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| Book Review: Linux Starter Kit, reviewed by Peter H. Salus |
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Saturday, June 24 2006 @ 12:51 PM EDT
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Book Review: Linux Starter Kit, by Emmett Dulaney
Reviewed by Peter H. Salus
Linux Starter Kit, by Emmett Dulaney
Sams Publishing, 2006
ISBN 0-672-32887-9
Pages: 128 + DVD; US$39.99; CA$53.99; UKP28.99
In general, I hate packaging. I used to think
of Christmas as that time of year when every
father in North America drove a large copper
staple into his thumb while trying to open a
carton containing a large toy.
Where the Linux Starter Kit was concerned,
it took me longer to open the several layers
of cellophane and shrink-wrap than it took
me to mount the DVD on an old Dell laptop
(running XP) and see a familiar Gnome footprint.
In all likelihood, all readers of Groklaw are
already running Linux or OS X or one of the BSDs.
But it is equally likely that you've got a
relative or friend you'd like to "convert" from
the creations of M$. This Starter Kit is a
good way to do it.
The DVD contains "SUSE LINUX 10.1" and a
"Reference Manual." This latter is 650 pages
of searchable PDFs. The book (or booklet)
contains materials for "Installation," "Linux
Basics," and "Troubleshooting."
But whoever had the idea for this, had a good
one. While I am still a fan of Marcel Gagne's
Moving to Linux: Kiss the Blue Screen of Death
Goodbye! (second ed., 2005), which comes with
a Knoppix CD-ROM, the Kit's SUSE certainly
surpasses Knoppix. Moreover, SUSE 10.1 comes with
Firefox, OpenOffice and both KDE and Gnome.
However, SUSE 10.1 is far from the retail SUSE Linux
sold by Novell. Among other things, it lacks numerous
plug-ins. All these are easily downloadable, but I
thought that newbies would want to avoid that sort of
thing.
But there are drawbacks. I'm not sure that the
extremely terse booklet is really suitable where
chapters 4 (on YaST) and 5 (on files and filesystems)
are concerned. I think a true beginner will feel
both frustrated and at sea if attempting to follow
these.
Finally, there's no clearly outlined road ahead: if
the newbie want to install the full Novell distribution,
it's not an add-on: she/he will have to reinstall
from scratch.
In short, Linux Starter Kit offers the M$ user
a good route to ease into Linux. But it isn't effortless,
nor does it yield the convert a clear way to go "whole
hog." The Starter Kit is a good idea at a
reasonable price. The next version should be even better.
Dr. Salus is the author of "A Quarter Century of UNIX" (which you can obtain here, here, here and here) and several other books, including "HPL: Little Languages and Tools", "Big Book of Ipv6 Addressing Rfcs", "Handbook of Programming Languages (HPL): Imperative Programming Languages", "Casting the Net: From ARPANET to INTERNET and Beyond", and "The Handbook of Programming Languages (HPL): Functional, Concurrent and Logic Programming Languages". There is an interview with him, audio and video,"codebytes: A History of UNIX and UNIX Licences" which was done in 2001 at a USENIX conference. Dr. Salus has served as Executive Director of the USENIX Association. This work is copyrighted by Peter H. Salus, and is licensed under the Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License. To view
a copy of this license, visit
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/
or send a letter to Creative Commons, 559 Nathan Abbott Way,
Stanford, California 94305, USA.
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| Authored by: Alan(UK) on Saturday, June 24 2006 @ 01:22 PM EDT |
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| Authored by: Alan(UK) on Saturday, June 24 2006 @ 01:23 PM EDT |
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- Corrections - Authored by: Anonymous on Saturday, June 24 2006 @ 09:07 PM EDT
- Corrections - Authored by: Anonymous on Saturday, June 24 2006 @ 11:53 PM EDT
- Corrections - Authored by: Anonymous on Monday, June 26 2006 @ 02:35 AM EDT
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| Authored by: kitterma on Saturday, June 24 2006 @ 01:47 PM EDT |
I'm typing this from a SUSE 10.1 installation.
I would recommend that people not point people toward SUSE 10.1 as a first Linux
distribution. There are several reasons for that:
1. After the last release candidate Novell/SUSE changed the underlying
technology used by YAST to fetch and manage updates. As released it was almost
completely broken for most users. There are updates available now that are
supposed to make it better, but how the newbie installs the updates to the
updater is beyond me.
