Linux! with CDROM: I Didn't Know You Could Do That...

Linux is a fine operating system--except for the new user who doesn't know one end of it from the other and doesn't have a clue about what to do and how to do it, having just migrated from Windows. It's a good job then that titles like Linux: I Didn't Know You Could Do That... are around to help the newbie get to grips with the do's and don'ts of tasks like installing sound drivers, playing music files, using your machine as a server or even connecting it to your Palm Pilot.

Ignore the image of the chimp on the cover (one thing beginners don't need is to be compared to a simian)--and the content is well worth the asking price. There are step-by-step guides to installing various software packages (from the provided CD), but to get the best out of the book, RedHat or a similar installation is a necessity as they're bundled up in the rpm format.

An increasing number of Linux books seem to be going for the "bigger is better" approach these days, but author Nicholas Wells has done a great job of condensing content into just under 300 pages. There's not too much waffle and plenty of useful diagrams and screengrabs throughout. For the newcomer who doesn't want to search through hundreds of pages of .How-tos, this is an excellent desktop volume which will have some of the trickier Linux add-ins up and running in no time. --Chris Russell