Linux User's Guide
Using the Command Line & GNOME With Red Hat Linux 9.0
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 This super new text from Franklin, Beedle, & Associates, Inc., gives students a solid foundation in the fundamentals of the Linux OS. Although it uses Red Hat Linux 9 as the platform, the concepts and activities can be used with almost every Linux and Unix variant. Students will gain system-level experience through problem-solving exercises at the command line and in the GUI. The subject matter is approached through both the graphical user interface (GUI) and the command line, so students can more easily transition from the Windows environment to the Linux environment. By the end of a course built on the use of this valuable book, students will have learned the major, essential command-line commands necessary to be accomplished users of their Linux workstations, as well as be able to use the GUI when appropriate. The book is written for use as the core textbook for a course that focuses exclusively on Linux/Unix, for the Linux/Unix portion of a network or programming class, or as the Linux/Unix supplement in a multi-platform OS class. Responding to the need for effective books on Linux/Unix, publisher Franklin, Beedle, & Associates, Inc. (FBA) has released an excellent textbook that can easily be considered the textbook of choice for learning Linux, especially if the desire is to work with Linux/Unix on servers. Author Gillay, already well versed and skilled in DOS, has now added yet another super title to her growing list of sound, solid textbooks any computer information systems student will find essential. 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. This textbook assumes that Red Hat Linux 9 or Red Hat Linux 9 Professional is installed on the computer using the GNOME desktop. 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 Linux. 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 includes assignments that allow students to apply their knowledge and prove their mastery of the subject through critical thinking skills. Each chapter follows an excellent outline and structure and includes learning objectives, student outcomes, a chapter overview, followed by the chapter content. The chapters are also filled with diagrams, figures, and the highly useful activities that walk the student through the material in a manner that is exactly what students need to master Linux. In addition to these extensive walk-through exercises, the author also includes additional comments that even further explain what is happening as students follow these wonderful guides. Supplemental Disk Material The book also provides students with many opportunities to manipulate prewritten data files and program files. This approach provides real-life experience in working with the hard disk or server, without risking damage to either. These files are also provided on the supplemental disk. These many student activities, and the exhaustive, detailed instructions are what makes this, and any other Franklin, Beedle, & Associates, Inc. textbook such a valuable investment. The publishers and the author have gone to great pains to organize this relatively technical material in a highly organized, professional manner. Any student at any level of expertise with Linux will be able to easily follow the book's material as they work on the numerous assigned activities. Table of Contents The 10 detailed chapters in this highly professional, and highly useful text include the following:  1.   Getting Started 2.   The Linux File System 3.   Getting Help 4.   Directory Commands 5.   File Management Commands 6.   Editors 7.   Pipes, Filters, and Redirection 8.   File Systems, File Ownership, Permissions, and Links 9.   Processes, Shell Scripts, Variables, and Command Line Substitution 10.  Shell Scripts Appendixes The 2 appendixes include the following: Appendix A:  Master Accounts Appendix B:  ASCII Collating Sequence The book also includes an extensive glossary and a super index. Key Features CD ROM disc with Red Hat Linux 9.0 Professional Edition Supplemental activities disk Countless student activities that are highly structured and detailed 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 Valuable chapter discussion review questions and tests Application assignments that emphasize chapter content Summary of commands in appendix Target Readers This is one of the most well organized and effective textbooks on the use of Linux 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, 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. With this latest super guide from FBA, I think instructors now have in this one book all the Linux command instruction they will ever need, especially if they are seriously interested in helping students learn how to use Linux. Book Contents 640 oversize pages; Publisher's Edition of Red Hat Linux 9.0; supplemental activities disk; preface; acknowledgments; diagrams and figures; screen shots; detailed, step-by-step exercises; appendixes; glossary; index Author Carolyn Z. Gillay Saddleback College About the Author Carolyn Z. Gillay teaches operating systems and Windows courses at Saddleback College, and has written a dozen textbooks on this subject. In addition, she is widely recognized as an authority on DOS and operating systems, and is frequently a guest presenter at national meetings. ISBN 2004 - First Edition 1-887902-98-8 List Price $40.00 This price also includes your own copy of Red Hat Linux Publisher's Edition, Version 9.0, on a CD ROM disc. All or portions of the software is copyrighted by Red Hat and others, not including Franklin, Beedle, & Associates. Neither Red Hat nor Franklin, Beedle & Associates, Inc. is under obligation to provide technical support to purchasers of the textbook. In addition, neither Red Hat nor Franklin, Beedle, & Associates, Inc. can be held responsible for any loss, personal injury, or property damage that may result from the use of this software. If you prefer, you can also just buy from Red Hat their officially licensed copy of Red Hat Linux 9.0, if you wanted to establish a customer-supplier relationship with the vendor of the software. The Publisher's Edition is a way for Red Hat to work with select book publishers interested in helping students learn how to use Red Hat Linux 9 in a classroom setting. In addition, the book also includes a supplemental disk that contains the many hands-on activities that are covered in the textbook. This is a super, bargain price for this extensive, exhaustively organized text that is tailor-made for any class in learning commands in Red Hat Linux 9. FBA also publishes "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 to working in DOS in these various GUI interfaces 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