For the budding Linux hacker in your household
342989
I've read Little Brother a few times now.  It is a great book for anyone, but I'm particularly impressed that it is young adult fiction.  You could easily think that you are reading just a good story, but there's a lot more to this tale than simply a yarn.  Doctorow wants people (and kids in particular) to think for themselves and question things we take for granted.  More so, he not only presents computers and technology in a positive light, but gives his readers tools to discover these things on their own.  This book will be on the reading list of a generation of hackers to come.  Any kid with the proper motivation can become a Linux hacker, and books like this will interest the crowd that doesn't take technology for granted and wants to know what is happening under the hood.
4890751
Another great and inexpensive addition for testing free and open source software. The hardware allows us to exercise the VIA C7-D processor. I'm glad Qotom is offering these mini-PCs to ease our testing process.

The C7-D is an interesting processor because its the earliest we know of a commodity processor providing security functions on-die. The functions are available through the Padlock Security Engine, and they provide AES, SHA and a RNG. It predates other makers gear by about 10 years or so. For example, Intel did not include AES-NI and RDRAND until 2012.

The VIA P4M900 chipset causes a fair amount of problems on most versions of Debian, Fedora and Ubuntu. The result is an Xserver crash due to the OpenChrome driver in Debian 8 (Jessie and Unstable), Fedora 23 and Ubuntu 15 (Wily). Lubuntu 15's Live CD allowed me to install. After Lubuntu 15 with the 4.2 kernel installed it crashed too, but I could install SSH through a recovery console. Ubuntu and Lubuntu 16 (Xenial) with the 4.4 kernel appears to fix the problems with the chipset.
465310
This is an amazing little machine and its perfect for on-the-go hacking. I use it to ssh into a homebase Ubuntu server and develop using vagrant and vim. Using vagrant share I am easily able to view my stuff in the browser.

I tried doing some hobo hacking with an iPad and while it was almost good enough it lacked one HUGE thing...a real browser with an inspector and console. With this Chromebook you obviously have Chrome which is the best browser out there. The iPad also was lacking a nice keyboard. I can touch type on this Acer just like I could on a larger laptop.

I consistently get 11 hours battery. HUGE plus for when you are hacking away from home and a power source.

Chrome OS is an absolute dream. My favorite graphical OS in the whole world.

Do yourself a favor and get one or more of these bad boys.
1124588
It's just okay. I feel learned something about Linux command line. But given the amount of time reading the book, I would suggest reading some command line summary or tutorial online.
3152351
Works great when plugged into a Raspberry Pi or a Linux laptop. Accessing its WiFi side using Chrome on Linux works great too. Great for automated RPi firmware update testing! The web UI could use a bit more sophistication and security options, but it's acceptable.
1875782
Am more interested in the Network issues when working on Linux and the use of text editors since Am going to begin doing my programming sessions using the Linux operating  because its a stable environment, not forgetting  practical tips and actual commands that I will need to be readily available on the finger tips.
2816653
I highly recommend this book, to anyone who wants to learn and use Red Hat Linux! I have other books about Linux, but the books by Christopher Negus are the ones I read, first, when I need to learn how to do something new or something that I rarely do.  The other books, I  usually do not open. My first book  in  this series, was the Red Hat Linux 7.3 Bible.  These are very large books, but they have an  excellent Table of Contents and Index and those make it very easy to find what you are looking for. Earlier this year, I noticed these books are now coming with DVD media, so when I ordered the Red Hat Fedora Linux 3 Bible, I also ordered a DVD drive for my PC. On the back cover of this book, it shows "Reader Level: Beginning to Advanced". This, truly, is a book I can recommend to those who are new to Linux; unlike the other Linux books I have, which are best read by computer professionals or advanced users; without being books written for dummies.  These books, for me, are like having a Linux guru with me,  helping me, when I am trying to learn something new. I'm an early retired computer professional. I'd never worked with Unix, so these books make the "Learning Curve" much easier for me. Disclaimer: I have purchased a number of different editions of this book. I have also received 2 free copies, because I wrote a review that was published in one edition and because I sent some suggestions and corrections to the author.
2157727
Marcel's ability to communicate in a way that anyone can comprehend is extraordinary.  This book provides a much needed look at many of the available applications that are associated to Linux and provides the reader the information about how to accomplish various tasks in a way that is easy to digest.  I would highly recommend it to anyone desiring to install and run Linux.  The CD that accompanies the book is a unique version of Knoppix (bootable Linux) that allows folks the ability to get a taste of the Linux environment before actually installing it to a hardrive. It's great to see something that is available to help people truly experience the possibilities that are available with Linux and thus kiss the blue screen of death goodbye.  Great work Marcel!
1762119
The Raspberry Pi was originally conceived as an inexpensive,mcredit card sized computer to be used to get children introduced to the workings of computers.  The idea was to make it inexpensive and easy to do something other than use the comouter to play games.  It is an incredible success!!  Since the RPi uses Linux, it is also a great way to learn about Linux.

