Red Hat Linux 7.2

Linux is for those who either want to do the same thing all the time and are able to get their version of linux to do that, and those who like to tinker with the guts of the OS. I think Windows XP is a better choice for the rest of us.

I am not a linux guru, and I find it difficult and tedious to get things running that aren't installed and running automatically as part of instillation. By the way, instillation is a piece of cake anyone can do, and once it is finished you have a ton of application software installed and running, unlike Windows, which only installs the OS and you have to install each application seperately.

Although I spent 35 years as a software engineer, I still chose Windows XP for my home machine because I am tired of tinkering with an OS. And tinker with the linux OS you will surely have to eventually do, probably sooner than latter.


I was a bit disappointed   July 19, 2003
I am not a linux guru. I installed Red Hat Linux on one of my machines to learn linux and purchased this book to help me along the way. It appears to cover everything that it needs to, but I found the detail explinations of how to do things to be greatly lacking and on a few occasions to be wrong. I spent a lot of time trying to set things up in linux using this book as a guide, and they just plain didn't work in a great many cases. Either it is incorrect in places, or it is incomplete.

In addition, it reminds me of a cook book. You just follow the instructions to do specific things without it telling you WHY you are doing what it tells you, or even why you need to do some specific thing. Because of this, it really isn't much of a resource for learning.


Amazing potential   April 25, 2002
 10 out of 11 found this review helpful

Linux is what people wanted out of Windows... that being stability.

WinXP started off pretty stable, but as I add more software, it keeps having new problems and it feels like the updates never stop. So when I need to get some critical work done, I swing over to Linux. Linux feels a bit like a step back graphically for most Windows users (Red Hat doesn't have MEs or XP's slick looks), but I haven't been able to kill Linux yet... It tells me when it doesn't like what I'm doin', but the only problems I've encountered were done through my own toying with hardware configuration files.

Linux has a lot of options Windows doesn't, and the command-line option IS preferable for old DOS jockies like me.
KDE is a good GUI, but it isn't nearly as as advanced as XP or MAC O/S 10.1. I'd say Linux is more of a workhorse. The games for Linux are very behind the times, and it's standard processes can be confusing for those new to it. The capabilities this O/S offers professionals is amazing, however.

I'm starting to like Mozilla better than MS Internet Explorer, and after I get the hang of it, I know Linux is probably going to be first choice booting up. I'll probably always have Windows running on a seperate PC, or partitioned with Linux, as Windows does support the widest range of software.

Still, be aware; If you just bought a brand-spankin'-new PC, and think that your GeForce 4 and Audigy sound-card configurations are going to be a walk in the park, you're wrong. In most cases, you'll be hunting down drivers on the internet, and trying to figure out how to compile your kernel.

All in all, Linux is a great O/S, but the learning curve is steep. Don't feel bad if you're a long-time Windows user, and feel like a dumb newbie again with this O/S... I've spoken to many people about it... you're not alone!


great OS   April 24, 2002
 1 out of 2 found this review helpful

installed easily. for all the people who said that this OS is not user friendly they should stick with Microsoft. for me it is as user friendly as any linux system should be. established an internet connection quickly and with no hassle with my local isp. configured the sound and X-Windows system quickly and easily. configured programs to fit all my needs unlike some other Os' that need not be mentioned at this time. i highly recommend Redhat 7.2 for any previous linux user or for those looking to learn of this particular OS. make sure that you do your homework for the compatability though.


OK for a Workstation   April 18, 2002
 2 out of 8 found this review helpful

No problem getting this up and running as a "workstation". No more of a chore than any flavor of Windows I've ever tried. But my reason for buying Red Hat Linux is to use it as a server OS. Over two weeks into attempting to integrate my Linux server into a Windows client environment and still not being successful at it makes me think there HAS to be a better way.