Today is the day when we hear what new wonderful things are arriving from Apple. I know several of you are Apple fans and will periodically checking the net trying to find out what is happening there. I will be following the action on Macworld’s Live Update Coverage.
But, interestingly, perhaps ironically, I have decided to choose today to start back tinkering with my Ubuntu distribution. I have not fooled with it at all in at least six months, and it is woefully out of date, as are my Linux skills.
What got me thinking about Ubuntu again? A couple of neat write-ups from Ben Gray at OpenSwitch:
Cute huh? Both are better than the other? Actually, these articles helped remind me that I am really Platform Agnostic. Our late friend Marc Orchant used to have a blog by that time, and espoused the same view. Yet, despite my platform agnosticism I have been spending almost all of my computer time on my iMac. (I periodically boot into Windows, but seldom spend more than 30 minutes a day on it.)
Time to remedy that and spread it out some. It will help me be more technically competent all the way around, and may help me generate a couple of good articles for you that I might otherwise never think of.
Anyway, it has been so very long since I have done anything serious with Linux that I would love some pointers from you guys on the best book(s) to buy. I know there are some Ubuntu-specific books I could get, and I am open to suggestions on which are the best, but a good overall Linux book would probably be good for me, too. Recommendations appreciated.
One final I am wondering: have any of you used VMware Fusion to set up a Linux mount on your Mac? Right now I have Ubuntu mounted as a dual boot with Windows XP Pro on my laptop, but am wondering how well it would work on my iMac.
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I haven’t read any Linux books recently, but I can put in a plug for Ubuntu’s online forums and other web resources. In the past, Linux noobs like me used to be the object of scorn, but that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore, at least, not with Ubuntu. Every issue I’ve had (and there have been many) has found a comprehensible solution on the web.
Thanks, capo. You have mentioned this to me in the distant past and I had forgotten it. I will follow-through by cruising through the forums to see what nuggets I can gain. I am still on the lookout for some good books, though … you know what a book reader I am.
Bruce - I would suggest checking out ‘The Debian System‘, by Martin F. Krafft. It’s a good introduction to Debian. It’s the base for Ubuntu, so it’s good regardless. You can also get it in PDF format from No Starch.
I haven’t read this one, but another recommended book is ‘Ubuntu for Non-Geeks, 2nd Edition, by Rickford Grant.
Thank you for these suggestions, Thomas. I will certainly check them out. What linux experience I do have dates back to Red Hat 6, if that tells you how long ago it was … so I have forgotten what little I knew. Again, I really appreciate the tips.