Peter van der Linden's Guide to Linux(R)

"Linux software is like gold on the moon. It's wonderful, if you have a way to get it."
—Kevin Carmony, President and CEO, Linspire Inc.

There's a better alternative: Linux. It's not just for "geeks" anymore. It's for you—and it's for real. With Peter van der Linden's Guide to Linux^®, Linux isn't just powerful, it's easy and fun.

While writing this book, the author spent an entire year helping new Linux users get started and once again demonstrated that he is flat-out brilliant at simplifying technology. He knows all the tricks and the quickest ways to help make you productive. Before demonstrating how to do something faster, easier, and better with Linux, he reminds you how it works in Windows. Along the way, he anticipates potential missteps and questions, and fills in the gaps other books ignore.

• Get connected to the Internet, your email account, instant messaging, and your network
• Get productive with OpenOffice, the amazing Microsoft Office clone that's absolutely free
• Get solutions with van der Linden's easy, step-by-step troubleshooting help
• Get into digital media—music, movies, DVDs, CD burning, digital photography, and more
• Get secure and keep your data and email private with CIA-strength encryption
• Get beyond the basics and leave Windows behind, download the best free software, and even master the command line

The book includes a Linspire 5.0 CD-ROM, the world's easiest desktop Linux! Boot into Linux from the included CD, without installing anything or changing any Windows files at all.

“Linux software is like gold on the moon. It’s wonderful, if you have a way to get it.”
—Kevin Carmony, President and CEO, Linspire Inc.

There’s a better alternative: Linux. It’s not just for “geeks” anymore. It’s for you—and it’s for real. With Peter van der Linden’s Guide to Linux^®, Linux isn’t just powerful, it’s easy and fun.

While writing this book, the author spent an entire year helping new Linux users get started and once again demonstrated that he is flat-out brilliant at simplifying technology. He knows all the tricks and the quickest ways to help make you productive. Before demonstrating how to do something faster, easier, and better with Linux, he reminds you how it works in Windows. Along the way, he anticipates potential missteps and questions, and fills in the gaps other books ignore.

• Get connected to the Internet, your email account, instant messaging, and your network
• Get productive with OpenOffice, the amazing Microsoft Office clone that’s absolutely free
• Get solutions with van der Linden’s easy, step-by-step troubleshooting help
• Get into digital media—music, movies, DVDs, CD burning, digital photography, and more
• Get secure and keep your data and email private with CIA-strength encryption
• Get beyond the basics and leave Windows behind, download the best free software, and even master the command line

The book includes a Linspire 5.0 CD-ROM, the world’s easiest desktop Linux! Boot into Linux from the included CD, without installing anything or changing any Windows files at all.

Peter van der Linden is one of the world’s foremost computer book authors. He’s been in the computer industry for more than twenty-five years, working for companies ranging from start-ups to Apple and Sun Microsystems. van der Linden is also author of The Official Handbook of Practical Jokes (NAL-Penguin, 1991).