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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
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Ubuntu for Non-Geeks, 2nd Ed
Written for the uninformed without being condescending. Covers multiple questions with excellent examples. The kind of book that makes you think "thank goodness someone thought of the reader's needs."
Rating: 
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Misleading, like all linux fans
Before I begin I'd like to say that anyone who tells you that Linux is "just as easy as Windows" is lying. If you venture into the land of Linux you should know this first and foremost. Unless you already are adept at Unix or Linux or work with computers for a living be prepared to spend many, many days figuring things out that Microsoft -- bless it's soul -- has already figured out for you.
Now about this book. It stinks. The author spends far too much time on nonsense, explaining that something will not be too hard, and far too little time actually explaining what he's trying to get across. This, by the way, is very typical of computer geeks and a requirement for a Linux expert.
Look up "partitioning" in the index of this book and you get almost nothing. The author's explanation of how partitioning works is almost nonexistent. Instead of positioning this section to 99.9% of his readers -- who already have Windows running and would just like to experiment -- the author completely glosses over the major points of where your files will go and what will happen to your Windows setup.
Second, there is the hardware issue. Have a nice wireless dongle you want to use to connect to your home network? Forget it. They tell you Linux works with everything -- everything but the particular hardware you want to install.
Again, look up wireless networking in the index of this book and there is almost nothing except a long explanation about "WAP". WAP this, WAP that, connect your WAP.
Really, I ask, do you want to figure all this nonsense out for yourself (because that is what will happen) or do you simply want to use Windows XP or Vista and save hours, days, weeks??
I have at this point tried several of the free Linux distributions and one that I stupidly paid for. They all stink. They are approximately at the stage that DOS was in 1983, except for one minor problem: It's 2008 and we're used to our computers working, more or less, from the moment we turn them on.
No Linux expert I have been in contact with (and I have been on several forums) has been able to explain the partition process to me, and what the best way is to split up the disk. Or even what the heck those choices mean when you power up the installer. No linux expert has been able to answer how my networking equipment will work with Linux.
And if you don't get it, tough.
If you're a non-professional computer user, save your money, time, and gastric juices. Learn to get the most out of Windows because until someone comes up w/ a complete Linux distribution that partitions the hard drive without the need to understand "fat/dslso winxp XXyyzz" and gobbledeegook such as that, Linux will foreever be the domain of geeks. There is a reason why "free" operating systems are free. You get what you pay for.
Angelo DePalma
Rating: -
One more for the library
This was a fantastic book. I myself am an absolute newbie to anything other than Windows, as I'm a system administrator for my tech group. I've implemented all kinds of things, from network appliances to full animation workstation clusters. With the newly available technologies in the Linux world, I thought it would be a good idea to look into it, and a friend suggested Ubuntu as a starting point.
I like the idea that an author could write plainly and concisely, and not talk down to the reader. I myself am a big fan of the "Dummies" series, as that's how I've done most of my learning (I have no formal training). After reading all the reviews, I decided to go with this book, and I wasn't let down. After reading about the basic history of linux, it starts into the philosophy of the Ubuntu platform. Mostly the first chapter was background, and the rest was very well though out. The book started off with basic tasks, then graduated to more complex ones, not designed to create a power user, just enough to make you intermediate, bu that's definitely a great start into the research of linux.
I'm very glad I purchased this book, and would quickly suggest it to any beginner in the linux world.
Rating: -
Excellent starter book for Ubuntu Linux
We all know Linux is more powerful, more stable, and more secure than windows. I decided to give it a try, like many first time Linux users, when my copy of Windows became so un-useable I had to re-install it....again. The problem is, how do I do all of the things I do in Windows....in Ubuntu?
Ubuntu for Non-Geeks is nice, easy to follow, project based How To book that get you right into doing what you need to do in Ubuntu. Rather than a chapter on how to install programs, this book actually has you install useful programs several different ways so that you can't help but understand how to do it when you finish the chapter. The same can be said for all the chapters, including even how to make your desktop look just like OS X.
If you have no Linux experience, this is where you should start. Linux bible;s and Linux hacking books are nice, but typically way over the head of the beginner user.
Rating: -
New Users Rejoice
After the overpriced Microbully prices skyrocketed. I decided to look into running Linux. After searching the internet, reading various ratings, and trying various Distro's of Linux out for user friendliness for a beginner, I decided to go with Ubuntu. So I began buying magazines, and Ubuntu Bible, though these are great resources, they didn't give me the feel I was looking for in trying to truly get the best grasp of Ubuntu's capabilities at my Linux Level. I purchased this book, and wow, my confidence began growing and growing. Working along with the author on various projects just gave me the True Jump Start I was looking for. I would highly reccomend this book to someone who is interested in trying Linux out for the first time. I believe when you finish this book, You may just KICK Microbully to the curb.
