Introducing Ubuntu: Desktop Linux Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)There is a lot of information here, but 90% of it is the kind of stuff you just figure out from noodling around a bit and paying attention. The author mostly avoids issues that will change with new releases of Ubuntu. When a new version of the operating system comes out every 6 mos, you just can't stay on top of it all. So this turns into a very broad introduction to the most stable aspects of Ubuntu 7.04.
It is very comprehensive hand-holding for those either coming to Linux OSs fresh from a lifetime of Windows and Gates or anyone who is actually new to computing in general.
More timely, relevant, and personalized information can be found online...for free.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Introducing Ubuntu: Desktop Linux

Completely free and highly robust, Ubuntu has the power to bring the Linux desktop to the masses. INTRODUCING UBUNTU: DESKTOP LINUX is your key to learning this new, user-friendly, and free alternative to Windows. Think of it as a personal tutorial, a one-on-one class with an expert user of Ubuntu. It begins by helping you choose the right Ubuntu for you (yes, there's more than one), and guides you through installing Ubuntu, managing the desktop, installing printers, and getting online. From there, the book moves on to describe how to perform everyday tasks under Ubuntu, such as sending and receiving e-mail, playing MP3s and movies, messaging with friends, working with digital images, and much more. There's plenty of information on how to use OpenOffice.org programs such as Writer, Calc, and Impress as well. While this is an excellent book for the general consumer, the book also addresses business-oriented users of Ubuntu for the small to medium-sized business (SMB) market through the use of sidebars. This is the only "up-and-running" guide to Ubuntu you will ever need.

Click here for more information about Introducing Ubuntu: Desktop Linux

Read More...

Don't Spend a Dime: The Path to Low-Cost Computing Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Don't Spend a Dime is the book I have been looking for... for a lot of us, software and updates can be a little expensive and the free stuff... well, should I trust it? How does it work? How does it compare with the leading "for sale" software? Where can I find it?
James Floyd Kelly gave answers to all those questions and more in my major areas of computer use: Office Software, email, graphics, photo editing, malware protection, and backup. He also covers quite a few more areas that I don't really use like gaming and social networking.
It is written in very readable "non-geek" language that most can understand. I recommend it to all who think "there is something wrong with free".
And, BTW, I am in no way affiliated with the author or publisher. I just happened to run across it when searching for every day low cost computer solutions. And I am glad I did.
I am a very conservative reviewer... it would have to do my laundry and self-install to get 5 stars.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Don't Spend a Dime: The Path to Low-Cost Computing

Don't Spend A Dime is responsive to, and well-suited for the domestic economic situation. The book's value proposition is devastatingly simple: For $25, you can save hundreds of dollars in software costs by learning to take advantage of zero-cost software that is freely available on the Internet. The book and its message appeal powerfully to the first-time computer buyer who may have just spent his or her budget on hardware only to find out that hardware alone is not enough.From senior citizens to students, from corporate drones to small business-people, readers of all types can benefit from the research that author James Kelly has put in to choosing the solutions described in this book. James has done the research and presents best-of-breed solutions in every common software category, from digital photo management to word processing, from blogging to social networking. Don't Spend A Dime doesn't confuse readers with choices. Instead, the book presents a clear and simple menu of software solutions that will get the job done. All the author's choices are reasonable, and readers can feel secure in following the author's straightforward and well-defended advice.Written in the comfortable, knowledgeable tone that make James Kelly's Lego NXT books the best in their category, Don't Spend A Dime is the book that will open the average person's eyes to the joys of zero-cost computing. James Kelly takes the PC and turns it from a bottomless, money-pit into a center of creativity. Don't Spend A Dime gives the power and promise of technology back to those who can least afford it, but who perhaps most need it.

Click here for more information about Don't Spend a Dime: The Path to Low-Cost Computing

Read More...

Ubuntu Unleashed 2008 Edition: Covering 8.04 and 8.10 (4th Edition) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The book contains lots of misinformation and long outdated notions, and approaches things in a way that doesn't make sense either for Ubuntu novices or those experienced with Linux.
E.g. on pages 30 and 31 it indicates that Ubuntu 8.04 doesn't enable Universe and Multiverse by default, which has not been true for a while.
E.g. In its introduction to Python on page 561 it says "Although PHP is fundamentally similar to Java and Perl, Python is closer to C and Modula-3, and so might look unfamiliar at first." Java and PHP are light-years apart, and saying Python is closer to C is bizarre.
The section on backups recommends tape drives for many classes of user - a slow, expensive and long outdated technology.
It wastes people's time talking about telnet.
Most everywhere I look, there is misinformation. I'm going to stop looking now.
I won this book in a raffle, and plan to recycle it rather than confusing someone else by giving it away.
There are much better Ubuntu books out there by folks that actually work on the distribution, like the "Official Ubuntu Book" (3rd Edition) by Benjamin Mako Hill, Corey Burger, Jonathan Jesse, and Jono Bacon.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Ubuntu Unleashed 2008 Edition: Covering 8.04 and 8.10 (4th Edition)


Ubuntu Unleashed 2008 Edition presents comprehensive coverage of the popular Ubuntu Linux distribution. Windows users, Mac users, and Linux enthusiasts have been increasingly turning to Ubuntu for a user-friendly, easy-to-use Linux distribution.
This book provides detailed information on installing, using, and administering Ubuntu. You will learn how to set up a workstation or a server, and you will find complete details on Ubuntu's easy-to-use desktop and productivity software.Ubuntu Unleashed 2008 Edition includes a range of coverage: From the software you need in your everyday work, such as the OpenOffice.org productivity suite, to how to configure your Linux desktop to run smoothly using multiple printers, shell scripts, and more. For the hardcore Linux enthusiast, there is complete coverage of the X Window system, Linux programming, web server administration, and network administration.
Includes a DVD with a full Ubuntu Linux distribution, plus a free upgrade to Ubuntu Linux 8.10 once it is released

Click here for more information about Ubuntu Unleashed 2008 Edition: Covering 8.04 and 8.10 (4th Edition)

Read More...