Linux éTudes
Book Review

By Dale Farris, Secretary Golden Triangle PC Club October 2003 Linux in a Windows World? While it is true today that Microsoft's Windows operating system dominates the desktop market, it is also true that Windows comes with numerous security problems and it is not the network operating system of choice. When network administrators look for server-side software, Microsoft is not necessarily the vendor of first choice. Many readers may still be unaware that there are other commonly used computer operating systems, not counting the Macintosh GUI. In fact, Unix/Linux plays a crucial role in academic and corporate computing. Unix/Linux powers more Internet servers and corporate networks than Microsoft's Windows NT and 2000 combined. With the relatively recent release of Windows Server 2003, Microsoft continues to struggle in their effort to also dominate this market. The rise of heterogeneous network computing makes a knowledge of Unix/Linux crucial to being a well-rounded network administrator or network technician. Networks that interconnect with diverse operating systems (such as Windows, Mac OS, Palm OS, etc.) are becoming the norm, not the exception. Learning Linux éTudes This super new text from Franklin, Beedle, & Associates, Inc., teaches you how to use many peripheral pieces of software that will help you customize your computer desktop to best fit your business and the way you work. Linux programs that are real business solutions are presented, with many step-by-step examples included. With this foundation, you can expand the use of the utility programs to your own unique needs. You can pick and choose the éTudes that interest you, or you can work you way through each etude in the book. Combining what you learn in this book with StarOffice 5.2 or WordPerfect 8 for Linux, and you will have a very potent and adaptable office-computer capability. The book is written for beginners and intermediate-level computer users. It is a collection of techniques intended to enhance the skill set of the Linux user. Upon completion of these éTudes, the Linux user will be familiar with how to create strategic Linux applications. Author Tancig has not assumed deep knowledge of computing or programming. Essential prerequisites include the ability to turn on a computer, launch Linux, and open the command line. From this point, the ability to follow directions is all that is needed. Through these éTudes, the reader will learn to make a Linux system run faster and easier. Computer functions can be automated so that on boot, the system takes over time-consuming and tedious chores. Also, the book does not teach you how to install Linux. It is assumed you have a modern-type of computer and either have installed or will install Linux. All of the described programs, with the exception of one, come with the Red Hat 7.1 Deluxe Workstation distribution. The exception, Yabasic, must be downloaded from the Internet. However, it too is free and well worth the effort. You are walked step-by-step through the details. The Red Hat 7.1 Deluxe Workstation distribution also contains a CD with the productivity suite, StarOffice 5.2. Linux offers the business community unparalleled adaptability. You can use office productivity suites, graphical user interface utility programs, and the command line. You can write your own scripts to automate processing and even write your own programs for those unique factors that constantly need recalculation. What is an éTude? An étude is a musical composition designed to build skill through practice. This metaphor is applied in this book, as author Tancig teaches you how to use various Linux software to better customize your Linux machine to best fit your needs. Jim Leisy, the publisher of éTudes, originated the idea of using an etude as a metaphor for what each chapter should aim to do. With the ever increasing interest in alternatives to Windows, this book provides timely help for all those interested in shucking the anxiety and unnecessary expense of endless software upgrades. How the éTudes are Organized éTudes 1 through 5 are considered core éTudes. If you are unfamiliar with Linux, you really should work through éTudes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Étude 6 is about sharing files between the Linux and Windows partitions. éTudes 7 - 13 cover purely click-and-run, graphical user interface (GUI) programs. These programs offer a lot of utility and are a good way to gain familiarity with Linux and build your confidence in your Linux-based system. éTudes 14 - 16 cover programs that must be installed. Études 17 - 27 make use of the command line. These begin at the beginning and gradually increase your skill until you are able to write some impressive scripts to aid in your work. Appendix A discusses the office productivity software available in Linux, and Appendix B discusses using the chmod command. What is Unix/Linux? Long before Windows or the Mac OS, there was Unix. Unix was developed by researchers, primarily by Bell Laboratories, which offered it to educational institutions at a very minimal cost. In addition, the University of California at Berkeley made significant additions and changes to Unix. The two most popular versions of Unix are the Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) and Unix System V, which was developed by AT&T and the Unix System Laboratory. Unix also migrated into industry. In 1991, Linus Torvalds, a student at the University of Helsinki, wanted a Unix-like OS for his desktop computer. He did not care for DOS nor could he afford Unix. Thus, he and a team of programmers created the core OS, the kernel, which was named Linux. Linux adheres to the POSIX standard, and by 1994, Linux became available for public use. Linux was developed to provide PC users with a free or low-cost OS comparable to Unix. Torvalds and the other team members made use of other system components developed by members of the Free Software Foundation (FSF) for the GNU project. GNU is an acronym for GNU's Not Unix. Linux was designed as a network OS and as such provides stability, security, and reliability, at low or no cost. In addition, if a feature of the OS is not working on the server, rather than having to wait for a fix from Microsoft, since Linux is an open-source OS, the network administrator can directly alter the code to solve the problem. If you wish to have a career in the IT world, then learning Linux is quickly becoming a necessity. What is Red Hat Linux? Although Linux can be downloaded for free from the Internet, many people choose to purchase a distribution of Linux. A distribution is a combination of the kernel and additional programs, and is sold on CDs and allows a relatively quick installation of