Linux Mint Essentials

The book consists of 12 chapters, plus three appendixes and additional front material. Its general layout is rather pleasant.The first chapter, “Meet Linux Mint,” contains the customary self-advertisement about one’s distribution, found in all similar books. Mint is advertised as more popular than Ubuntu, but counting the number of questions asked about these distributions on some news website is certainly not a reliable technique. Also, presenting a distribution with only screen copies of its desktop is disappointing.Chapter 2, “Creating Boot Media and Installing Linux Mint,” assumes that the reader knows Windows; everything is explained with reference to this system. Planning the partition scheme is often not explained at all in Ubuntu books, as this is considered too complicated for a beginner. However, this book demonstrates that this concept can be explained clearly and simply.Chapter 3 presents Cinnamon, the desktop environment of Linux Mint, or rather one of the available desktop environments. One of the major goals of the people who developed Linux Mint was to provide an alternative to Unity, the new desktop environment defined for Ubuntu version 10.10, which was much criticized by Ubuntu users. In fact, Cinnamon can be used with Ubuntu in place of Unity.One of the most useful though almost hidden features of all Linux desktop environments is the possibility of having several workspaces. This allows for several different screens with different applications running on them. Thus, you no longer need to minimize your current application in order to maximize another one. But several desktop environments, including Unity and Cinnamon, underemphasize this capability.Chapter 4, “An Introduction to the Terminal,” is in fact an introduction to the shell. Explanations about the shell are well presented, but there is a gross error in explaining the find command by using an unquoted joker expression. Anybody testing the command shown will get an error message because the joker expression is expanded before the command is called. In fact, it seems that chapter 4 was shortened too roughly; thus, the script example is useless, and notations like the jokers or the “.” notation are not explained at all. Finding the proper balance between not frightening beginners and providing a useful reference is difficult.Chapter 5, “Utilizing Storage and Media,” fills a need not frequently covered in other books. It is difficult to understand how to format a flash drive, especially because there is some confusion between using a graphical user interface (GUI) or not. This chapter is not suited for beginners; it should be shortened and moved to an appendix, as demonstrated by the space devoted to the universally unique identifier (UUID) concept.To comment on all the chapters with the same level of detail would make this review much too long, thus I will simply summarize the rest. Some chapters simply explain how to install some new applications, presenting them with only a screen copy. Others, on the contrary, explain in a detailed way how to manage users and permissions, or how to set a static Internet Protocol (IP) address or share files using the network file system (NFS). Beginners will appreciate the first category of chapters, but they will miss detailed explanations about using the applications. Advanced users will find the explanations in the second category of chapters more interesting, but also rather shallow.All in all, chapters about administration and advanced usage are more numerous than chapters about applications, and they provide welcome information since it’s rare to find all that in the same book. The weaknesses of Linux Mint are not hidden under the rug.The appendices deal with using the MATE and KDE editions of Linux Mint, as well as with reinstalling Mint while retaining data. These are also very welcome, although once again the screen copies are not very useful.All this means that the author managed to build an interesting and useful book about an interesting variant or derivation of Ubuntu.

Unlike the other book I read to introduce me to Mint, this author doesn't assume I have used Linux for years. I didn't have to go online to look anything up to understand his explanations. He assumes that (like 80% of computer users) that we just want to surf the internet, watch a movie or write a letter. Not find out how to rewrite the entire Linux system in computer language.

Great read for anyone new to Linux Mint. Author is very good, watch his YouTube videos all the time!!

Not all the information is correct. I found a few things that didn't work out for me.

Very well written. covers a lot. I am still going thru it trying to learn Linux.

Truthfully I haven't loaded this distro yet but I certainly intend to in the near future. I have already read this book and refer back to it as I progress in my understanding of Linux's various systems. I'm learning on LUbuntu first and then will switch over to Linux Mint Mate and Cinnamon as these two are what I really desire in my computer after Windows XP PRO.Since this Book is up to date currently, it IS very interesting to me and easy to understand for the most part. Yes, I know that it is a costly Book but specialized information generally is. I certainly feel that its High cost is well worth the price. Thank you.

Linux Mint Essentials is a well written book, covering all the essential, relevant parts of the operating system.