This book is a great introduction to take the user from the beginning stages up to intermediate stages.  It starts you with plugging everything up, getting online, and downloading and setting up your operating system.  Then it tells how to find additional programs to download, install and use and even provides an introduction to Python programming.

It is written in straightforward language so that anyone with some knowledge of computers can be successful with it.  I think it would help to be reasonably comfortable with Windows or Mac computers, but you don't have to be an engineer to understand.  The book is very much in keeping with the target audince for the Raspberry Pi.

It looks to me like it can be used with all kf the Raspberry Pi versions, including the new Pi3.

Anyone from about middle school age on up should be able to use this book quite successfully,,especially if they are already interested in and comfortable with computers.

The Raspberry Pi 3 is the latest version of this computer and is amazingly powerful when coupled with Linux.  I think this book is an ideal companion to the RPi and would mae the perfect addition to a RPi kit.  Maybe for a Christmas gift??
2611511
Keir Thomas puts everything you need to get started with the distribution of Linux getting the most press these days all in one handy tome.  All you'll need is a decent computer, the software, and you're set!  The book's chapters - 34 in all - deal with the various aspects of installing/configuring, using and personalizing Ubuntu for your tastes.

Stating true to the political slant of most open source and Linux advocates, the book spares no expense when taking potshots at rival Microsoft and denouncing the company's operating system and Windows' implied failure to live up to its billing as a high-performance, stable, secure operating system.  Ubuntu, Thomas preaches, to the rescue.

For history buffs, the book starts out with a well-chronicled backstory on the oft-misconceived beginnings of GNU/Linux, and of the free and open source software movement.  The book then proceeds to do a great job of talking about the various concerns with Linux's hardware compatibility, including WiFi access, and of finding your way around the default GNOME desktop environment.  Differentiations are clearly made between traditional UNIX hardware problems and Ubuntu's nature to auto-detect all but the most obscure of devices and peripherals.  An equally rewarding section is Thomas's lesson on using Synaptic and RPM-based repositories to discover, download, install and update the latest software.

Also helpful for Microsoft converts is a nice introduction to working with the UNIX terminal, specifically Ubuntu's use of BASH, and of basics of using the command-line interface for interacting with Linux.  Cron and crontab are dealt with sparingly, but nicely.

There are also several very helpful chapters on multimedia.  And one of the book's many redeeming sections is evident in the excellent discussions on using Wine, remote terminals, and virtualization to access external resources, or run other Linux or Windows applications from within Ubuntu.  It's a part of the book that's very well-written and nicely laid out.  And any user will appreciate the healthy section on using OpenOffice, and then the individual chapters laying out basic features and functionality of each of the applications with that productivity suite.

The live CD also ensures you can start playing with the OS right away, for those of you not wanting to download the 700MB ISO image (although the version on CD is likely one or more generations behind the current stable distro).

I found the book to only have a couple of minor shortcomings, namely a surprising lack of a chapter on gaming with Linux, which for a growing population is a major draw.  It would have also been beneficial to go more into detail about shell scripting, beyond just simple (sub)directory and setting up basic cron jobs.  Also, I find that the one area keeping the book attaining absolute perfection would be incorporating a Mac-centric viewpoint for people coming over from Apple environments, or looking to bridge Linux with that platform.

But those aside, the book is otherwise a one-stop shopping gem - everything you'd need to get up and running in a matter of hours.
1995746
This product successfully addresses pretty much all the security issues that a family / small business might encounter on the Internet or in day-to-day use of its computers.  Loading was very easy, with one click installation and removal of previous tools.

In fact, I would have given the product 5 stars, were it not for the fact that my wife and kids swear that it seems to slow down the computers somewhat.  I'm not sure, and in any case, it's much preferred to picking up some some nasty virus or worm.
1861352
With a name like "How Linux works," I was surprised to see how much I enjoyed this book.  It filled in many holes in my Linux knowledge.  I found myself saying: "oh yea, I was wondering about that" several times.

Finally, it doesn't hurt that Mr. Ward doesn't come off as impressed by his Linux knowledge.  This book feels like an ernest attempt to lay a solid foundation of Linux knowledge for the reader to build upon.
3910265
David Brickner offers to readers of this book a unique opportunity to have a guided tour of a working Linux desktop.  With the companion CD, he offers a risk free experience on the reader's own PC, without needing to install any software whatsoever.  The choice for the CD-runnable distro is the Move Live CD, which can have its roots traced to Knoppix CDs, the original "run Linux completely from CD" distro.  Move Live is more geared toward ease of use and emphasizes a "touch nothing of the host system" doctrine.