Linux. Distributions also may include additional software, technical support, and documentation. Such popular distributions of Linux include Caldera, SuSE, and Red Hat. Red Hat Linux 9 is one of the best maintained Linux distributions available, and is especially dominant in the U.S. Red Hat features 2 major desktop-distribution versions - Red Hat Linux 9 and Red Hat Linux 9 Professional. Red Hat offers an OS that provides everything needed for a personal productivity workstation, from installation through system maintenance. Red Hat Linux 9 Professional is designed for small networks and small businesses. It provides everything needed for a small business to provide a stable and secure working environment. This includes personal productivity workstations and additional necessary elements, such as basic web serving. Both Red Hat Linux 9 and Red Hat Linux 9 Professional, in addition to providing the command-line interface, include a GUI for the user interface that is Windows/Mac-like. The 2 most popular GUIs in the Linux environment are GNOME (GNU Network Object Modeling Environment) and KDE. Red Hat Linux 9 provides both GUIs. GNOME (GNU Network Object Modeling Environment) is the default GUI when you install other versions of Red Hat Linux. Organization of Book The organization of this textbook emphasizes ease of use by the student, with great attention to the step-by-step process of using these various Linux éTudes, or applications. This high degree of detail to such tedious organization of this material must have been an enormous challenge to produce, not only for the author, but for all those involved in the superb design and organization of this wealth of information. The result is a vastly superior book on Linux for students that will make learning Linux much easier. The careful, step-by-step approach leads students from a basic to a sophisticated use of Linux.  Each chapter follows an excellent outline and structure and includes extensively detailed step-by-step instructions, along with many helpful screen shot figures. Table of Contents The book is organized into 27 éTudes, or chapters, including 1)     The KEdit Text Editor 2)     The Gnome File Manager 3)     The Konqueror File Manager 4)     Gnome and KDE File Operations 5)     Using Floppy Disks with Linux 6)     Apart No More: Sharing Files Between the Linux and Windows Partitions 7)     Personal Organizers and a Special Calendar Tool 8)     GTimeTracker: The Time-Tracking Tool 9)     KJots: Organized Note-Taking 10)   Music to Work By 11)   Desktop Calculators 12)   The Gnumeric Spreadsheet Program 13)   KSnapshot: An Easy-to-Use Screen Capture Program 14)   Yabasic 15)   The GnuCash Program 16)   J-Pilot: A PalmPilot Desktop Program 17)   Paths: Navigating the Directory Tree from the Command Line 18)   Command Line File Operations 19)   Piping and Redirection: The Assembly Line Operations 20)   Command Shortcuts and the Shell Environment 21)   Grep: Searching for Words, Patterns, or Data 22)   Awk as a Database Program 23)   Shell Scripts 24)   Passing Information into Your Shell Script 25)   Scripts That Make Choices 26)   Pilot-link: Testing the Serial Ports and Writing a PalmPilot Script 27)   Awk Scripts and Advanced Operations In addition, the book contains two appendixes. Appendix A: Office Productivity Software Appendix B: Changing File Permissions Key Features Enormous number of sample screen shots indicating command syntax Extensive use of step-by-step, detailed explanations All fundamental, regularly used Linux commands thoroughly explained An integrated presentation of concepts and skills Uses a self-mastery approach Built-in reference features Target Readers This is one of the most well organized and effective textbooks on the use of Linux applications, or éTudes, now on the market, and is tailor-made for anyone working with computers, especially PC technicians and network administrators. With the continued security problems with Windows, and the far less expensive, many times free access to Linux, and with the growing number of Unix/Linux servers, learning Linux is quickly becoming more than just an elective issue with computer information system students. Learning Linux is becoming essential, and any technical learning institution with computer classes will find this textbook to be quite valuable in their Linux classes. For students interested in learning Linux applications, this is the only book you will ever need to consider. I also strongly urge you to impress upon your instructors the significant value in adopting this textbook as the title of choice in your Linux command classes. With this venture, the Franklin, Beedle & Associates, Inc. (FBA) publishing company further establishes their rapidly growing reputation for producing excellent textbooks for computer classes that can be considered by all levels of education. PC technicians and students working toward computer certification should seriously consider this superb book that thoroughly covers Linux commands in today's graphical friendly environment. Recommendation While other publishers approach Linux books more as a reference, Franklin Beedle & Associates, Inc. (FBA) has designed a more complete book that combines both the referential interests in working with Linux, as well as adding the numerous activities and exercises that so many other Linux books mistakenly overlook. Instructors of Linux classes are strongly encouraged to give this book serious attention in their classroom textbook purchase decisions. This super book is also an excellent supplement textbook to be added to the FBA book, "Linux User's Guide:Using the Command Line & GNOME With Red Hat Linux 9.0." With these 2 books, all Linux classes will just be even stronger. Book Contents 304 pages; preface; acknowledgments; diagrams and figures; screen shots; detailed, step-by-step exercises; appendixes; index Author David Tancig ISBN 2002 - First Edition 1-887902-62-7 List Price $19.95 $29.95 CAN FBA also publishes "Linux User's Guide: Using the Command Line & GNOME With Red Hat Linux 9.0," "Windows User's Guide to DOS: Using the Command Line in Windows 95/98" ($50.00), "Windows User's Guide to DOS: Using the Command Line in Windows Millennium Edition" ($55.00), "Windows 2000 Professional Command Line" ($44.00), and "Windows User's Guide to DOS: Using the Command Line in Windows 2000 Professional" ($55.00). All these superb guides are ideal for instructors who are looking for detailed textbooks that can be adopted for their classes. Publisher Contact: Christine Collier Marketing Representative Franklin, Beedle & Associates, Inc. 8536 SW St. Helens Drive, Suite D Wilsonville, Oregon 97070 1-800-FBA-BOOK 1-503-682-7668 FAX 1-503-682-7638 ccollier@fbeedle.com www.fbeedle.com