Book Review: Moving from Windows to Linux
Is this the right book to introduce Microsoft power users to Linux?
Charles River Media, 2003
ISBN: 1-58450-280-0
$44.95 US
Moving from Windows to Linux declares in its opening
paragraph that it is intended for Microsoft Windows power users
and Linux novices.
However, the focus of
Moving from Windows to Linux is not always clear.
At times the book seems to be oriented more toward
new computer users. There is a lot of content on
shell scripts, Web servers and FTP servers that would
confuse even some Windows power users and possibly
leave a new Linux user wondering what they had
gotten themselves into or why it was important.
A more descriptive title might have included the terms
open source and desktop applications, as a great
deal of the book is devoted to showing the open-source
analogs of Microsoft Office and other common
Windows applications. The major desktop application
territory is covered here, including
e-mail, Web browsing, word processing,
spreadsheets, graphics and presentation software.
A brief introduction to GnuCash also is present.
Unfortunately, in Moving from Windows to Linux,
Easttom makes you aware of only the
open-source desktop applications. More of the book
is devoted to learning shells and setting up FTP and
Web servers than what the typical Windows to Linux switcher
would probably use. It is important to make people
moving to Linux aware of the command
line, but the treatment of this topic
seems excessive.
Easttom's writing is clear and easy to follow.
Points are organized and addressed logically.
More side-by-side comparisons of
feature use in Windows and Linux applications, however, would be
beneficial.
Using this book, Linux beginners certainly
could install Linux and find their way to each of
the applications described, but taking Linux to
the next level will require an inquisitive person,
another book or additional assistance. The text
deals mainly with Red Hat 9. No CD is included, and
the author recommends purchasing the distribution.
Moving from Windows to Linux is an abbreviated
overview of Linux and open-source applications.
Unfortunately, it teases and does not provide much more
than a starting point for someone interested in using
a Linux desktop. Missing the mark as a book to help
Windows users move solidly into the world of Linux,
Moving from Windows to Linux offers a glimpse of
the possibilities tempting Windows users
to move to Linux and open source.
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Comments
Re: Moving from Windows to Linux by Chuck Easttom
I think one of the better books on this subject has to be "Linux for Non-Geeks" from No Starch Press. I was once a windows user and ran across this book, now my windows XP computer sits by the side just begging me to come and just turn it on. And for the most part I dont ever touch it (Excluding Games). The book is set up as a porject book that walks you through installs of RPM's,Tarballs, and real world apps like Mplayer. And it comes with the Fedora core distro. I Highly recomend this book to anyone willing to give Linux a shot.
Wavz
Re: Moving from Windows to Linux by Chuck Easttom
I'd like to give you an answer, you're looking for but, I'm afraid there isn't one. Rarely would a Linux professional evaluate books about migrating M$ OSes to Linux. Those that do this kind of a job, are not Linux folks at all - they are usually just like you, or are in the business of selling their own "*nix" solution, and are not really interested in giving you a book that would eliminate them from the cycle you are trying to enter.
Linux professionals mostly read books published by O'Reilly ( http://www.oreilly.com/ ), focus there is not on migration. While it is true that Linux can be in almost any situation a much better and much cheaper solution than any of Microsoft's solutions, it requires a thorough understanding of not only computers but also your computing and business computer needs. Linux can be then best utilized, by customizing it for your different environments - something that is much harder to accomplish with Windows. The easiest way to do this is to go with commercial Linux offerings. However, that can be even more expensive than M$. This is particularly true for those that start their migration based on "some book", because most books only try to make it look easy, with a hidden agenda of bombarding you with URLs where you eventually will start spending money, or time.
I believe the best solution is to get on board a reliable Linux professional, and do it yourself. The hardest part for you should really be to find the right person. Most managers are incapable of doing that and they resort to agencies. If you fall in this category you should not read the Linux Journal, because someone will push you just that, namely the book with URLs where you'll eventually start spending $$$.
Re: Moving from Windows to Linux by Chuck Easttom
I followed a link to this article in anticipation of finding a review of a book for a systems administrator who needs to consider moving from Windows to Linux. While this book may assist in thinking about the end-user questions about their new desktop, new applications and such, are you aware of a more comprehensive book with a bigger administrator's view? I would also find of interest a book that considers Linux solutions for thin clients. We're looking at the implications of a potential decision to upgrade an alternative OS server and its potential to assault our budget if we have to use their remote desktop solution with its new licensing mechanism.
Re: Moving from Windows to Linux by Chuck Easttom
I think a book like this will never attract anybody to switch from Windows to Linux. People don't run away from an O.S. because someone wrote a book about it, especially not from a mouse-pushing Windows to Linux.. Linux (Unix) is not user friendly OS and those who switch to it from Windows, have a very good reason for doing so. Those that consider themselves power users on Windows, may appreciate a book like this, after they made their move and in the process most likely realized they know next to nothing about their new O.S. Is this the right book for them ? Who cares, there is no free lunch anywhere!
Re: Moving from Windows to Linux by Chuck Easttom
Who cares, there is no free lunch anywhere!
Did you hear the one about the economist who, upon seeing a $10 note on the ground left it where it was because "it couldn't really be there, or else someone would have already picked it up"?
...from a mouse-pushing Windows to Linux..
You've clearly not used a modern Linux distribution, where you rarely need to use the command-line, and when you do, you can usually get away with following instructions, if you wish to remain only an "end user".
Re: Moving from Windows to Linux by Chuck Easttom
Whose leg do you wish to pull ? You are clearly one of the mouse-pushers be it on Windows or on Linux. GUIs are not mature not on Windows and not on Linux. I'd say Linux leads the way in flexibility, however, it is far from what it should be.
If you are really a "power-user", as it appears since you bother answering to this article, you should know how much today GUIs still lack. From "end-user" perspective at first all seems ok. But then, I see Linux as an O.S. for the power-users - period. Whoever thinks that pushing a mouse over Linux X could be as straight forward as it appears to be in Windows, is clearly not one.
You obviously have no idea how many widgets (on Windows controls) are broken because there is no common strategy/standard to share objects. Forget the GUI, file interfaces are as old as computers, and we still have to suffer incompatibility. The fact that there are so many different GUIs and a plethora of low level graphic libraries that have no way of coexisting or collaborating speaks volumes.
Even an "end-user" should realize these shortcomings, when trying to do a simple "cut-n-paste" between different applications on the same platform (namely, M$ which claims to be the most compatible if you use only it), let alone a more complicated objects.
But then again, I do not expect an "end-user" to understand what we are talking about here - remember this is Linux Journal, and some mouse-pushers are trying to make it readable by "M$ users" ?;)
Re: Moving from Windows to Linux by Chuck Easttom (to Anonymous)
I think Chuck's book looks like a useful introduction, myself. At the very least, he's doing something constructive so that people can get to the point where they will understand the man pages, the info pages and be aware of what's available. Hopefully he'll make a few pennies doing it, at that.
It's easy to snipe at someone trying to write a book. If you don't think that Chuck has done a good job then fine, you're entitled to your opinion, but why don't you stop running your mouth, knuckle down and write a better one rather than taking the simpleton's route, if you think you'd do such a better job?
Michael B. Johnson, TX
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