Top 10 linux books

[MASONTX]

Some food for thought. I read that these were the top linux books. Has anyone in the form read them and want to comment?

Linux: The complete Reference
Running Linux
Linux Cookbook
Linux Quick Fix
Linux in a nutshell
A Practical Guide to Linux
Linux Pocket Guide
Unix for the Impatient
Linux for Dummies
Point & Click Linux

[zenwalker]

Linux In a Nutshell is essential to me;
Linux in Easy Steps (McGrath) was , also, in the beginning;
Slackware Linux Essentials tells things others don't or won't; and
Linux Phrasebook, by Scott Granneman, is very helpful, too.

Have not perused the others except the pocket Guide, which is just that.

You have a good start on a Linux library!

[elija]

Presumably these are all printed so do they go out of date quickly?

[MASONTX]

Good question. The distro's evolve, but does the basic info in a book go obsolete? Do the scripts to use change?

[hazel]

I swear by Running Linux. It helped me fix an unbootable Red Hat system when I was a raw newbie. But I don't know if it's been updated lately.

[Freston]

I think that books dealing more with the command line and fundamentals don't go obsolete as quickly as the GUI oriented ones.

I learned my first steps from a book I bought in a second hand store called 'Teach yourself UNIX in 24hrs (1998)' and many of the info therein is still relevant today. A [ -d $FOO ] is still a [ -d $FOO ] and `dd` is still `dd`, apart from updates and changes in features but that is more on the detail level than grande overhauls of the design.

But using a 'for dummies' book detailing a different version of GUI than you have would seem rather pointless. I mean, KDE3 is nothing like KDE4. I believe Gnome is more gradual in it's changes, but I wouldn't recommend a book that's years old to learn it.

I think, the more specialized a book, the sooner it goes obsolete. That 'Teach yourself' book I have details different versions of *nix, different shells and such, so what's in it translates as easily to OSX, BSD or Slackware. Also, I have a PHP book detailing a different version of PHP than that I'm running. Some parts still apply, some don't. I would not recommend saving €15,- by buying a book on an old version of a language in a second hand store

[oz]

Some food for thought. I read that these were the top linux books. Has anyone in the form read them and want to comment?

Linux: The complete Reference
Running Linux
Linux Cookbook
Linux Quick Fix
Linux in a nutshell
A Practical Guide to Linux
Linux Pocket Guide
Unix for the Impatient
Linux for Dummies
Point & Click Linux

I have on hand and have read the following out of the above and they were quite good:

Running Linux
Linux Cookbook
Linux in a nutshell
Linux Pocket Guide
Linux for Dummies

[jayd512]

Linux Quick Fix
Linux in a nutshell
A Practical Guide to Linux
Linux for Dummies

I've gone through these, and found them really informative.
In fact, Linux for Dummies is an excellent starting point for new Linux users in that it explains everything in simplified terms.

[MASONTX]

Linux in a Nutshell 5th edition is 900+ pages, 500 of which deal with linux commands. It runs $31.49 on Amazon in new condition, and is listed as being available from $1.98 to $31.49 in used condition. The 6 th edition came out in 2009, so should be available on Amazon before too long. Reviews say it is not meant to teach people new to linux, but as a reference for those who already use linux.

[MASONTX]

Linux for Dummies comes in several different distribution specific editions. Knoppix For Dummies, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 For Dummies, Red Hat Fedora Linux 2 All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies, Red Hat Fedora Linux3 For Dummies, Red Hat Linux All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies , Red Hat Linux Fedora For Dummies, RHF Linux 3 Multipack For Dummies: (Fedora Core 3 Distribution with Source Code on 9 CDs for customers without access to a DVD drive), SUSE Linux 10 For Dummies, UNIX For Dummies: Quick Reference, 4th Edition, UNIX For Dummies, 5th Edition. It also comes as Linux All-in-One For Dummies, 4th Edition, Linux All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies, 3rd Edition, Linux For Dummies Quick Reference, 3rd Edition, Linux Programming For Dummies, Linux Timesaving Techniques For Dummies, and Linux in a Box For Dummies, (Set includes 3 CD-ROM disks).
Of course, when people refer to linux for dummies, they are most often talking about Linux For Dummies, 9th Edition. Its claim is that by concentrating on Ubuntu, Fedora and gOS, in simple to understand terms, that you can get easily started in linux. using this book should enable you to have a good basic foundation in linux. The 456 page book is listed for $34.99, but is also available as a PDF file. The book includes cd's, which the PDF file does not. Amazon lists new and used books starting at $16.79.