what's new in the second edition
the first edition of this book dealt primarily with the user-centric side of a liunux system
it focused on understanding how the parts worked and how to get them humming.
at theat time , many parts of linux were diffcult to install and configure properly
this is happily no longer the case thanks to the hard work of the people
who write software and create linux distributions
with this in mind I have omitted some older and perhaps less relevant material
such as a detailed explanation of printing
in favor of an expanded discussion of the linux kernel's role in every linux distrubution
you probably interact with the kernel more than you realize , and I have taken special care to note where
of course , so much of the original subject matter in this book has changed over the years
and I have taken pains to sort through the material in the first edition in search of updates.
Of particular interest is how linux boots and how it manages devices.
I have also taken care to rearrange material to match the interests and needs of current readers
one thing that hasn't changed is the size of this book.
I want to give you the stuff that you need to get on the fast track , and that includes explaining
certain details along the way that can be hard to grasp , but I don't want you to have to become a weightlifter in order to pick up this book
when you are on top of the important subjects here you should have no trouble seeking out and understanding more details
I have also omitted some of the historical information that was in the first edition , primarily to keep you focused .
if you are interested in linux and how it relates to the history of unix , pick up peter H. salus's the deamon , the gnu and the penguin
reed media services 2008 it does a great job of explaining how the software we use has evolved over time.