Welcome to the fascinating world of open source software that is Linux. In this book, I introduce you to the wonders of the Linux operating system, originally created as a labor of love by Linus Torvalds in the early 1990s. My goal is to initiate you into the rapidly growing ranks of Linux users and enthusiasts busily rewriting the rules for the operating system marketplace. If you’ve contemplated switching to Linux but find the prospect too forbidding, you can relax. If you can boil water or set your alarm clock, you, too, can become a Linux user. (No kidding!)

When this book appeared in its first edition, Linux was an emerging phenomenon that was neither terribly well known nor understood. In this edition — for a new generation of Linux users — so much material is available that I have steered this particular title toward what Linux is and how you can make the best use of it on your desktop. To that end, these pages contain various online resources, tips, and tricks, as well as more general instruction. If you’re looking for material on servers, many other books can serve your needs. I keep the amount of technobabble to a minimum and stick with plain English as much as possible. Besides plain talk about Linux installation, boot-up, configuration, and tuning, I include many examples, plus lots of detailed instructions to help you build and manage your very own Linux machine with a minimum of stress or confusion. I also include with this book a handy DVD-ROM that contains Fedora Core 3 and Knoppix, along with the CD-ROM images (the files you use to burn your own CDs) for Linspire, Mandrake, SuSE, and Xandros. (To find out what exactly is included on the DVD-ROM, see Appendix B.) If you have no idea of what any of these items are, don’t worry. You’ll know soon enough!