Linux Bible, 8th Edition

Introduction

You can't learn Linux without using it.

I've come to that conclusion over more than a decade of teaching people to learn Linux. You can't just read a book; you can't just listen to a lecture. You need someone to guide you and you need to jump in and do it.

In 1999, Wiley published my Red Hat Linux Bible. The book's huge success gave me the opportunity to become a full-time, independent Linux author. For about a decade, I wrote dozens of Linux books and explored the best ways to explain Linux from the quiet of my small home office.

In 2008, I hit the road. I was hired by Red Hat, Inc. as a full-time instructor, teaching Linux to professional system administrators seeking Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) certification. In my three years as a Linux instructor, I honed my teaching skills in front of live people whose Linux experience ranged from none to experienced professional.

In this book, I hope to turn my experience into text that takes you from someone who has never used Linux to someone with the skills to become a Linux professional.

Now in its eighth edition, this book had become too broad in range in earlier editions. The book covered multiple Linux distributions, described how to run applications, touched on system administration, and provided an entry into Linux software development. Despite having been voted one of the top five Linux books of all time three years ago, the Linux Bible had lost its way.

This eighth edition of the Linux Bible represents a major ...