10 most popular Linux books as rated by Amazon's

Here's a list of the top 10 most popular Linux books as rated by Amazon's sales ranks and reader reviews. The list contains books for all users from general introductions to Linux concepts, to advanced handbooks for system administrators and programmers. If you go through the list you will also realise that the listed books are actually 10 essential books for Linux. Read on..

1. Moving From Windows to Linux by Chuck Easttom and Bryan Hoff

Moving from Windows to Linux, Second Edition is a step-by-step walk through the transition from Windows to Linux. This completely updated version of the best-selling book teaches Windows users how to make their PC a Linux PC. It covers the latest in Linux distributions, and provides Windows users with the information they need to choose the one that will best suit their needs. From there, the book works through the transition from Windows to SuSE Linux 9.3, leveraging what Windows users already know, and applying that knowledge to Linux. The transition from applications such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop to their Linux counterparts KWord, Open Office, and GIMP are treated thoroughly and made easy. Real-world, hands-on examples and troubleshooting problems are also included. After reading through the book, any knowledgeable Windows user will be able to set up, maintain, and utilise all aspects of a Linux PC.

Amazon rating: 5

2. Linux in a Nutshell

Linux in a Nutshell (fifth edition) brings users up-to-date with the current state of Linux. Considered by many to be the most complete and authoritative command reference for Linux available, the book covers all substantial user, programming, administration, and networking commands for the most common Linux distributions.

Comprehensive but concise, the fifth edition has been updated to cover new features of major Linux distributions. Configuration information for the rapidly growing commercial network services and community update services is one of the subjects covered for the first time.

But that's just the beginning, the book covers editors, shells, and LILO and GRUB boot options. There's also coverage of Apache, Samba, Postfix, sendmail, CVS, Subversion, Emacs, vi, sed, gawk, and much more. Everything that system administrators, developers, and power users need to know about Linux is referenced here, and they will turn to this book again and again.

Amazon rating: 5

3. A Practical Guide to Linux Commands, Editors, and Shell Programming

To be truly productive with Linux, you need to thoroughly master shells and the command line. Until now, you had to buy two books to gain that mastery: a tutorial on fundamental Linux concepts and techniques, plus a separate reference. Now, there’s a far better solution. Renowned Linux expert Mark Sobell has brought together comprehensive, insightful guidance on the tools system administrators, developers, and power users need most, and an outstanding day-to-day reference, both in the same book.

This book is 100 per cent distribution and release agnostic: You can use it with any Linux system, now and for years to come. Use Macs, too? This new edition adds comprehensive coverage of the Mac OS X command line, including essential OS X-only tools and utilities other Linux/UNIX books ignore.

Packed with hundreds of high-quality, realistic examples, this book gives you Linux from the ground up: the clearest explanations and most useful knowledge about everything from filesystems to shells, editors to utilities, and programming tools to regular expressions. Sobell has also added an outstanding new primer on Perl, the most important programming tool for Linux admins seeking to automate complex, time-consuming tasks.

Amazon rating: 5

4. Linux Quick Fix Notebook by Peter Harrison

This book provides step-by step instructions on how to configure the most popular Linux back office applications. To avoid confusion between the many flavors of Linux, each with it's own GUI interface, this book exclusively uses the command line to illustrate the tasks needed to be done. It provides all the expected screen output when configuring the most commonly used Linux applications to help assure the reader that they are doing the right thing.

The Notebook includes many of the most commonly encountered errors with explanations of their causes and how to fix them. The book's format is aimed at sys admins who often have to do advanced tasks in which the commands to do it are forgotten or at the tips of their tongues.

As the line between power users and administrators continues to blur, as Linux and Windows gain equal footing in business, it becomes harder to remember and do it all. This is the guide that gives admins the answers they need to common problems and tasks, allowing them time to eat lunch.

Amazon rating: 5

5. Linux Administration Handbook

Since 2001, Linux Administration Handbook has been the definitive resource for every Linux system administrator who must efficiently solve technical problems and maximise the reliability and performance of a production environment. Now, the authors have systematically updated this classic guide to address today's most important Linux distributions and most powerful new administrative tools.

The authors spell out best practices for every facet of system administration, including storage management, network administration, web hosting, software configuration management, performance analysis, Windows interoperability, and much more. Sysadmins will appreciate the thorough discussions of such difficult topics such as DNS, LDAP, security, and the management of IT service organizations.

