Product: 059600589X

From the title I would have suspected something about building scalable Linux servers for web applications. Turns out the book is nothing like that. It’s a ground up introduction to Linux from the end-user perspective. It starts in Windows with prepping a system for Linux installation, works through the installation (replete with lots of screenshots), then goes into the basics of window managers and Linux Office-style applications. The last few chapters go into some depth on working in the shell and shell scripting, but it’s pretty light.

This is a solid introduction to end-user level Linux that should be suitable for anyone who is reasonably technical (no need to be a programmer). The only reason I give it four stars instead of five is because of the reliance on numerous screenshots, which isn’t the best way to explain things, and is not the quality that I expect from O’Reilly.
Rating: 4
059600589X
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