Technically, Linux is the name for the operating system kernel at the heart of "Linux" distributions such as RedHat and Debian. When most people "use" Linux, they are in fact using the shell, the web server, or any other of the zillions of open source programs that (1) are available for, (2) are distributed with, or (3) can run atop the Linux kernel.

It used to be that there were only a few things you could do with a Linux box (namely run a Unix box as a web server) but the open source community has come a long way in providing (1) applications and (2) hardware support, so that you can now do a lot of things w/ your Linux box that used to only be doable on a Windoze box.

Schwarz et al have put together a smorgasbord of things you can do with your Linux box. These projects range from things you would tend to do on a Unix box (eg IP Masquerade, SSH, system security, even a chapter on writing Apache modules!) to stuff you would expect to need to do on a Windoze box (eg burning CDRs, syncing with Palm devices, and audio/MIDI/image/video processing).

The level of detail in the chapters (as well as the required level of Linux familiarity on the part of the reader) varies considerably -- a hazard of multiple authors and the breadth of the topics covered -- but each chapter starts off with a "Difficult-o-Meter" which more or less accurately states the level of Linux proficiency required.

That said, there are some real gems to be found in this book. There are some pretty hefty howto-like treatments in this book of topics such as system security, "undernets" (collaborative web sites), and setting up a web/IMAP/mail server.

There's a chapter on "Tools You Should Know", which lists the tools a typical Unix hacker should know: regular expressions, vi, dd, sed, diff, etc. Like some other parts of the book, this chapter doesn't give you a lot of information on these individual tools, but it brings them to your attention, so you at least know what to look for.

This book by itself won't turn a newbie into a Linux ninja after one reading, but it is a good overview of many different things that can be done with open source tools on a Linux box. I would highly encourage the prospective reader to take a look at the Table of Contents of this book. If you see a topic you're interested in, then this is a worthwhile book to buy. (I suspect that most folks running Linux at home at a beginner to intermediate level will find several bits of interest in this book.)

I've been curious about Linux for some time now. But, the only books that I could find, are all on installing, administering, configuring. Every one rehashing what the other said. None of them sold me on diving in.

When I discovered this book, I was apprehensive, but I went for it and purchased it. All I have to say is WOW! I never realised how flexible Linux is, or how much you could do.

I was thouroughly impressed on the variety of this book. I've finally been inspired to dive right in to Linux.

Are you a new Linux user, and want to learn more?

Are you an experienced Linux user, but are wondering what other interesting things you can do?

This book will teach you fun things. This book will teach you useful things. This book takes you on a tour you can't help but enjoy. At the end of the day, you'll find yourself not only entertained, but more knowledgeable about what you can do with Linux. It's probably more than you think!

This book helped me discover new interests and new possibilities, all in easy to read and entertaining prose. With that in mind, I'm giving this book the highest rating possible.

High Tech investing seems to be quite risky so if you are about to dive in, you will want to learn the basics and avoid the pitfalls.

This step-by-step guide simplifies the complex world of high-tech stocks and helps you be ready for the next explosive trend.

How do you pick a stock and identify an opportunity? What are the cycles? How can you develop an investing strategy? What are the industries and how can you collect information on the companies you are researching?

There could be a rare opportunity for you to build new wealth. If you want to have a share in ownership in a company that produces rapidly advancing designs by using research and development combined with advanced thinking to produce new products, this is your roadmap to being a part of the latest advances in chemistry, biology and computers.

The section on Internet mania shows how many Internet stocks have dropped as low as 90% from their one-time high. This industry is however still growing and does provide many investment opportunities. You will want to be aware of ponzi schemes and other scams. Small blocks of interesting information also pop up on various pages.

There is an interesting aspect of Beethoven's life which alludes to a modern invention. You just never know where we are headed, but the future of invention looks very exciting.

...the authors of this book forecast that high technology companies will make up most of the indexed funds within the next few years. So you will be owning them anyway.

High technology stocks offer high potential and high risk. The book does a good job of telling you what those potentials and risks are, and pointing you towards places where you can get good information. Both authors are well-known authorities in the field.

One of the most useful elements in this book is the valuation method of price-to-growth-flow measurement. This method takes earnings per share and adds research-and-development per share. You then look at the multiples involved. As the book suggests, it is very important to buy these companies inexpensively because their valuations go up and down so much (often several times in the same year).

I heartily recommend this book to anyone who knows little about high tech investing and would like a good overview of the basics.

