Linux Mint Books to Read and Learn

[freddyflint99]

Hi Guru's and Others
What Linux Mint book(s) would you recommend purchasing to learn the in's and out's of Linux Mint (KDE) ?
My Current chosen choices are as I have an account and a discount coupon.
http://www.booktopia.com.au/linux-mint- ... 07260.html
http://www.booktopia.com.au/linux-mint- ... 80858.html
http://www.booktopia.com.au/linux-mint- ... 19601.html

I am asking as that I was referred to the Gentoo project, but as I need a physical book to read (and scribble into) an on-line pdf just doesn't cut it with me. I was thinking of printing it out, but that's a lot of trees.
So I am looking for something else, specifically for the version I use, which is Mint KDE. Currently 17.3, but thinking of switching to 18.1

Thanks In Advance
Fred

[Benoît]

Hello Freddy.

I know this book:https://debian-handbook.info/
It's not about Mint, nor really about any particular desktop environment, but it is the bible for any Debian user, which Ubuntu is based on, and on which Mint is based. It is for free on .PDF and a printed version exists as well, so you can have a proper look before any spending. It exists in several languages.

[slipstick]

viewtopic.php?f=90&t=233725#p1240663

[Hoser Rob]

... I am asking as that I was referred to the Gentoo project ...

I'm not 100% clear what you're saying there exactly but I'll tell you something a REAL Linux/Unix expert said to me once.

Installing Mint or Ubuntu is like going to Ikea and buying flat pack furniture that you assemble yourself.

With Gentoo, it's like buying a woodlot and a sawmill and then making your own furniture.

When you install Gentoo you compile and build everything yourself, not only Gentoo itself but all app software too.

All system and app updates are done the same way. I'm sure Gentoo is wicked fast but if it's going to take 2 1/2 hours to update my browser, it'd better be fast enough to make up that time. WHich I doubt it is.

The reason Gentoo is so fast is that it's meant to be optimised for the hardware on the machine it's installed on, but how to do this is all up to you. ANd their user forums don't hold noob hands much.

On top of that it's a rolling release so it's expected that an occasional update will break something. Seriously, I cannot think of a less suitable distro for beginners.

So who referred you to Gentoo?

[MintBean]

My advice is don't bother with a book. Start with the Linux Mint user manual if you haven't already, then just use the web to research whatever takes your interest. Personally I find browsing and occasionally helping out on these forums is a brilliant way to learn.

[Mattyboy]

I would highly recommend "Steven Ovadia's Learn Linux in a Month of Lunches" Its not Mint specific, deals with Ubuntu based Linux distros mainly so essentially the same thing.

Well written, easy to understand and incredibly informative for the 'noob'. You'd be hard pushed to find a better Linux beginners book. The paperback is reasonably priced too. Buy it ( no I'm not on commission )

https://www.manning.com/books/learn-lin ... of-lunches

I totally agree that trolling these forums regularly and periodically 'breaking your system' by playing about, forcing you into a situation where you have to sort out a problem is the best way to learn so consider duel booting or using a virtual machine for these purposes.

[DAMIEN1307]

WOW...when i saw the price of these books when i clicked on the links to see what was offered in print, my jaw just hung in midair in absolute AWE...those books cost more than my morrocan leather bond bibles with gold gilt edges...what i want to know is if they are written by the developers themselves? if so buy them...THEY are the true experts and deserving of the funds for their hard work...if they are not written by the developers, then someone is making a buck on all of their hard work and expertise and those people writting these books are reaping the benefits of the developers hard work and expertise as well as at the expense of the many unpaid but well appreciated volunteers freely offering their years of experience and expertise in the usage and maintenance of the linux mint operating system...i doubt you will find anything in print more comprehensive than what is found here in this forum as well as what is available on a google site called "easylinux" produced by an extremely knowledgeable forum contributor "pjotr"...ok thats my 2 cents for what its worth...DAMIEN

[lmuserx4849]

For the motivated user, everything is online, but not in one place. By that I mean, all software has documentation, whether it is a man page, info, manual or other, and those are usually in html format these days. Most applications, if you go to the menu, there is a Help option.

There was a time, when The Linux Documentation Project (http://tldp.org) was the place to go. The bash guides are good.