2. SUSE took a particularly hard line about free/non-free with this version,
including removing drivers that were included with 10.0.
These two together make it unlikely, in my opinion, that someone with no Linux
experience will have a satisfying first taste of Linux with SUSE 10.1.
For someone who wants a complete out of the box experience, Xandros (they just
released a new version) will likely be more comfortable and easier to manage
than SUSE. (K)Ubuntu would also, I think be better and is at least as free as
SUSE.[ Reply to This | # ]
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| Authored by: Anonymous on Saturday, June 24 2006 @ 02:59 PM EDT |
I don't know what you guys are talking about.
I use the retail 10.1 version of Suse, and have no problems with updates, or
drivers.
In fact, I'm hard-pressed to find any differences in drivers between 10.0 and
10.1
The retail is very different from the download/open/free version, it includes
lots of commercial software, etc including RealPlayer.
I've had no problems with online update at all, not even any hassles.
I've gotten friends and family members using it now too, from basic pentiums to
a guy with an amd x64-dual core system, everything just works.
Just like it always has.
SO to sum it up - every distro is different, and all hardware is different.
But if my 87 year old grandmother can work Suse 10.1, you have no excuse... :)[ Reply to This | # ]
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| Authored by: JScarry on Saturday, June 24 2006 @ 03:01 PM EDT |
As a general rule, users don't like change. They especially don't like radical
changes.
For someone who is thinking about using Linux, I'd recommend
installing
Parallels and Ubuntu. I don't know how it works with Windows, but on
OSX
you can switch back and forth with a simple Apple-tab. I've only been using
it
for about 10 days but so far it works fine. Performance is better than on my
previous Linux box. I installed Ubuntu from the Live CD and then used apt-
get
to install Kubuntu.
I'd recommend this approach because it doesn't require
a reboot and you can
try out the parts of GNU-Linux that you want to look
at.
There are other virtuals machines out there, VMWare is one that I've
heard is
good. I don't have any recent experience with any of them.[ Reply to This | # ]
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| Authored by: kjs on Saturday, June 24 2006 @ 03:19 PM EDT |
I installed openSuSE 10.1 a few days after it was released and it had severe
update problems. However, they are all fixed by now and even if you install from
the old version and do the YaST update (not Zen) all packages install just fine
and the system is as good as it should be. Wireless networking is as good or
better then Ubuntu and the only thing I don't like is that they don't provide
nVidia drivers from the source repository. That's less a problem of SuSE but
mVidia and a common problem with most distros which don't want to run into
trouble with GPL.
Yes, I was upset in the beginning as I never encountered such problems with SuSE
since 7.2 but now I am as happy with it as before.
Besides (K)Ubuntu (don't like their root/user management and Gnome) SuSE is the
best Linux for those who want to get rid of winDOS eXPerimental. I have to admit
that I didn't try Xandros yet which may be another option. My 8-year old
upgraded her 9.3 to 10.1 without any help from my side besides handing her the
DVD.....
kjs[ Reply to This | # ]
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| Authored by: Anonymous on Saturday, June 24 2006 @ 04:19 PM EDT |
it's clear to me that the box includes OpenSUSE (or at least that's what I
understand)
is it correct/appropriate to call it plain SUSE ?
[ Reply to This | # ]
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| Authored by: kawabago on Saturday, June 24 2006 @ 04:35 PM EDT |
I put my /home folder in it's own partition so all my user data is separate from
the OS partition. To upgrade or change my distro I just reformat the OS
partition and install whatever distro I want. All my settings are preserved so
there is little to tune up after the install. Also the periodic cleansing by
format removes any code that may have snuck onto my drive without my
knowledge.
[ Reply to This | # ]
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| Authored by: kenryan on Saturday, June 24 2006 @ 10:45 PM EDT |
LOC = Loss Of Customer
I've been using SuSE for a few years now. I was a Slackware user since 1994,
but got tired of all the hand-tweaking and fiddling it needs when I wanted
something for my workplace (I'm a chip designer).
I bought Novell's SuSE 9.1, and later 9.3, one ordered from Novell and one
retail at a local store. It worked so well for me that all of the other chip
design leads in my department also started using it - bought retail out of their
own pockets (my company is a Windows shop).