After you have finished the book, I do suggest that you take the time to establish and write down what your financial goals are and create a plan to accomplish them....

Jacquelyn Dowd Hall and the other writers of _Like a Family_ created a tour-de-force study of cotton mill towns in the American South. It is a very rare book that captures such a clear, complex sense of history; Hall balances a careful sense of detail with a sweeping picture of life in the cotton-mill South by using a combination of oral and written sources. This book is perfect for scholars and non-scholars alike, and richly conjures a full picture of this period in American history.

Like a Family interestingly and accurately portrays life in southern cotton mills and mill towns in the central southeast, primarily North Carolina. The book examines family, work and community life; it is a social, cultural and political history. Working in the mills was harsh, dangerous and monotonous. Most employees left farms and a rural way of life to toil in the mills; for these people living under the constant eye of mill management was humiliating at times. The mills controlled not only the worker's jobs, but their housing, churches, schools, entertainment and shopping through company stores. It is important to note that this book does not leave out women's perspectives, as many mill workers were young women and working mothers.

A great deal of the content of this book was provided by interviews done in the 1980's of people who worked in the mills and lived in mill communities. This oral history is both fascinating and priceless. Most of the mills have closed and the memory and history of them is becoming scarcer to find as most of the mill workers who lived during the era portrayed in this book have died.

While most of the mills have closed, central North Carolina is dotted with the communities that are remains of old mill towns. I am from this region and my mother lives in Bynum, NC, a mill town dating from the mid-19th century. Several of her neighbors were interviewed for and written about in Like a Family. The old company store still serves as a post office and the mill community's church has regular worshipers. Unfortunately the rest of the community from the mill days, including the mill itself (which closed in the early 1980's and has burned down recently), have succumbed to time and aging from the elements.

A facinating journey of physicists, molecular biologists, geneticists, etc. trying to capture the power of speculation as Erwin Schroedinger did 50 years earlier. Fans of Steven J. Gould will find the (sometimes contrary) opinions of other learned men of science equally stimulating as his own chapter.

This is an important and wonderful book. I have re-read many of the essays several times. The editors did a terrific job. You don't have to have read What Is Life to enjoy and learn from this book (skip the S.J. Gould essay, it's the only worthless one in the book). When my house catches on fire, this is one of the half-dozen books I will grab.

This a good book. It has a lot of information. I would recomend this book to almost anyone. Oh you thought I was going to give you a bunch of details so you wouldn't have to buy the book,well you thought wrong.

This book is great and definitely worth the price. It has a lot of information on J.Lo as well as giving fascinating facts about her. It is also something for all Jennifer Lopez fans. If you buy this, another thing you might be interested in is "feelin' so good" not the song but the DVD/video. It has all that you would ever want to know about J.LO with a great interview as well as showing you some of her songs (1999-2000) and showing you how she made the video and who was behind it's production. But if you already have it this is something else you should buy. It's great.

-------------------------AHMED MASHHOOD--------------------------

As a scientist and a tetralogy of Fallot survivor, I found this volume fascinating. It is clearly written for the medical professional, so it's tough going for the layperson. But adult tetralogy survivors will likely face the issues discussed in this book at one time or another, decreased exercise tolerance, life threatening arrhythmias, decreased right ventricular function and pulmonary regurgitation, and this book will help you understand the issues, at least well enough to discuss them intelligently with your cardiologist. So if you've got tetralogy of Fallot, this book is well worth buying.

This book has some great black and white pictures of people playing our favorite instrument. If you like tradtional tunes, the history and myth surrounding the Appalachian dulcimer, and great photos of the old-time players, you'll enjoy this book. Included is a great short story published in a turn-of-the-centure magazine featuring the dulcimer. All in all, it is a good read.

It is difficult to write "Short History of Chinese Arts". Suppose that an honest scholar start preparing his lecture note of " Chinese Arts", he shall struggle with selecting subjects and plates. Moreover, for example, he feels that he be an expert on ancient bronzes, and a beginner of export wares in 17th century. Leaving the purgatory, he would want help to a standard textbook.

Among English books, this noted book may have used in many college courses. 1st edition(1967) and The revised edition(1973) were welcomed by many students and scholars. Even a japanese translation had been popular for many years. In this 4th edition, 84 old respectable scholar still attracts me with lucid style.

