Linux Bible 2010 Edition: Boot Up to Ubuntu, Fedora, KNOPPIX, Debian, openSUSE, and 13 Other Distributions Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)It seems like a lot of the Linux books out there right now pick a single distribution and teach you that one. Wiley's Linux Bible (2005 Edition) by Christopher Negus takes a different approach that may be valuable to you.
Chapter List:
Part 1 - Linux First Steps: Starting With Linux; Running Commands from the Shell; Getting into the Desktop
Part 2 - Running The Show: Learning Basic Administration; Getting on the Internet; Securing Linux
Part 3 - Choosing and Installing a Linux Distribution: Installing Linux; Running Fedora Core and Red Hat Enterprise Linux; Running Debian GNU/Linux; Running SUSE Linux; Running KNOPPIX; Running Yellow Dog Linux; Running Gentoo Linux; Running Slackware Linux; Running Linspire; Running Mandrakelinux; Running a Linux Firewall/Router; Running Bootable Linux Distribution
Part 4 - Running Applications: Paying Music and Video; Working with Words and Images; E-Mailing and Web Browsing; Gaming Alone and Online
Part 5 - Running Servers: Running a Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP (LAMP) Server; Running a Mail Server; Running a Print Server; Running a File Server
Part 6 - Programming in Linux: Programming Environments and Interfaces; Programming Tools and Utilities
Appendix A: Media; Appendix B: Entering the Linux Community; Index
The main difference I see in this book is the lack of focus on a particular distribution. The different chapters (with the exception of Part 3) are all designed to teach you the basics of Linux apart from any flavor. This allows you to learn core skills that can transfer between whatever distribution you might be using at any given time. Part 3 gives a short coverage of each major distribution available on the market. If you're wondering about the pros and cons of each, this section of the book will help you decide where you want to start your specific distribution-specific learning.
Like all Bible titles, this is pretty big (800+ pages). While there's a lot of useful information, I don't know that I'd recommend this to be your *only* Linux book. 200+ pages deal with the distribution information, which leaves considerably less room for core Linux information. The other chapters cover the gamut of Linux software (server, desktop, productivity, internet, games, etc.), so there's not a lot in in-depth coverage on any one particular area. I'd probably position this as a very good entry level book to teach the reader about Linux and help them decide what distribution to pick. From there, I'd pick a book specific to my distribution of choice and continue my learning.
If your the right audience and in the right situation, this book will work well for you...

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The definitive guide to the basics of one of the most popular operating systems in the world
Whether you're a first-time Linux user or you're migrating from another operating system, this book is an ideal introductory guide for getting comfortable with the building-block nature of Linux. Written by bestselling author Christopher Negus, this guide is packed with in-depth descriptions on the basics of Linux desktops, servers, and programming tools and gets you up to speed on all the new and exciting features of the newest version: Linux 2010. Negus walks you through transitioning from Windows or Mac and helps you find the Linux distribution that best meets your needs.
You'll explore more than 18 Linux distributions, including the latest versions of Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian, OpenSUSE, Slackware, Knoppix, Gentoo, Mandriva, SLAX, and more. Plus, you'll discover how to set up secure, fully functioning Linux server systems and get up-to-date installation advice.
Topics Covered:
Getting off the Ground with Linux
Running a Linux Desktop
Learning System Administration Skills
Setting Up Linux Servers
Choosing and Installing Different Linux Distributions
Programming in Linux

Linux Bible 2010 Edition walks you through the details of the various Linux distributions and updates you on the latest networking, desktop, and server enhancements.
Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

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Adobe Dreamweaver CS5 Bible Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The Bible is just that, a thorough understanding including hands-on tutorials using DW CS5 and understanding all of its capabilities in website development - static and dynamic sites (which are extensive). I was disappointed that the downloadable exercise files for the chapters on dynamic sites were .asp and not .php. Reduced the value of that part of the book for me, but perhaps the author and publisher plan to fix that. I also think the size of the book is so unnecessarily unwieldy. Still, between this book and the CS5 missing manual, I can't imagine more comprehensive and user-friendly treatments getting you up and running exploiting the many useful features of the latest DW for developing websites.

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Updated version of the bestselling Dreamweaver Bible series
Packed with hands-on instruction and step-by-step tutorials, the Dreamweaver CS5 Bible has everything you need to harness the incredible power of this amazing Web development tool. Starting with Dreamweaver basics, expert author and Adobe guru Joe Lowery (Adobe CS4 Web Workflows and Adobe Dreamweaver CS4 Bible) guides you through the ins-and-outs of Dreamweaver showing you how to build dynamic, data-driven sites in no time.
Details how to use Dreamweaver with PHP, ASP.NET, ColdFusion and more to access and work with live backend data
Describes designing for and working with popular Content Management Systems (CMS) including WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal
Includes how-to's on using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript in Dreamweaver to build attractive dynamic websites, as well as comprehensive information on creating and working with both design and code templates to provide consistency across a web site with minimal effort

Dreamweaver has established itself as one of the leading Web development tools and Dreamweaver CS5 Bible is the must-have learning tool and reference guide for any Web developer using Dreamweaver.

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MAC OS X UNIX Toolbox: 1000+ Commands for the Mac OS X Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This booked is packed with well organized examples, but, the authors assume you already know a bit about about UNIX or Linux. However, the examples are so well done that even a complete newb to UNIX can figure it out (albeit with more effort and more slowly than someone who is already familiar with UNIX or Linux--difficult, but, not impossible). Great for a support tech, like me, who's been supporting Windows for years, but, has been suddenly (and joyfully) tossed some Macs to support.
I'm giving it 4 stars as the publisher, Wiley Publishing Inc., decided to go cheap and print the book on paper thats usually used for mass market paperbacks. For a reference book I think that's a bit unacceptable--especially for the price.

