Ubuntu for Non-Geeks
Author: Rickford Grant & Phil Bull
Publisher: No Starch Press, 4thed, 2010
Pages: 496
ISBN: 978-1593272579
Aimed at: Newcomers 
Rating: 4
Pros: Clear introduction and includes a copy of Ubuntu 10.04 on CD
Cons: Perhaps not simple enough
Reviewed by: Alex Armstrong

This is aimed at a non-techie, non-Windows audience - is it pitched at a suitable level?

Author: Rickford Grant & Phil Bull
Publisher: No Starch Press, 4thed, 2010
Pages: 496
ISBN: 978-1593272579
Aimed at: Newcomers 
Rating: 4
Pros: Clear introduction and includes a copy of Ubuntu 10.04 on CD
Cons: Perhaps not simple enough
Reviewed by: Alex Armstrong

This really is a beginner's book. If you manage to use Windows or any incarnation of Linux then you can skip forward to another book. This one will tell you nothing that isn't obvious - however it is supposed to be targeting non-geeks so it might still have an audience.


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It goes over the usual introductory topics - some history, installation, using the desktop, connecting to the Internet, installing packages, the file system, customising, the command line, using printers and scanners and so on . It also covers applications - graphics, music, DVD player, gaming and so on. It is more than enough for a  non-geek to swallow in one book.

Its approach also isn't suitable for the truly clueless. It does assume that you have some idea of how things work at a very basic level. On the plus side it doesn't assume that you have used Windows before and doesn't introduce everything by contrast with the way Windows does things.

This is a clear and useful introduction to Ubuntu and it comes with a copy of Ubuntu 10.04 on CD bound into the back jacket which makes it a useful purchase even if the book turns out to be not quite suitable for you. Despite the fact that the book is for "non-geeks" it is still fairly geeky - I can think of people I wouldn't give this book to as a starter manual - it's gentle but not that gentle.

As long as you are bright enough to read the clear explainations and work your way thought the book it should help but you will need to look things up on the web and some additional help in troubleshooting would be a good idea.

 

Overall a reasonably good first Ubuntu book for fairly non-geeky but willing users.


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Modern Software Engineering (Addison-Wesley)

Author: David Farley
Pages: 256
ISBN: 978-0137314911
Print:0137314914
Kindle: B09GG6XKS4
Audience: Software Engineers
Rating: 3.5
Reviewer: Kay Ewbank

This book is subtitled 'doing what works to build better software faster' - does it teach you how to achieve that?



DevOps For The Desperate

Author: Bradley Smith
Publisher: No Starch
Pages: 176
ISBN: 978-1718502482
Print: 1718502486
Kindle: B09M82VY43
Audience: Developers working in DevOps
Rating: 4.5
Reviewer: Kay Ewbank

Subtitled 'A hands-on survival guide, this book aims to provide software engineers and developers with the basi [ ... ]


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Last Updated ( Monday, 30 August 2010 )