LinuxQuestions.org Book
July 28, 2004 2 Comments
I'm proud to announce that a LinuxQuestions.org Book is potentially in the works. While a lot of the details (mainly the TOC) still need to be worked out, I think this is a very exciting possibility. I'd like to handle this book much the way I handle LQ itself – by getting member feedback and giving you what you want. So, what I would like to know is:
– what do you want to see in a Linux book?
– what topics would you like to see covered?
– what don't you like about the Linux books you have read?
– what *do* you like about the Linux books you have read?
To give you an idea of the format the book will follow, it will (as you may have guessed), go along the same lines as the site. It will try to offer clear newbie friendly solutions to actual problems, using real-world examples and experience. It will cover from the newbie to the mid-level user I would say. I have created a mailing list for the purpose of discussing the LQ book. Any feedback or comments are appreciated. Thanks.
–jeremy
Jeremy's Blog 
I have a book titled “Visual Basic 6 Black Book”. This is laid out in a question and answer format and was very useful to me in programming. ISBN is 1576102831.
One thing you can do (and I don't know how you'd pull it off) to make your book unique would be to find a way to teach Linux so that the newbie and casual user can retain the information. I don't know how many times I've heard from people (and this includes myself) saying that they learn basic Linux only to forget what they learned due to lack of use. Not everyone can work in a Linux environment or have easy access to a Linux box at home.
Another thing might be to approach at least part of the book from the point of view of someone building a PC from scratch. Since Linux can be somewhat sensitive to what hardware and drivers you use, looking at Linux as not only installing the OS but choosing the components, will give readers an extra “leg up”.
Another helpful section might be how to not only install and use basic Linux but how to then download, install and use various applications (Mozilla, OpenOffice, etc…) to create a complete PC for everyday use rather than a Linux box that you could use as a lab machine but not much else.
Having said all that, I've probably been redundant as heck since I have no idea how far the book has been organized and developed. I only saw one comment so I thought I'd chime in with my thoughts. If' I've overstepped myself or just got egg on my face, I apologize.
Cheers.