Like any guided tour, David starts off by introducing Linux, and then proffering reasons why people should switch from Windows to Linux for a desktop.  The reasons given, namely citing bugs, virii, and exploits, were somewhat debatable, especially given that Linux as a desktop has not achieved the saturation and population that Windows has, thus has not fallen in the sights of malaware authors as a platform with sufficient population to support spreading.  I feel this section was one of the weaker parts to this otherwise excellent book.

Where this book does fulfill expectations is the coverage of the various key desktop applications that are part of this and any Linux installation.  Like any good guided tour, he not only goes over how to use the featured application, but he also discusses alternatives, consistently stressing the wealth of open source choices for each part.  While his selection of featured applications is a result of his own personal views, he really can't be faulted for these choices given that they fulfill their stated purpose.  He covers the bases enough to guide a non-professional computer user to be able to adequately use the desktop.

The only other area for this book that could do for improvement is his discussions on how a reader, upon being converted to the ideals of an open source operating system, can transition their own computers to Linux.  I'm not aware of any option on the included CD for permitting this Move Live (which is based on Mandrake Linux), to make the system its new home.  David does offer an overview of the various distros available, but I was left with an impression that adequate coverage was missed.

I feel this book more than adequately offers its target audience the guided tour they deserve and I would recommend it to people who want to know "What is Linux and why should I care?"
3301971
System: Eee PC 100HE - upgraded to 2 GB RAM

I haven't had it long enough to do a thorough evaluation, but so far, I think it's great!

Installed Easy Peasy linux, based on Ubuntu 8.10 ([...]) from an SD card, using unetbootin ([...]  The installation went very smoothly, wireless G worked right out of the box.  I did manage to hose windows xp, which is fine, since I'm not interested in running it, but if you want to dual boot xp and linux, pay special attention to disk partitioning, easy peasy doesn't seem to help much in preventing this even though xp was already installed on the hard drive.

I'm a programmer, data engineering and analytics consultant, and so far, I'm surprised by how well the 100HE performs.  I'm doing routine development using Ruby and mySQL, and can't say I've been disappointed.  I took the 100HE into my office, hooked up an external monitor via the VGA port, and an external keyboard, everything worked fine.  So far the external monitor mirrors the built-in LCD (the quality of which is excellent under linux), I haven't figured out how to do dual monitors.

The keyboard is a bit cramped, but I can live with it.  The track pad is very responsive, but the "click" mechanism is too stiff (I like to use an external USB mouse versus a track pad anyway).  So far I've gotten about 5-6 hours battery life running linux.

In sum, I'm really surprised by how usable this notebook is.  It's very light and convenient to use.  I recommend it for linux users.
1952170
Last week-end, a friend dropped in to say high. While we were talking, he noticed that my 4 year old grand-daughter was playing games on my new computer. He was amazed that a girl so young could play games on the computer's hard-drive and also games at web-sites. What amazed him even more was that the computer was running Linux, not Windows.

After reading Peter van der Linden's "Guide to Linux", I got the courage to take the author's advice to buy a PC with Linspire pre-installed. Linspire is a version of Linux that requires very little effort to use for a person who has used Windows. When my grand-daughter visits, I feel safe letting her surf the web, because I don't need to worry about viruses and spy-ware. The author goes to great lengths to explain why Linspire is secure compared with Windows and he takes all the fear out of operating a PC without Windows.

The PC operated right out of the box, just like the author explained it would and when I wanted to add a new component to the PC, I consulted the book and there was everything I needed to make the installation work. The book explains things so well, that whether you are a total beginner or have experience with computers, you will find it right for you. He goes into detail, when required, without making your head spin. My grand-daughter showed my friend the latest digital photos of herself and played a music CD for him. The CD was not his cup of tea, but a 4 year old doesn't like our kind of music.

No matter what your taste in music is, if you are tired of running anti-virus scans and tired of anti-this and anti-that, this is the book and this is the Operating System that will make your life easier. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand computers better and wants an alternative to Windows.
4234545
I was surprised to find that the new firmware update includes a lot of great support for Linux Containers, which are hard to describe, but really great. If you are familiar with containers, you'll understand the benefits, if you aren't then look them up. They can do amazing things, and having a machine that's got access to all my storage, and all my computers know where it is, that's a big advantage.
934881
Slightly out-of-date, but the nuts and bolts of the content are enlightening and stimulating.  If anything, the possibilities are exploding as GNU/Linux supports more and more devices and plays better and better with the non-Linux world.  I want to get the first edition purely for the ideas and design processes that are discussed.

Only criticism (again, age-related) is that the included Distro (Damn Small Linux) - while still handy and relevant - is no longer active and you might want to employ a different distro(s) for your projects.  TinyCore is the heir apparent to DSL, but with all the cheap memory and processor power, you can use just about anything you want.

Great book!