Corel Linux Starter Kit: The Official Guide [With CD-ROM]

by Joe Merlino, Katherine Wrightson, Joseph Merlino

Book Overview

Corel's version of Linux aims to be as friendly as possible, so many of its new features will be particularly appealing to beginners. Corel Linux OS Starter Kit comes complete with Corel Linux and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0072124598
• ISBN13: 9780072124590
• Release Date: March 2000
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies
• Length: 704 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.9" x 7.4" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

For people who want a Graphical Interface to Linux

Pros:Probably one of the best introduction books to a Linux OS currently in print. It also deals with Corel Linux, which is a lot easier to use than a Red Hat. The chapters are organized coherently, and if your objective is to get a Linux OS up and running, you can do it simply by installing from the supplied CDROM. It also comes with WordPerfect 8.Cons:The book deals with Corel Linux. Even though this is not necessarily bad, Red Hat may be the better choice if you are serious in implementing Linux in your system.From Personal Experience:This was the easiest and most stable Linux OS I installed. I have tried Red Hat and a few others, but the Linux OS that came with this book was definately the best. The one click install option is something every Linux OS should include.Sections(6 Parts, 30 Chapters, 4 Appendixes):Part 1 Introduction to Corel Linux: A generic introduction section that is usually included in a starter book. You will be able to install Corel Linux OS and start using it with some ease if you read this section.Part 2 The K Desktop Environment: This section deals with basic configuration of the OS. Part 3 Running Your Corel Linux System: A continuation of Part 2. This section has useful information about running and maintaining your OS.Part 4 Essential System Administration: The authors lump "everything else" into this section. It might have been better if they split the programming part and hardware configuration part into two sections. The explanations they give are pretty good, even though the programming section may not be helpful that much to non-programmers.Part 5 WordPerfect 8 for Linux: An introduction to WordPerfect 8. If you plan to use WordPerfect as your main text editor, this section is worth your time.Part 6 Appendixes: Appendix B which explains Shell Commands and Appendix C which has links to useful websites are the most useful out of the 4 Appendixes. Appendix D has some sample Initialization Scripts which may be useful for the advanced user.

An excellent book for beginners

Once I began to read the book I couldn't put it down. The book is well written. The way it explains each issue is excellent. This book is a good start to this alternative OS.

Leaves the manual in the dust

While the manual that comes with Corel Linux is superior to those of most other distribution, it really covers only the basics and presents Linux from within the KDE desktop. If you need more in-depth coverage this "Official Guide" will provide information that goes far beyond the KDE desktop: from the first steps all the way to advanced scripting. A look at the newsgroups, however, shows that despite automatic hardware detection some people need advice or trouble-shooting during installation. While this distribution is by far the easiest to install, some hardware (some graphics adapters and sound cards) may cause trouble. Installation troublshooting is the one area where this book could improve. The most frequent installation problems should have been covered in a more extensive way. Otherwise it as an excellent guide that will make your Linux experience a lot more fun.