Learning Red Hat Linux

With roughly 20 million users worldwide, Linux is the most talked about success story of open source and free software. Even devotees of Microsoft Windows and Apple's Macintosh are attracted by the unsurpassed stability and flexibility of Linux, but learning a Unix-style operating system can be a daunting task. The second edition of Learning Red Hat Linux gives newcomers exactly what they need to get started.

The book includes a complete Linux system CD-ROM from Red Hat Software, one of the most popular distributions of Linux in the U.S. Once it guides beginners through the process of installing and configuring this software, the book offers a thorough but gentle introduction to the basics of using Red Hat Linux. This new edition has been "upgraded" to cover installation and configuration of Red Hat version 7.2, with improved sections on how to use the GNOME and KDE desktop environments, and how to use the Red Hat Package Manager (RPM). Highlights of Learning Red Hat Linux include:

• How to prepare your system for installing Linux
• How to install and configure Linux
• How to install and configure the X Window System
• How to use X and the GNOME and KDE desktop environments
• How to obtain and set up Linux applications
• How to set up a Linux system for networking, either on your local area network (LAN), or via a dialup connection to the Internet
• How to install and configure Linux-based servers, including the Apache web server and Samba for integrated file and print services with Windows-based networks
• How to understand and write shell scripts to extend the power of Linux
• How to install, upgrade, and remove packages using RPM

Bill McCarty is associate professor of management information systems in the School of Business and Management of Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, California, and was previously associate professor of computer science, in which capacity he taught for ten years in Azusa Pacific's Master of Applied Computer Science program. Bill holds a Ph.D. in the management of information systems from the Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, California, and worked for 15 years as a software developer and manager.