I always look for documentation that a distribution offers. I go to Synaptic and type in documentation. Those files usually end up in /usr/share/doc/... and are either pdf or html. There are a few books like: docbook definitive guide.

If the book helps you figure out what you need to know in a way that you learn, go for it. Apress is a good publisher. Make sure you get the most current. Content gets old real fast.

Below are a couple of suggestions. If there is a specific topic, just ask.

1. Linux mint doc (https://linuxmint.com/documentation.php)
2. The Linux Foundation offers a free online course,
   (https://training.linuxfoundation.org/li ... n-to-linux). It's held at edx.org and costs $0. Take this even if you buy the books.
3. There would be no linux system without GNU software. The majority of system commands are probably GNU. You can read about the core utilities, Bash, awk, and sed.
   All gnu software: (https://www.gnu.org/software/)
4. This downloadable book, The Linux Command Line, is all about the shell (bash) and commands. Over 100 questions/answers at the unofficial bash faq
5. Until you become familiar with the linux documentation system (man, info), read the man pages online (cp, mv, ls)
6. youtube is fantastic these days. Search for linux tutorials.
7. Gimp, Libreoffice, if using KDE, kde doc (it's also on your desktop, Menu->Help)

The Debian Handbook mentioned by Benoît is very good.

[freddyflint99]

viewtopic.php?f=90&t=233725#p1240663

Thanks. I did search for 'books' before I posted my question. I didn't search for 'reading'.
My Bad

[InfoCentral]

Linux Gold Standard

[freddyflint99]

... I am asking as that I was referred to the Gentoo project ...

I'm not 100% clear what you're saying there exactly but I'll tell you something a REAL Linux/Unix expert said to me once.
So who referred you to Gentoo?

Someone who knows a lot about Linux. They recommended it as how you pointed out, build and learn. I forgot to mention that It looks like the Gentoo Project is failing. I was reading that it has lost supporters and as you mentioned, not that noob friendly. I was trying to find something else that explains more of the inner workings of Linux, specifically Mint & KDE, as that is what I have been using since ditching Windows, and Mint KDE was the "most like Windows". I wasn't really after a coding line by line manual, or something that explains how to use a text editor or music player.
Thanks for your comments

[slipstick]

The best book that I've found so far is "A Practical Guide to Ubuntu Linux" - 4th edition, by Mark G. Sobell. Very useful, as Mint is based on Ubuntu. The 4th edition was published in 2015, so only covers up to the version of Ubuntu that the Mint 17.x series is based on, but still has a tremendous amount of useful info. Clearly written with lots of examples.

https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Guide- ... nux+sobell

Look through the Table of Contents here:
https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Guide- ... 0133927318

[lmuserx4849]

The best book that I've found so far is "A Practical Guide to Ubuntu Linux" - 4th edition, by Mark G. Sobell. Very useful, as Mint is based on Ubuntu. The 4th edition was published in 2015, so only covers up to the version of Ubuntu that the Mint 17.x series is based on, but still has a tremendous amount of useful info. Clearly written with lots of examples.
...

If the book covers Mint 17.x, which is a LTS (2019) it won't cover systemd, the new init system and all the other systems and processes it takes over. It might be confusing to a Linux Mint 18 user. If freddyflint99 is thinking about 18.1, they'll want to check the index for systemd coverage. I'm not sure you'll find the combination of KDE and Linux Mint. If you find a book that covers KDE, make sure it is KDE 5 or what they call Plasma.

The Kubuntu doc might be helpful. It also appears to be in the repository with the package name of "kubuntu-docs". Since it is KDE oriented and LM is based on ubuntu.

[Smitty93]

Hi all,

I'm a bit late to the part here, but I recommend this book: http://bdmpublications.com/titles/compl ... int-vol-27

I'm working through it now and it seems to cover everything I want from Mint at the moment. The book is the reason I started using Mint - about two weeks ago now. It's not too expensive either.

J

[bob466]

Who needs Books...when you have this Forum and possibly Youtube. If you can run Windows...you can run Mint...it's not that hard.

[JEBB]

What is badly needed is a list of books that focus on using Linux Mint with its graphical user interface. Command line is so old school and beyond the reach or interest of most casual computer users. Is there such a list?