Packt Publishing ([...]) is a technical book company based in Birmingham in the UK, although some of their employees appear to be located in India. They produce a wide range of books, mainly focused on Internet technologies. Their previous Linux-based productions include books on CentOS, shell scripting, Kali Linux, Arch Linux and Linux Mint administration. At 329 pages, Linux Mint Essentials is one of their longer efforts. The book is aimed at new users of Linux and Mint, It’s priced on the website at $A25.49 for an ebook edition in Mobi or EPUB, and $A49.99 for a print version with the ebook version included. Print and Kindle versions are also available through Amazon, and a print version through Barnes & Noble. I used the PDF and EPUB versions in writing this review.The layout of the book is unimaginative but clean, and largely text-based. There are graphics – usually screenshots – every few pages, but not always at the most helpful points. The EPUB version makes better use of colour than the PDF and printed versions, but as usual it seems to have been regarded as a by-product of the printing process rather than a valuable format in its own right – straight quotes appear rather than smart quotes, for instance. Both versions have a hyperlinked tables of content and an index. The usual typographic conventions are used to indicate tips, tricks and terminal commands.The book begins with an overview of Linux and distros in general, making a few of the usual odious comparisons disparaging Microsoft Windows and the Apple Macintosh system. I know this is a common tactic, and I’ve done it myself, but perhaps it’s time the Linux community just let it stand on its merits. There’s a tip of the hat to Ubuntu, but not to Debian. The release cycle is gone over lightly, and mention is made of the official support forums.Chapter 2 starts with an overview of the various Mint ‘spins’ – MATE, Cinnamon, KDE and XFCE – and goes on to talk about creating and testing live media. (The semi-rolling release spin Mint Debian is not covered in the book.) The author takes us through the installation process step by step with a close attention to detail that may make the reader wonder why he said it was all so easy just a chapter ago. But this is probably the single most important section for new users, so it’s worth the attention.In Chapter 3 we’re introduced to Cinnamon and its features – the program menu, panels, workspaces, notifications, themes and launchers – and get a brief overview of some bundled software. We meet Nemo and look at the system settings, and take a slightly off-topic excursion into changing the default Firefox search engine. Jay’s instructions are brief but clear, but given the cussedness of things in general, a new user will probably still want to have an experienced friend standing by when they try them out.Chapter 4 takes us on to the Terminal, and I can’t help wondering how many readers will close the book at this point. Certainly anyone moving over from Windows has a right to be surprised and disappointed when they learn how much reliance many Linux users still place on the Terminal window. Jay covers it well, but perhaps this should have gone later in the book.Chapter 5 covers storage and removable media, disk burning and UUIDs, Chapter 6 describes software installation and package management, and gets extra points for mentioning the extremely useful FileZilla package. Chapter 7 starts by describing codecs and goes on to talk about multimedia files and players. Banshee gets a mention but not, alas, Clementine.Chapter 8 describes users and permissions, and again I wonder how relevant this will be to new users. Surely someone who needs to do this is going to be savvy enough to work it out for themselves. It’s also heavily Terminal-based – a sure turnoff. The same is true of Chapter 9, on networking. My experience of this stuff has always been that if it goes right you don’t need any help at all, and if it goes wrong you need far more help than a chapter of this length can possibly provide. None of this is a reflection on the author, though, who covers the material well. And FileZilla makes a return appearance.Chapter 10 deals usefully with security, encryption, firewalls and virus protection. It goes over the Backup Tool, which I’ve never found a use for (non-incremental backups? You must be joking!) and gets way technical with image snapshots and system hardening, well beyond the scope of the new users at whom the book is mainly directed. Chapter 11 is a grab-bag of advanced administration techniques, which includes useful information about moving to a new release.Chapter 12 – Troubleshooting – brings us back to earth with a bump. I would much rather have seen this earlier in the book, but the information is here and most of it is extremely useful. It has a section on resolving audio problems, for which Mint is well-known, not to say notorious.There are three detailed appendixes. Appendix A covers retaining data during reinstallation or upgrades. Appendix B is about MATE and how it differs from Cinnamon, and Appendix C covers KDE – there’s nothing more on XFCE, however. The use of Appendixes to cover these spins means that non-Cinnamon users are going to be doing a lot of flipping back and forth, and it illustrates the chief problem that all of us have when writing about something as amorphous as a Linux distro; just what is inside the boundaries, and what is not?Summing up, Jay has done an excellent job with the writing, and Packt has done an excellent job with the presentation. I only found one typo – ‘Formating’, on page 95. My main concern is that the new users who will benefit most from this book may find themselves rather overwhelmed by material that they’re not ready for and may never need to know. But there’s always a fine line between satisfying curiosity and inspiring imagination. And it’s precisely the elegant and intuitive design of Mint which makes it hard to say things about it that aren’t already obvious.Disclaimer: I was asked to write this review by the publisher, but I have no financial connection with them and my opinions are my own.

