have beside you."
-- Brian Turner, Free Software Magazine


"...each and every tip in this book has been tested by the authors on the latest version of Ubuntu (Dapper Drake) and is guaranteed to work. In writing this book, it is clear that the authors have put in a lot of hard work in covering all facets of configuring this popular Linux distribution which makes this book a worthwhile buy."
-- A, The Cult of Linux


"Ubuntu Hacks goes beyond the basic Ubuntu features to add additional functionality that can be added with a little help from an experienced Linux user. The reader can pick and choose from 100 Hacks those that meet his needs...This sampling of hacks illustrates the broad range of subjects covered. Anyone using Ubuntu who wants to go beyond the basics will be well served by this book. Highly recommended."
-- Pim Borman, SW Indiana PC Users Group, Inc.


"I found the book to be well written. The code examples are short and to the point, well explained and presented in a step-by-step format."
-- Kenneth Bernard, Peninsula Linux Users' Group

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• Table of Contents
• Index
• Sample Hacks
• Colophon
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"You can learn Ubuntu by accident, or you can get a real head start using this book."
--David O'Meara, JavaRanch.com