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Explore a ton of powerful Mac OS X UNIX commands

This handy, compact guide teaches you to use Mac OS X UNIX systems as the experts do: from the command line. Try out more than 1,000 commands to find and get software, monitor system health and security, and access network resources. Apply the skills you learn from this book to troubleshoot networks, lock down security, and uncover almost anything you care to know about your Mac OS X system.
Expand your Mac OS X UNIX expertise in these and other areas:

Using the shell

Finding online software

Working with files

Playing with music and images

Administering file systems

Backing up data

Checking and managing running processes

Accessing network resources

Handling remote system administration

Locking down security

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The Next Story: Life and Faith after the Digital Explosion Review

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(More customer reviews)One of the most important issues facing the Church today is how to engage with the culture and to bring it the saving message of the gospel - without becoming like the culture. This issue has special relevance with regards to the digital communications that seem to govern and rule our lives.
I can't think of a person better qualified to address the place of the Christian in the midst of this digital explosion than Tim Challies. Challies is both a solid Christian with a Reformed background, as well as someone who is intimately familiar with the effects of the digital world on the lives of Christians. Challies is not only a web designer but also a very popular Christian blogger and book reviewer.
This past year, I've read a large number of books dealing with exactly the issue of how Christians should engage the digital world all around us: "The Next Story" is to date the best book I've read on the issue. There are a number of reasons for this. First, Challies ties what he says back to a theological foundation for what he writes. He brings a distinctly Christian perspective that avoids the extremes of jumping on the digital bandwagon or of being afraid to use the new technologies. Instead, he advocates what he calls "disciplined discernment," a trait that he himself manifests throughout the entire book. Second, Challies deals with a large number of relevant issues. While he provides something of a theological basis for what he says, he also writes about the particular issues that are most relevant to the digital world. In this way, "The Next Story" bridges the gap between theory and practice, between theology and real life. Third, Challies has provided what I think is the best overall discussion of the impact of the various digital technologies on our lives and souls - as well as the best discussion of some of the things that we as Christians must practice if we are not be to distracted and led astray by this omnipresent digital world. Throughout "The Next Story," Challies has read and interacted with the best thinkers in the area of media and its influence in our lives.
Let me be more specific about a few of the issues with which "The Next Story" deals. While the book is a little slow in the beginning, Challies really hits his stride in Part 2 of the book when he shows us how to put the theory into practice. In Chapter 4 on Communication, Challies hits the nail on the proverbial head when he dissects some of the ways in which digital communication can become idolatrous: we have fashioned idols of productivity, significance, and a desire for information.
Chapter 5 is even better, when Challies discusses the nature of the mediated world we live in. He sustains an important discussion of the way that digital technologies are disembodying us or "disincarnating" us. One all too real example is the notion of how in the digital world identity is fluid and something we create for ourselves. We take "avatars" for ourselves, and multiple ones at that. We begin to think of ourselves as something apart from our bodies and as beings we can re-create in any image we desire to. We also pursue "networked individualism," based not on a real community but only on the basis of similar, ephemeral shared interests.
Chapter 6 deals with Distraction, a topic I'm keenly aware of as a father of five children and as a high school teacher. Distraction, Challies argues, leads to shallow thinking, which in turn leads to shallow living. And the truth is that we are all more distracted by our digital technologies than we recognize. Even multi-tasking turns out to be highly overrated as a strategy for dealing with our communication overload.
One of my favorite chapters is Chapter 8, on Truth and Authority. Challies' reflection on the "authority" that Wikipedia has developed for itself is worth the price of the book all by itself. Isn't it a little scary that the number one page that shows up on Google for almost any search is Wikipedia, an encyclopedia which has only relatively poor oversight and which has been known to have inaccuracies? What happens when authority is based on popularity, rather than expertise, tradition, or revelation?
Make sure you read the Epilogue, in which Challies reveals to us some of the ways in which he personally has learned to combat the challenges of the digital world. In so doing, he begins to teach us some of the spiritual disciplines we will all need to undertake if we don't want the digital technologies to distract us from Christ. Challies also provides additional suggestions at the end of each of the chapters in Part 2 of the book.
Highly recommended for any Christian who wants to live more faithfully in this digital world!
Here's an outline of the book so you can better see the flow of Challies' thought:
Part 1
Chapter 1 - Discerning Technology
Chapter 2 - Understanding Technology
Chapter 3 - A Digital History
Part 2
Chapter 4 - Speaking, Truthing, Loving, Living (Communication)
Chapter 5 - Life in the Real World (Mediation/ Identity)
Chapter 6 - Turn Off and Tune In (Distraction)
Chapter 7 - More is Better (Informationism)
Chapter 8 - Here Comes Everybody (Truth/Authority)
Chapter 9 - Seeing and Believing (Visibility and Privacy)
Epilogue- The Next Story and the Next Story after That . . .


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Even the least technical among us are being pressed from all sides by advances in digital technology. We rely upon computers, cell phones, and the Internet for communication, commerce, and entertainment. Yet even though we live in this 'instant message' culture, many of us feel disconnected, and we question if all this technology is really good for our souls. In a manner that's accessible, thoughtful, and biblical, author Tim Challies addresses questions such as:*How has life---and faith---changed now that everyone is available all the time through mobile phones?*How does our constant connection to these digital devices affect our families and our church communities? *What does it mean that almost two billion humans are connected by the Internet ... with hundreds of millions more coming online each year?Providing the reader with a framework they can apply to any technology, Tim Challies explains how and why our society has become reliant on digital technology, what it means for our lives, and how it impacts the Christian faith.

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