The Linux Cookbook: Tips and Techniques for Everyday Use [Paperback]

If you are the shell user type, you will definitely enjoy this book. If you are GUI user, you will start appreciating the shell.There are easier ways to do what you have been doing and this book will show you how to do those things.

Contents
This is a detailed book on how to accomplish a number of tasks using the command line interface of a Debian Linux distribution.

The book is divided into seven parts and the following chapters:

Part 1 - Working With Linux - Introduction; What Every Linux User Knows; The Shell; The X Window System
Part 2 - Files - Files and Directories; Sharing Files; Finding Files; Managing Files
Part 3 - Text - Viewing Text; Text Editing; Grammar and Reference; Analyzing Text; Formatting Text; Searching Text; Typesetting and Word Processing; Fonts
Part 4 - Images - Viewing Images; Editing Images; Importing Images; PostScript
Part 5 - Sound - Sound Files; Audio Compact Discs; Editing Sound Files
Part 6 - Productivity - Disk Storage; Printing; Cross-Platform Conversions; Reminders; Mathematics
Part 7 - Networking - Communications; Email; The World Wide Web; Other Internet Services;

Appendices - Administrative Issues; Linux Resources on the Web; License

Review
The true Unix geek and guru seems to be addicted to the command line interface of their system. Why use a mouse and a graphical interface if you can do it all via the keyboard and arcane system commands? If that appeals to you and describes your world, then this book will appeal to you.

Now, before I say anything else, there's one thing that the reader should know. This book was written in 2001, and I'll assume that the richness of the desktop graphical interfaces was not available back then. The book seems to be written from the assumption that the command line is the only game in town. The author makes a statement in the opening where he says this book will show "everyday users - artists, designers, businessmen, scholars, or scientists" how to use the tools and applications. I'm here to tell you... the average "user" he targets isn't in this group. You show me a typical accounting supervisor who will use a command line interface, and I'll admit I'm in error. But it isn't going to happen...

The book is written in "recipe" format. Each example is numbered, and any other special handling instructions are included up front (like additional packages to download). The command syntax is listed along with a "to get this type of result, do this:" list of command parameters. If you are interested in trying to accomplish a task as part of a shell script or to avoid using an interface with unnecessary features, this format will help you zero in on the specific information you're after.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the author is targeting the Debian Linux distribution. You may find a few variations you'll need to accommodate if you are running something different, but overall you should find value regardless of what Linux distribution you are running. It's all solid information if this is the type of Linux work you are doing.

Conclusion
A good title for Linux geeks or wanna-be geeks who want to learn how to use the command line interface to accomplish tasks. Definitely not a title for typical desktop users of Linux.

This book may have had Debian as its base, but, this book can easily be used with any distribution. I have been using Linux for six years now, and I was able to learn commands that I didn't know even existed. Don't pay any attention to those who will give this book only three stars simply because they didn't read the books discription and bought the wrong book. This one is a real winner. I antipipate that this book will be in my library for some time to come because most of the books contents go over stuff that will most likely not change very much over time.

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