Linux has always had one nagging criticism: the lack of decent office software. That changed when Corel kicked WordPerfect (and later an entire office suite) into the Linux mainstream. It is a great product you get for free, and a book that tells you how to use it effectively, from multi-part documents to mathematical equations to mail merges.

Highly recommended for hardcore Linux users and for those like me, who jump back and forth, alike.

Steve and Erwin's book is arguably the best reference book for newbie and intermediate Penguinistas who want to learn all they can about WPLINUX 8,x This book, like Steve and Erwin's other titles for the Windows versions of 8 & 9, is well written, the explanations are clear, concise and jargon free. Better yet, you can tell that both authours had a lot of fun learning about WPLINUX 8. I've learnt so much that when I installed COLOS 1,1, I was able to configure WPLINUX 8,1 to my needs and begin writing within a half hour follwing Steve and Erwin's book. If there's one minor quibble it,s the the book doesn't cover printing and printer configuration- a perennial headache for all Penguinistas. But that absence is complemented by Roderick Smith's book on WPLINUX 8. I wouldn't be surprised if some users refer both to Steve and Erwin's WPWIN 9 bible book for the specific feature of WPLINUX 9 and the WPLINUX 8 bible for the specifically LINUX aspect of 9. What I greatly appreciate about the WPLINUX 8 bible is that it offers the commercial version of WPLINUX 8, 150 fonts and the KDE desktop for Redhat 5,1/2. So for some 30$ you get a program that normally costs 74,00$ plus some free goodies. I highly recommend the WPLINUX 8 bible as simply the best reference/rescource on WPLINUX 8,x

WordPerfect 8 for Linux itself has a very interesting history. It is actually a repackaged "WordPerfect 8 for Unix", which is still being sold for around $800 per copy. When Corel's CEO Mike Cowpland decided to move his company into the Linux world, he essentially donated this used-to-be-unreachable product to the public.

Because the downloaded version does not come with a manual, the overwhelming majority of its users probably failed to appreciate the beauty and the power of this classic product. For example, it has more than 100 mathmatical/financial/logical/string functions (plse see Chap. 21 of "WP8 for Linux Bible"), and its speed-table-format feature (pp. 83-84) will make even Microsoft Word (for Windows) users salivating. It also comes with a very powerful database engine for table sorting. Its text search feature, including the ability to build a quick search data base, is also unparallelled (pp. 127-131).

I often found it very difficult as to where to begin when I was asked about what WordPerfect can do but not Star Office. These two products are in two totally different leagues. Unfortunately, Corel seems to be only interested in giving it away, and has failed miserably to educate the public about its merits. I bet even Corel's sales don't know what a gem they have.

I was a technical editor of this book, and have read every word and tested every example in at least half of its chapters. Let me tell you, this is an excellent book of a great productivity program. Mr. Steve Harris is also the author for the Windows versions of WordPerfect 7, 8, and 9.

For about $40, you get a product which used to cost $800, plus an excellent manual/guide book. I will not hesitate to recommend it to anyone who is serious about using Linux for productive work.

Mahalo.

THE BEST OF THE WORDPERFECT BOOKS I RECCOMEND IT TOTALY

This is not a WordPerfect-only book. It really covers the entire suite, even the non-Corel add-ons like Dragon speech recognition and the Trellix web publisher. Unlike most other Corel WP-Office 2000 books, this one covers the Paradox database as well. The comprehensiveness is already reflected by the number of pages (1360). Despite its size: The 'Hands on' and 'Instant Expert' sections make it quite accessible. Still, if you are looking for a 'WP in 20 minutes' book, this is certainly not for you. However, if you are looking for a comprehensive reference and self-study tool for the entire suite, this book is certainly a good choice.

This book is essential for any WordPerfect8 user. No other book I've found contains the valuable information presented.

Like all Dummies books, this one is humorous and informative. It really can help a complete neophyte get Corel Linux up and running and doing what he/she wants it to, as long as he/she doesn't want to get too complicated. The thing is, Corel Linux's GUI is so similar to Windows 98 these days, even a moderately experienced computer user may find very little "new" and valuable info in these pages. Still, the book comes with the standard distribution of Corel Linux, so if you're a windows user interested in Linux, you can't go wrong buying this package deal.

From one Linux beginner to another: I wouldn't even attempt to run Corel Linux without this book! The author makes the assumption that you have no prior knowledge of Linux (thank goodness) so you start at the very beginning and build from there. The exercises are clear, concise and they use real-world examples, so you immediately grasp what the feature is and why you would want to use it.

The text is friendly and entertaining without being goofy. I liked the tone so much that I decided to read it from cover to cover *before* I installed, just so I would have an idea of what I was getting into. I especially liked the fact that the instructions are well-illustrated with figures, so I could follow along even when I wasn't in front of my computer.

If you've decided to join the Linux movement, Corel Linux is by far the easiest to install, configure and use. And this book is your ticket to coming up to speed as quickly and as painlessly as possible.

Laura Acklen -- Author, Que's Special Edition Using WordPerfect 9 ( ).

Our office has made a concerted decision to gradually move into Linux. And this is the best book not only for newbies to jump start on the learning curve, but also for those old-hands to refresh their knowledge.

One of the more significant characteristics of this excellent book is that the author wrote it like a diary so that you can install and run the next generation OS with little or no effort, but he also very skillfully interposed the plain English writing with important advanced concepts. So skillful that you may be fooled into believing yourself to have become an overnight Linux expert! But seriously, this book can at least make you walk and talk like a Linux geek in a hurry.

Linux is rapidly evolving. Kernel 2.4 and KDE 2.0 are coming out soon. Both will cause very significant changes in the Linux environment. Everything you have learned now probably will have to be updated in the very near future. Thus, there is no need to get into those thick and supposedly advanced Linux books at the present time. This for dummies book is just right for everyone, including, of course, you and me.