Description from Amazon.com's web site:

This book can help you install and configure any version of Linux--Caldera, Slackware, SuSE, and Red Hat are the most popular--as well as get you up and running with a variety of applications. While this book offers advice tailored to each version's installation and configuration, it also tells you how to do each part by hand, which is very useful if the packaged process does not support your computer's hardware. For instance, v90 modems are not supported in several recent versions of Linux, but the drivers are available on the Web. In addition, the book contains a concise command reference of the Linux operating system commands (actually Unix commands). The section on installation and configuration of XWindows (a Unix version of a graphical user interface to the operating system) is well done. Also included are sections on Emacs, LaTeX, and Internet access (including use of Linux as a Web server). The remainder of the book covers topics related to programming (bash, Tcl/Tk, and Lisp) using the Linux operating system.

If you want only one book to get you started using Linux, this is the book. Its general approach to installation and configuration is the best available today. However, if you intend to make Linux your central operating system, you will need other books. Linux is a very stable, robust operating system that cannot be covered in any one book. Linux Red Hat 4.1 is on the included CD-ROM.

Description from the publisher's web site:

If you are looking for one book to teach you all the basics of Linux, from installation and usage to simple programming, then this is the book for you. Linux: Installation, Configuration and Use will get you up and running with Linux quickly and effectively, cutting out time-consuming installation problems and searches for on-line documentation. Whether you are a Systems Administrator or a Linux novice, this book will provide you with a cohesive, authoritative introduction to Linux handling.

Divided into four separate parts, progressing from introduction to installation and implementation, this practical, hands-on guide will help you:

• understand your Linux system and configure it to your own requirements
• connect to the Internet in order to read and write email and news, transfer data using ftp or surf the World Wide Web
• learn to program under Linux using bash (the standard shell) and Tcl/Tk
• become proficient in Emacs and LaTeX
• gain an understanding of the various Linux distributions, including RedHat 4.1, Slackware 3.1, Caldera and SuSE 4.4 through a comprehensive set of appendices

A series of icons alert you to potential problem areas, indicating possible error sources and highlighting time-saving tips and short-cuts. A further icon will notify you of on-line support and point you in the right direction whatever your particular problem.

An accompanying CD-ROM contains a complete Linux system - Redhat 4.1. This book will teach you all you need to know in order to install, configure and use it. Also provided are the entire kernel sources for version 2.0.29 and 2.1.28 as well as an extensive collection of on-line documentation, part of which can be read prior to installation via a Windows web browser.