There is a bit of history attached to my purchase of Linux Mint Essentials. Like quite a few people I am totally appalled at what Microsoft are doing with their new 'free' (so-called) operating system, Windows 10. As best as I could see to install Windows 10 was to do little more than install a Microsoft Spyware Suite onto your computer - it trawls through your data and phones home to Microsoft with all the details. I was even more appalled to read that Microsoft are now back-porting some of the spyware 'features' to be installed to Windows 7 and Windows 8.x machines. That was enough for me (and for a fair number of other people if I'm to believe some of what is being written on forums). I decided it was time to move over to GNU/Linux as my operating system for the future. In doing that I had to choose which version (distro) of Linux to use. After a little bit of research I decided on Linux Mint (Cinnamon edition). Linux Mint is pretty close in appearance to a Windows system so wouldn't be too much of a shock to a Microsoft Windows user.However, I had no previous exposure to Linux other than in the passing over the years. Install it, try it for a little while and then decide it wasn't really easy enough to use - back to Windows. This time I installed Linux Mint and was surprised to find that it is very use-able even for people that don't know much more than how to point and click. Still I wanted a book that would help me as a newbie to Linux Mint. and get me a bit beyond that point by the time I had finished reading the book. I bought two books to help with this "Linux Mint Essentials" and  Linux Mint 17.2: Desktops and Administration  My reason for buying the two was that I thought, given its date of publication, 2014, that Linux Mint Essentials might just be a bit too out-of-date to really help. I was wrong on that score. Even now, on the very cusp of 2016, the information in the book is relevant to Linux Mint 17.3 (which I am using).Linux Mint Essentials is ideal for the newbie to Linux, in any form, but particularly for newbies to Linux Mint and even more particularly for newbies to Linux Mint Cinnamon edition. The writing style is good, and unlike many manuals that I have read, it never descends into just a statement of technical jargon. It covers everything a newbie would need to know, and a fair bit more besides. From installation, to configuration of your new operating system. It is thoughtful on installation and does advise the user to create a separate partition for /home (which would be roughly equivalent to a Windows user creating a separate partition for "My Documents"). This is very good advice in the Linux world and it is great that it gets a mention in the book.All in all I would thoroughly recommend this book for Linux newbies. By the time I finished it I had all of the main information I needed to actually use Linux Mint well enough for all day-to-day tasks. And, for those sections of the book that weren't immediately relevant to anything I wanted to do, I have a valuable introductory reference guide for the future.For anyone wondering which is the best of the two books I mention here to buy I would definitely say if you are a newbie then go for Linux Mint Essentials. Linux Mint 17.2: Desktops and Administration is, in my opinion, written for a different kind of person. The style and level at which it is written seems really to be for someone who already has some experience in using Linux Mint. Though much of it is relevant to newbies it isn't written in a style that makes it easily accessible by newbies. That said, by the time you've worked your way through Linux Mint Essentials the next good step would be to start working your way through "Linux Mint 17.2: Desktops and Administration". I'm glad I have both and have learned a lot because of them.I would though like to end on a comment on Linux Mint. It's a really good operating system and once you get over the initial hump of the new it really is actually quite easy to use - much more enjoyable than using Windows! And, into the bargain, it is free. You can give copies to your friends and no Microsoft breathing down your back for doing so. Quite the reverse, you will be being applauded by other Linux users. Hasta la vista, Microsoft! Linux Mint 17.2: Desktops and Administration

This book paid for itself within an hour of starting to read it. It is one of the best technical guides I have read - and I have read quite a few over the last 40 years. I have written technical guides myself and have never achieved the quality of this one.

A very good introduction to Linux mint. Anyone else fed up with keep having to pay out for a new OS whether you like it or not. I am, so I have doubled booted with Linux Mint which is very easy to do, If you can use windows you can use Mint.

Pleased with it.

I am a novice to Mint and Linux as a well but this book was so very helpful. So very fed up with things goining wrong in windows it mad me strive for some thing better and Linux has given me that with the help of this book