Book Review - Linux Annoyances For Geeks by Michael Jang
Category Book Reviews
Let's face it... as much as we'd like Linux to be an oft-chosen alternative to Microsoft Windows outside of IT environments, the fact remains that you still need to be a geek to get everything to work "just right". Michael Jang has written a very nice book to help both you and the users you support overcome the Linux annoyances with his book Linux Annoyances For Geeks.
Contents:
Configuring a Desktop Environment; Configuring User Workstations; Optimizing Internet Applications; Setting Up Local Applications; Installation Annoyances; Basic Start Configuration; Kernel Itches and Other Configuration Annoyances; System Maintenance; Servicing Servers; User Management; Administration Tips; Index
In some ways, this feels a bit like one of O'Reilly's Recipe books. Each chapter has a series of "problems" (in this case, annoyances) that are dissected and resolved based on the author's knowledge and advice. The writing is very person-to-person, with problems like "My CD/DVD Is Locked", My Hard Drive Is Too Slow", and "I Can't Boot Because of a Kernel Panic". You get the feeling that the author is talking *to* you, not *at* you. As a result, some problems that could be very intimidating (like kernel panics) are treated in a calm and rational manner. The information is also not restricted to a single distribution. He covers solutions in the major distros, like Debian, SUSE, Fedora, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux. And the solutions for desktop issues in most cases cover both KDE and Gnome. You should be able to find *something* in here that relates to your particular setup...
Like many books that try to cover a range of issues or scenarios, your impression of the book is going to be dictated by whether he covered the annoyance(s) that bother you the most. But even just getting two or three really good answers can make the book extremely valuable to you. Overall, I thought this was one of the best troubleshooting Linux books I've seen, and one that should be given serious consideration if you regularly work with Linux.
Let's face it... as much as we'd like Linux to be an oft-chosen alternative to Microsoft Windows outside of IT environments, the fact remains that you still need to be a geek to get everything to work "just right". Michael Jang has written a very nice book to help both you and the users you support overcome the Linux annoyances with his book Linux Annoyances For Geeks.
Contents:
Configuring a Desktop Environment; Configuring User Workstations; Optimizing Internet Applications; Setting Up Local Applications; Installation Annoyances; Basic Start Configuration; Kernel Itches and Other Configuration Annoyances; System Maintenance; Servicing Servers; User Management; Administration Tips; Index
In some ways, this feels a bit like one of O'Reilly's Recipe books. Each chapter has a series of "problems" (in this case, annoyances) that are dissected and resolved based on the author's knowledge and advice. The writing is very person-to-person, with problems like "My CD/DVD Is Locked", My Hard Drive Is Too Slow", and "I Can't Boot Because of a Kernel Panic". You get the feeling that the author is talking *to* you, not *at* you. As a result, some problems that could be very intimidating (like kernel panics) are treated in a calm and rational manner. The information is also not restricted to a single distribution. He covers solutions in the major distros, like Debian, SUSE, Fedora, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux. And the solutions for desktop issues in most cases cover both KDE and Gnome. You should be able to find *something* in here that relates to your particular setup...
Like many books that try to cover a range of issues or scenarios, your impression of the book is going to be dictated by whether he covered the annoyance(s) that bother you the most. But even just getting two or three really good answers can make the book extremely valuable to you. Overall, I thought this was one of the best troubleshooting Linux books I've seen, and one that should be given serious consideration if you regularly work with Linux.
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