I built a new computer. Use this book to load the Linux on it. Very good and step by step instruction for Windows users that know how to load windows. More instructions on how to load the applications. I would buy it again. You need another book if you want to learn more after this introduction to get you started.

This book has been a great reference for me, I didn't know anything about Linux before and now I am much better at it.

This book has been a great reference for me, I didn't know anything about Linux before and now I am much better at it.

This book is terrible and makes no sense. Yes it is written in plain english and is easy to understand, but it tells you very little actually about linux. It spends time evangelizing about open systems, it spends time telling you about how to install linux from 7 different distributions. Ok the discussions of the 7 distributions were valuable for 1 chapter, maybe 2, but that was enough. It doesn't help you learn linux to have the instructions with 7 different nuances. Just say that there are these different distributions and why, then just work with the commonalities of Linux. Of the 400 pages of this book, maybe 100 were valuable.

I've read prior books by Dee-Ann, and found her to be knowledgable; AND accessible. This book is a continuation of the flexible and expanding world of the linux distribution from a professional's point of view....and uh dumbed down so Joe Avwrage can understand....hence the title of the book AND the series LOL!
She has answered questions I've had concerning linux....and I'm happy to be reigestered to her newsletter...
She exudes a lot of preofessionalism and kindess....things not too often seen in the linux world when you are/were a newbie to linux.

more than 4 weeks after ordering this item it has still not arrived. In stead of using their resources to speed up delivery, Amazon spends time spamming me for a review...

I know, I know! I should have at least tried Linux by now. But I hadn't. Then I found this book. Among all of the books on Linux at the book store, this one said, here's seven different distributions of Linux that you can install. Furthermore, in Chapter 4 it had 35 pages describing the different distributions. Why, for instance, would I want to install Xandros, Mandriva or SuSE instead of the Fedora (Red Hat) core. (Although I did find it a little strange that Debian wasn't discussed. But with 300+ distributions to choose from you have to cut it off somewhere.)

Although this is a 'For Dummies' book, it isn't for the complete 'Dummy.' You should have some idea about setting your BIOS to boot from DVD, some idea about what particians are (or use an old PC and dedicate it to Linux - recommended) and so on.

Finally this book is primarily concerned with the operating system itself. Linux comes with tons of applications programs. If you want to learn about Open Office or other packages, that's a different book. But in learning about the operating system, not bad at all.

From the cover hype, I expected a complete turnkey program for installing and learning Linux. I was disappointed.

First, the book-provided CD would not boot, and there were no directions in the book on how to change one's BIOS to allow the CD to boot. (I learned from a friend how to do it.)

Second, the software provided to allow one to have a dual boot (Windows and Linux systems existing separately on one hard drive) is incompatable with Windows 2000 and XP, for it is confused by NTFS files.

So now I've got a useless book, unless I go out and plunk down 50-70 bucks for commercially available partitioning software OR install a companion hard drive reserved solely for Linux.

The cover should warn the inexperienced (dummy) user of these sorts of things.