When 10.0 came out I downloaded OpenSuSE and installed it at home on both a
desktop and laptop. It was a bit of a hassle getting all the mp3, dvd and other
software needed to play with music and video, but otherwise it has been working
very well. I never installed it at work, just never got around to it (one of
the other engineers did and it worked fine for him).
Now that 10.1 came out I decided to go back to the retail. Partly it is to get
some of the non-FLOSS apps I want (I realize it doesn't come with everything).
Partly I intended to try to reward Novell in my small way for their efforts with
SuSE.
Yesterday I sent Novell a terse email insisting they cancel my order. You see,
while their website said and continues to say "7-10 day shipment" my
package has been on backorder for over a month. I called to try to get some
idea when it would ship but the customer support rep was utterly useless.
Worse, she promised to have someone check with the distributor (?) and get back
to me within 2-3 days. That did not happen.
When a company puts out a product I like and use I try to encourage them to
continue to do so in a way all companies ought to understand - buying stuff.
Alas, even as a pipsqueak single private customer I do insist on a minimum level
of service. Don't mess up my order, and I'm usuall content.
I plan to upgrade to the newer OpenSuSE, and I'll even buy it retail if it
happens to be in one of the stores I frequent (the store needs encouragement
too).
As far as patronizing Novell directly, though, well I don't think that will be
happening again.
BTW, my co-workers know about my annoyance with Novell. I don't know if they
will continue buying upgrades retail - I don't attempt to influence their buying
habits - but they know OpenSuSE has been working well for me at home and will be
watching me as I install it at work as well!
---
ken
(speaking only for myself, IANAL)[ Reply to This | # ]
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| Authored by: Maciarc on Sunday, June 25 2006 @ 12:14 AM EDT |
I guess since others are sharing their 'switching to SuSE' stories, I'll share
mine.
First of all, my background has computers all throughout it. I
took a computer programming course in the summer of 1978 (basic) so my parents
could get more out of the TRS-80 they had just bought. I was 12 at the time.
Later, after moving out, I helped run a BBS on Fidonet using a Tandy 1000 with a
friend of mine. The internet was introduced to me on a 386 running windows 3.11
(I hated the Trumpet WinSock). I upgraded to Win 95 and 98 and kept somewhat
behind on hardware. I stopped upgrading windows at 98SE. I've tinkered with
Linux since Slackware 1.0 came out. Currently, I use my home computer for
browsing the web and playing computer games. At work, I design low voltage
systems using AutoCAD. There are currently six working computers in my house,
one Mac and 5 PC's. Generally, my wife's PC gets the new parts and her older
parts go into my PC, then into each of the others in turn. I've been running
SuSE 10.1 on 'my' PC since Monday (6/19/06).
My path to SuSE began
three weeks ago when my mother-in-law decided to buy a laptop. Her 2 year old
desktop was our payment for transferring her files and settings it to her new
laptop. My wife transferred her files to the new PC and I got her old one. Then
the fun began.
I started by trying to install Windows 98SE over Windows
XP. 98 couldn't find drivers for the on-board video, audio or network interface.
I went to the manufacturer's site and found drivers for everything and installed
them, but the video driver didn't work right. Searching on the web revealed Wine
supported my favorite games now, so I decided to finally make the switch to
Linux.
First I tried Mandriva One. I downloaded the iso and burned a
CD. Installation was a breeze. Everything worked right from the start. I then
installed Wine. Again, everything went well. I installed my favorite game,
Diablo II. I mention the specific game for reasons that will become apparent
later. There was a bit of a learning curve to getting Diablo installed using
Wine, but once it worked, I knew I wouldn't see windows on my home PC ever
again.
Fast forward about ten days. By this time I've tried to add a
few bells and whistles to my install using the RPM package manager and run into
a brick wall. Every time, the install has failed due to 'an unsatisfied _____'
(fill in the blank depending on what was being installed). I'm playing Diablo.
My character has just completed Act I. For those of you unfamiliar with the
game, it is divided into acts. Between acts are cut scenes to transition to the
new area (in this case, from a plains environment to a desert environment).
Imagine my chagrin when the game crashed to the desktop rather than showing the
cut scene. I spent the rest of the evening cruising the web looking for info on
different distros before downloading Debian. It has a different package manager,
so I'm optimistic about the chances that this one will do the job for me. It was
at this point that a friend reminded me that Diablo could be installed without
the cut-scenes so I could skip them. I wasn't going to stay with Mandriva
anyways, but I knew I wouldn't have the same problem with my next
distro.