For beginners, this should be a good introduction. Appreciating artifacts in Museum, finding something in antique shop, or reading books/papers/articles about a particular subject, it needs some elementary background knowledge for chinese arts and history. This offers such COMMON SENSE.

For experienced scholars, this is an interesting reading. This might look a mean textbook for them. Before reading, I minded I become tired for many facts already learned, but I enjoy this book even in commute train, although this edition format is too large. Because not only this is Readable for a japanese, but also gives many (sometimes implicit) skeptical suggestions. At 258p, about Wan Hui (1632-1677, painter), "The Palace Museum collection also contains a number of clever pastiches of tenth-century and Northen Song landscapes that are almost certainly his work"; keen insight!.

I should regretfully notice that some illustrations/items might be inadequate, blurred, or damaged. I hope that they will be changed at next chance.

College Algebra is quite authorative on the subject matter covered and helps the student grasp the key points as well as some of the finer points of Algebra. While I was in this course I had the most difficult time trying to find certain supplements the book suggested that were put out by the publisher. They had no knowledge of the material at the company but it was clearly stated in the text. All in all the overall text and message of the book was rather competent and illuminating.

This great story lets the reader into the minds of the characters on each side of the seige. DeMille has a way of making you care about each of the characters (good and bad). He even does a good job of giving life to most of the supporting characters. His characters are great, the dialog is top notch (as always), and his setting is amazing. I've never seen St. Patricks Cathedral, but DeMille made it very easy to visualize it (the diagrams in the front were a great touch).

I've always described reading a DeMille book as watching a movie in your mind. This one is no exception. The action and suspence are great. If you can, read the last section in one sitting. It will be worth it, and I bet you won't be able to put it down at that point anyway.

Also recommend Plum Island, and Jeffery Deaver's The Devil's Teardrop and A Maiden's Grave.

This was an extraordinary book that has kept me up at nights reading, as I got drawn into its suspensful and intriguing plot. Nelson DeMille, a former U.S. Army lieutenant in Vietnam, is the author of many acclaimed novels, such as "The General's Daughter" which was made into a movie. "The Cathedral" is my favorite DeMille book, as it's rich characterization, amazing plot, and thrilling suspense simply cannot be ignored.

Cathedral is full of action, politics, and romance. The whole story takes course in just one fateful day. In New York City, while people are happily celebrating St. Patrick's Day, they are unaware of an ingeniously masterminded terrorist act taking place. A renegade group of IRA terrorists have taken over St. Patrick's Cathedral, taking hostage four VIPs in the city. The leader of the terrorists is Brian Flynn, a man devoted to the cause of freeing his family and friends imprisoned by the English in Northern Ireland. The terrorists threaten to destroy the Cathedral and kill the hostages, if their demands are not met by dawn. The world is watching, waiting for the final outcome of dawn, as the 'electrifying' duel between the Police and the terrorists ensues.

In Cathedral, characterization is a major plus. By the end of the book, you can really relate with the characters, and feel like you've known them all your life. There are about five major characters in the novel, each with his/her own background, aspirations, and unique personality. Due to such great characterization, Nelson DeMille really creates a strong and realistic human drama that is emotionally engaging. In addition, there is plenty of fast-paced action that always kept me on the edge of my seat. The plot is so suspenseful, that you can't let go of the book. Here is a memorable quote, "I was about two seconds late¡¦ Then there was a strange sort of a feeling¡¦like a presence¡¦in this business they talk about having an Angel on your shoulder while you work-you know? God Almighty, I had a regiment of them." The use of such elaborate dialogue makes this book so enjoyable. It definitely makes you want to find out more and more about what is happening, and how each character is involved.

The only weakness I see in the book is the slow beginning. The beginning chapter of the book is slow-paced, as it sets the tone for the book. Also, at times the architectural description of the Cathedral was confusing, and hard to imagine what the layout is actually like (of the Church).

This is an exceptional book overall, with a great plot, detailed and interesting characters, and realistic human drama. I strongly recommend this book for everyone, whether you like action, drama, romance, or mystery, Cathedral is all that and more. Nelson DeMille has created another literary masterpiece.

I have read numerous books by Demille, and have enjoyed each for its unique setting and storyline. However, Cathedral ranks as one of my favorite books I have ever read. One piece of advice... make sure that you have a version that has a map of St. Patrick's Cathedral in the front cover. I referred to it many times while reading the book. First time I have ever felt like I was actually there (in a book)... I highly recommend this book for those who enjoy fast paced intrigue.