Sharing their war stories and hard-won insights, the authors capture the behavior of Linux systems in the real world, not just in ideal environments. They explain complex tasks in detail and illustrate these tasks with examples drawn from their extensive hands-on experience.

Amazon rating: 5

6. Hacking Exposed Linux, ISECOM

Use this comprehensive guide to secure your Linux network. Completely rewritten third edition provides an up-to-date coverage from a team of topic-focused experts. The text is based on the ISECOM security research, it explains in detail how to defend your system against all attacks.

- Secure your system by using countermeasures from the latest research
- Harden VoIP, RF, RFID, Bluetooth, and IR devices
- Follow attack techniques of ISDN, PSDN, and PSTN
- Apply cryptography and Trusted Computing for your best defense
- Block Linux signal jamming and eavesdropping attacks
- Prevent SPAM, phishing, DoS, and DDoS exploits
- Fix vulnerabilities in Web 2.0 services
- Find and repair C code errors with static analysis

Amazon rating: (4)

7. Real World Linux Security by Bob Toxen

Will you be ready to protect your system when a cracker comes? Real World Linux Security goes beyond the books that merely detail system vulnerabilities by offering system administrators practical solutions for safeguarding Linux systems and actively responding to break-in attempts. Veteran Bob Toxen shows you how to know your enemies and stop them at the front gate, before they can damage your system.

The book is organised into four sections: securing your system, preparing for an intrusion, detecting an intrusion, and recovering from an intrusion. Toxen even provides at-a-glance icons and tables rating the severity and likelihood of each type of attack. Along the way, you'll learn how to configure systems so they alter themselves to lock out a cracker at the first sign of attack.

You'll discover virtually cracker-proof techniques for protecting credit card databases, even if your web server and network are compromised. Toxen also presents techniques for ensuring that, if a break-in does occur, damage will be minimal and a full recovery can happen fast.

Amazon rating: 5

8. Beginning Linux Programming by Neil Matthew and Richard Stones

Provided you have some previous basic exposure to C and Unix, this book delivers an excellent overview of the world of Linux development with an appealing range of essential tools and APIs.

The standout feature of Beginning Linux Programming is its wide-ranging coverage of important topics in basic Unix programming. In a series of short chapters, the authors discuss the basics of writing Unix programs in C, with material on basic system calls, file I/O, inter process communication, and advanced topics such as socket programming and how to create Unix device drivers.

Parallel to this, the book introduces the toolkits and libraries for working with user interfaces, from simpler terminal mode applications to X and GTK+ for graphical user interfaces. While you won't be an authority on X or GTK+ after reading this book, you will certainly be able to explore real Linux development on your own after the capable introductory guide provided here. This text also serves as a valuable primer on languages and tools such as Tcl, Perl, and CGI.

Amazon rating: 5

9. Linux Kernel Development by Robert Love

Linux Kernel Development details the design and implementation of the Linux kernel, presenting the content in a manner that is beneficial to those writing and developing kernel code. While the book discusses topics that are theoretical, it does so with the goal of assisting programmers so they better understand the topics and become more efficient and productive in their coding.

The book discusses the major subsystems and features of the Linux kernel, including design and implementation, their purpose and goals, and their interfaces. Important computer science and operating system design details are also addressed. The book covers the Linux kernel from both angles, theoretical and applied, which should appeal to both types of readers.

Specific topics covered will include: all the important algorithms, relevant subsystems, process management, scheduling, time management and timers, system call interface, memory addressing, memory management, paging strategies, caching layers, VFS, kernel synchronization, and signals.

Amazon rating: 5

10. Building Clustered Linux Systems by Robert Lucke

The intent of this book is to provide an introduction to clustered Linux systems for an audience that may not have any experience working with this type of solution. A cluster comprises multiple physical systems, interconnected and configured to act in concert with each other as if they were a single resource.

This book is not intended to be an introduction to Linux system administration or TCP/IP network administration. The author made every attempt to point you to appropriate reference books and external sources of information. Experience administering Linux or Unix systems and an understanding of network connections is essential to getting the most useful information from this book.

This book attempts to tie together the "big picture" for those who already understand the individual elements of that picture. The goal is to learn how to configure and use Linux tools on multiple computers to create the appearance of a single system "clustered" solution. This is a complex endeavor that relies on understanding the basic operation of Linux and subsystems which may involve network connections.

Amazon rating: 5

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