I never got as far as installing anything on Debian. I'm sure
many people are happy with it and I'm sure it's a quality distro. It just wasn't
for me. My video didn't work and neither did my sound. I tinkered with it a
couple of days before giving up. I never even installed Wine.
I then
decided to give SuSe a try. I downloaded the single CD net install version. If
anyone else decides to do this, you need to have the ip address and path to the
install files of the site you are going to install from before you start. If I
didn't have another computer in the house, I probably would have had to
re-install something else to get net access to find this info.
The
install took forever. Well, four hours, but it seemed like forever. The reason
it took forever is it installs everything you ask for, and I asked for quite a
bit. The SuSE net install didn't install like any Linux I've ever installed. It
does all the stuff the others do (ask for time zone, get the partition
information, etc.) then it lets you change and re-arrange things. You can select
the packages you want installed. When the installation was complete, everything
worked: video, sound, network, everything! The best part was that Wine was
already installed! My game installation took a bit of time, mainly because I had
trouble rembering which of the three install methods had worked two weeks
earlier. The game ran better than it did on Mandriva and the package manager
takes care of dependencies for me.
My character is in Act II, I'm
getting used to the KDE desktop, and Bill's not getting another dime from me.
I'm very satisfied with SuSE.
What's the best part? Other people I work
and/or play with have been watching my digital journey and have begun their
own.
---
IANAL and I don't play one on TV, this is just an
"anti-SCO Philippic." [ Reply to This | # ]
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| Authored by: Anonymous on Sunday, June 25 2006 @ 09:10 AM EDT |
Many, if not most, of us are running various forms of windows for the simple
reason that we need to to do other things in our lives. [ Reply to This | # ]
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- Don't ASSUME - Authored by: Anonymous on Monday, June 26 2006 @ 06:09 PM EDT
- Don't ASSUME - Authored by: Anonymous on Wednesday, June 28 2006 @ 10:21 PM EDT
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| Authored by: Prototrm on Sunday, June 25 2006 @ 09:31 AM EDT |
I tend to take different distros for a spin now and then, just to see what's out
there. A lot of the ones targeted at Windows users are frustrating (Lindros
comes to mind) because they can hide too much of the real Linux. I've tried the
popular Ubuntu, but miss the easy configuring that Yast gives me.
I keep falling back to Suse, but this time it's an older version. Now, I'm
pretty lazy, as my wife will attest, and I don't like the things that Suse 10.1
has done to the distro:
I used to be able to download and install the nvidia drivers at the tail end of
the installation. Now they're gone, and I have to go to a lot of trouble (change
the config to boot to the command line, reboot, install, change the
configuration to GUI boot again, reboot. Arrrgh).
Then, I had to run an ethernet cable through the house so I could download the
wifi drivers that Suse calls "too unstable" to include in the distro.
The previous version of Suse "just worked" with that wifi card.
Of course, everyone is talking about the new 3D GUI eye candy in the new Suse,
but there's nothing in Yast to help you get it running.
Finally, there's the fiasco with the updater. I was perfectly happy with YOU,
and had no problems and no complaints. If it ain't broke, etc. etc.
So, I'm sticking with a version of Suse that works. I still think it's the most
powerful, easiest to use Linux out there. Maybe they'll have their act together
again by 10.2
The one thing I'll never understand with Linux distros in general is why they
often have to make simple things so difficult? Yes, I can apply some time and
effort and figure out how to do it myself, but in my opinion I shouldn't have
to! A computer should work for me, not the other way around.[ Reply to This | # ]
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| Authored by: rharvey46 on Sunday, June 25 2006 @ 01:22 PM EDT |
I presently have SLES9 server installed on my machine at home.
I am interested in (sometime soon) upgrading to either SLES10 Server or SLES10
Desktop. Supposedly, both are based on SUSE 10.1 to a large extent.
Is it likely that the SUSE 10.1 problems will continue to exist in SLES10
(desktop or server)?
What are the differences between SUSE 10.1, SLES10 desktop or SLES10 server?
For those having problems with SUSE 10.1, you may want to consider installing
SLES10 when it becomes available (it is already in Beta). I realize that the
product would cost more (since SUSE 10.1 is available for free or relatively low
cost).
Perhaps an future article would help?
[ Reply to This | # ]
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